A Modern Take on the Seven Deadly Sins

Almost everyone has heard of the Seven Deadly Sins. The list includes lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. The list was created by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th Century AD, and although the list has been around for quite some time, many people don’t see the relevance of these sins in modern society. Therefore I have created a list of modern examples of each supposed, “sin”.

Lust
The Oxford American Dictionary describes the term list as, “a very strong sexual desire”. This is quite possibly one of the most relevant “sins” in modern society. Marriages in this day and age don’t typically last as long as they used to. Some people speculate that it’s because of this fixation with finding the perfect soul mate, someone who matches you in everyway. However, many people are obsessed with finding “the next best thing”. This is where lust comes in. Many relationships have problems and even end because of infidelity and infidelity is usually caused by lust.

Gluttony
The Oxford American Dictionary describes gluttony as “habitual greed or excess in eating”. I think most of us can associate with this sin. How many times have you eaten until you thought you were going to explode? I know I have. I just can’t help it. If I’ve paid for an all-you-can-eat buffet, I’m suddenly overcome with this urge to get my money’s worth. Even when I’m not at a buffet, if I’m eating something particularly delicious, I can’t bring myself to put the fork down when I’m full. I have to finish it because it’s so delicious. America is fast becoming one of the most obese populations in the world (if it already isn’t) and I have to say that gluttony is a large part of the problem.

Greed
Greed is a much more intense form of gluttony when it comes to food, but can be applied to other things like wealth or power. When applied to food, gluttony is the desire to eat in excess, but greed is the desire to eat everything in front of you, and when you’re done, take more from your neighbors out of selfishness.

Sloth
As a college student, I can attest to the fact that sloth is still a relevant sin. The Oxford American Dictionary describes it was a “reluctance to work or make an effort”. Sometimes, especially during an exceptionally difficult semester, I feel like giving up. I just want to stay in bed all day and “forget” to turn in my homework. The laziness that I sometimes feel in respect to my schoolwork can be applied to many different things. Sometimes when things get stressful with work, we just find it easier to be lazy and not complete a chore.

Wrath
The Oxford American Dictionary defines wrath as “extreme anger”. This sin is the only one that I don’t find particularly relevant to American society. Of course, in other parts of the world this is not the case, but I don’t typically encounter much wrath in everyday life.

Envy
Okay, so this one is super relevant to society. Tons of teenage girls around the country suffer from this everyday. Envy is defined as “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck”. High school is the perfect example of envy. Everyone (especially girls) is constantly resenting and disliking others, usually because of pure jealousy. If one person gets a new car, all of a sudden your car isn’t as cool. If some girl wears a certain brand of clothing and your parents won’t let you shop at that store, you become jealous. If you studied more than your classmate but they made the better grade, you resent them. This happens all the time in high school, which is why it is a perfect example of envy.

Pride
I think pride is definitely relevant in today’s society. There are so many status symbols that serve no purpose other than to show the rest of the world how proud you are of your earnings. Hummers are a prime example. There is really no need to drive a Hummer. They are inefficient and surprisingly cramped for how large they are. They are hard to park and bad for the environment, but they are expensive. That’s why so many people are drawn to them; if they drive an expensive vehicle it shows how successful they have become in life.

This is my full list of the Seven Deadly Sins and they are, for the most part, still applicable in modern American culture.