The Deadliest Sin

When people think of the “Seven Deadly Sins” they might first think of lust, or wrath, or pride, or greed, or gluttony, or envy, but rarely do they think of the deadliest sin of them all.

All of these aforementioned sins are deadly, but they do not kill the most sacred part of our beings.

Sloth kills the soul. Sloth is the deadliest sin.

Ecclesiastes 10:18 says, “Because of laziness, the roof sags; Because of idle hands, the house leaks.”

Your roof is sagging because of laziness, your house is leaking because of idle hands, and your life is rotting because of sloth.

Sloth, just like all of the seven deadly sins, is always a choice.

Sloth is an apathetically pathetic approach to life. Imagine a sloth rowing a boat. It would look apathetically pathetic. The sloth would be moving in such a slow motion that they would not be able to generate enough force to even get going. There would be no motion.

We are all rowing our own boats on this river of life. Every 10 meters we row further, we pick up another experience and feeling of joy, fulfillment, and purpose. Should you partake in the deadly sin of sloth, you will be left motionless, unfulfilled, and with a general attitude of disdain and lack around your life. Your soul will be dead.

David Goggins grinds harder than practically anybody, yet he would tell you that he finds immense joy in his work. This is because his boat travels through each 10 meter point at a higher rate than almost anyone, because he rows hard. Not only does he row hard, he rows with attentiveness, with diligence, and with intensity. As a result, his soul is ALIVE. Watch the man speak, watch the man break the 24 hour pull up record, watch the man tell stories of running 70 miles, shitting his pants, peeing blood, having his kidneys fail, and still deciding to keep going and finish his race, and then proceeding to do the same type of marathons weekly.

David Goggins would rather die than engage in sloth.

When you do work, you feel good. There’s an inescapable feeling of joy and purpose. That’s because you are rowing the boat. You are making progress. You are moving further down the river, picking up those feelings of fulfillment along the way.

An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an opposing force. The same is true with your boat down the river of life on a journey of joy, fulfillment, and purpose. Attentiveness, diligence, and intensity, which are all choices, will increase your receipt of those glorious feelings. Those decision points, at which you are presented with a choice, are constantly popping up and won’t be going away any time soon. The opposing force is the only thing stopping you and your soul from experiencing the vast wonder life has to offer. The opposing force is sloth. It is laziness, it is idle hands, it is empty pleasure.

You can choose to feel joy, fulfillment and purpose. But how do you know what to choose?

You know the things that bring you joy and you know the things that leave you feeling empty. Write them down. Make a list. Wonderful vs sloth.

Consistently choose that which is wonderful and watch how far you go and how good you feel. Constantly audit both sides of the list, both in your mind when decision points arise and when new things pop up that you find to be wonderful or sloth. Add and remove as necessary.

Your wonderful vs sloth list can be your guiding compass on your trek down the river of life. In creating your wonderful vs sloth list, you are literally outlining what elicits feelings of joy, fulfillment, and purpose and what leaves you feeling empty inside. Which means all you have to do is choose the wonderful things over and over again. Then, you get to watch and feel as your soul bursts alive with an undeniable vivaciousness and tenacity, unlocking experiences and a journey so majestic you’ll question how life can be so good.

At that point, you’d rather die than engage in sloth.