Accidia

Accidia is an Italian word that translates into English as “indolence.” Indolence is best defined as inactivity resulting from a dislike of work and is often time associated to sloth. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins and is also the root of many other evils.

Sloth is the root and direct cause of countless lesser evils including, but not limited to, dependency, immorality, restlessness, instability and the acquisition of other vices. Religion clearly states that one must work to support society and to further God’s plan. Therefore, by being inactive one is promoting the continuation and extension of sin. In earlier Christianity sloth was also associated with joylessness and was thought to be caused by an absence or insufficiency of love. As a result, sloth was portrayed as the failure to love and appreciate the work of God.

Isaac Watts spoke of sloth when he said, “For Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.” By stating this Watts explains that idle, or inactive, hands will resort to some sort of evil or immoral actions as a result of boredom. Slothful beings fail to utilize their God-given talents and gifts and, therefore, do not have any ambitions, do not set or accomplish any short- or long-term goals and fail to grow as intellectual individuals.

By being slothful one does not only hurt oneself but, more importantly, one also has a negative effect upon one’s society and all those who surround them. On a widespread level, accidia can lead to poverty, drug addiction, alcoholism, disregard for higher law, domestic irresponsibility, abandonment of studies, failure to prioritize and overall negligence, among countless others.

All of the above mentioned consequences of accidia, or sloth, on individuals and on society as a whole have numerous negative consequences that make sloth one of the deadly sins from which many other, lesser evils of the world