What is your greatest "deadly" sin?

[da Tao]

I have thought about this question a long time ago, got to an answer by myself, but still couldn't figure out a way out of it by myself. Most of my friends whom I consider close would say "Pride" for me, but that's mainly because I am pretty good at projecting a constructed persona.

To start the discussion, I have chosen the old biblical seven deadly sins as a starting point - even though I am not of any prescribed religion. (And some of them are out of date. For example, individual gluttony and lust can now be managed and not have a crippling effect on social fabric or other aspects of personal life.)

By no means do you have to pick one here, and in fact it is probably not a good idea to take something and jam it into one of the seven moulds - that is not helpful in the long run.

Also one should make distinction between what one is most motivated by and what one is most held back by. For example, I would go to some lengths for a "free" exquiste lunch - but sloth is a much bigger obstacle to growth than gluttony. You are invited to make two list if you feel inclined to.

Most Disabilitating in order of declining strength:
High: envy, sloth
Medium: pride, wrath
Low: lust, gluttony, greed

Most Influentual (to day-to-day decisions) in order of declining strength:
High: gluttony, sloth
Medium: envy, pride, lust
Low: wrath, greed

[KeJia Sista]

Procrastination.
Ke Jia

[JadeDragon]

I am most motivated by AND held back by fear.

[KeJia Sista]

I am most motivated by AND held back by fear.

Thats interesting. I was originally going to write procrastination and moving ahead without fearing the consequences but it seemed too contradictory.

I can understand how you can be motivated and held back by fear.

Ke Jia

[howstrange]

Sloth.

My laziness prevents me from becoming the best at what I do. I know that I do have the ability to be the best, but right now I'm not sure if the journey is worth the sacrifices. Mediocrity is sometimes a comforting place to be.

[ellencho]

I'd say sloth, but gluttony overrides it because I gots to eat! If I were truly slothful I would eat really crappy food or no food at all.

[da Tao]

on Food

^ I think I definitely have to visit the Manifold Gates for your eating threads, ellen. I too love to eat (and cook - that's a strategic capability - currently my best entree is Thai fish broth and most complicated dessert are mooncakes :D ), my rationale is that it is one of life's simplest pleasures that doesn't hinge on other people so much. ie. good conversations, sex, those things depends on "real" efforts of others.

Ok, back to topic...

on Fear

I am most motivated by AND held back by fear.
Fear. hmm. I suppose that that does accounts for some of my impasse, where I prefer the status quo because the price of failure is high. As for the push-pull effect, that makes sense because fear elicits a fight, flee and in some cases freeze instinct. I guess in order to make fear work for you, one has have a good understanding on what makes you fight and what makes you flee.

As a sidenote that could warrant a thread of its own - my current thoughts on fear is that rational fears are "all" about the lost of something - be it life, health, freedom, money, love and loved ones, etc. The only thing that is a clear exception under this scheme is pain. A lost of pleasure is not pain.

on Fixes

I seem to have found some solutions in the past... self-cornering and submission. (Not that type, though that sounds kinda fun. :twisted: )

Self-cornering is for when I'm liable to get cold feet, so I burn bridges so I have no choice but forward. Works for simple things. Kind of like back in highschool where you tell your buddies which girl you are into, knowing that they will egg you on if you don't.

Submission is for a lack of will, self-discipline and strength of character. I would like to be physically fit, learn French and a load of worldly skills, so I could join the army and submit my superficial freedoms to something that I know is good for me.

Unfortunately neither of these strategies are purely self-sustainable - they require outside intervention, even if it is I that triggered them. The bottom line is that I could not achieve self-harmony yet, leading to incoherent policies and actions. This search for harmony will most likely be a thread in its own right.

A quick thought: Nature of spite and vindictiveness - since I am probably guilty of both. What is it exactly? Are they manifestations of some root attribute?

[ellencho]

da Tao - I posted this recipe just for you :) http://thefighting44s.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=48220#48220

And I'd love to learn how to make your Thai fish broth and the moon cakes! I ddin't know regular civilians made moon cakes! I thought it was one of those things that only Chinese bakeries made!!!

[maogirl]

pride
wrath

i'm obsessive-compulsive so sloth, greed, lust, etc. don't really have an influence in my life.

and as trik turner says, "don't got time to envy those who got things i never had."

who comes up with these lists, anyway? was moses like, "i can't stand that lazy ass jacob *puts sloth on list* and isaac's always eating my personal stash of manna *puts greed on list* HAHAHAH! go to hell, motherfuckers!!"


ps i think most of these sins can be turned around in a positive way. some people use greed to invent delicious food, some people use sloth to invent dishwashers and vaccuum cleaners. it's all good. i think sometimes my pride has caused me grief but in general, it's allowed me to walk away from situations that would have been very bad for me.

pps da tao, can you make custard mooncake? if so, can you post the recipe?

[B the student]

my greatest sin is self-doubt. I don't have the courage to trust my self. Even in the smallest of actions, I find me trying to check myself to make sure I did it right. Thankfully, I've realized how much I do this and have been slowly trying to work on trusting my self. Ultimately, I hope to be free of it. That's not to say I won't exercise caution under appropiate circumstances, but I want to have the strength and courage to do things without always worrying about the consequences or if I'm doing it right. And I want to know the self-confidence I manage to gain won't eventually dissappear back into self-doubt (as it always seems to happen).

I also do procrastinate every now and then (especially with papers), but I don't think it's my deadliest sin. And yeah, I'm a horny bastard but I don't let it dictate everything I do (yet). I kinda wonder if that'll change when I finally do give it away to someone special b/c according to my friends I "don't know what I'm missing out on" and "it's the greatest thing ever," so apparently I'm only doomed to get hornier. Anyway I think I do a lil bit of all the seven deadly sins...what can I say, I'm going to hell. :twisted:

Most debilitating in order of declining strength:
High:self doubt, pride
medium:sloth, envy, greed
low:wrath, lust, gluttony

Most Influential in order of declining strength:
High: pride
Medium: lust, greed, envy, gluttony
low: wrath, sloth (when I'm not in a procrastinating mood, bump to medium when I am)