ST.

PAUL UNIVERSITY SURIGAO

(St. Paul University System)
Cor. San Nicolas & Rizal Streets
8400 Surigao City, Philippines

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Name : Dedina H. Sanico
Program : Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Management)
Professor : Fr. Larry Espuerta
Course : Spirituality, Personal Leadership and Social Responsibility
Activity 2

Reflection on “The Seven Deadly Sins”

I never knew about this Seven Deadly Sins, because what I knew is only “THE
INFERNO-The Nine Circle of Hell” by Dante Alighieri, but when I read all the seven deadly sins,
I realized it‟s the same. The only different is that in Inferno the punishments in each sins is
clearly defined somehow we can feel the sufferings of those who will belong to each circle.
Reading the seven deadly sins, reminds me what are those punishments be given to those who
committed these seven deadly sins. I already teach Inferno to the students since it is part of the
lesson. With all the lessons I presented, I realized with this topic, I got all the attention of my
students.
According to Christian tradition the seven deadly sins are: lust, gluttony, greed, laziness
or sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. In this reflection, I would like to compare and relate each deadly
sins to the nine circle of hell in which each sinners will be placed. Our punishment reflects the
type of the sin we committed during lifetime.

First deadly sin is LUST. This means to have an intense desire or need: “But I tell you
that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”
(Matthew 5:28). The punishment of this sin will be in the Second Circle of Hell. The sinners are
punished by being blown violently back and forth by strong winds, preventing them to find peace
and rest. Strong winds symbolize the restlessness of a person who is led by desire for fleshly
pleasures. Again, Dante sees many notable people from history and mythology including
Cleopatra, Tristan, Helen of Troy and others who were adulterous during their lifetime.

A lustful individual may ignore other duties and responsibilities. He or she may make
unwise choices that have negative long-term consequences. In society lusts sometimes lead to
sexual or sociological compulsions and/or transgressions including sexual addiction, adultery, or
rape.(wikipedia). To the extent that lustful actions are between consenting adults I believe that
they are a matter of individual choice. However lustful actions that effect children or non-
consenting adults (i.e. rape) are inexcusable.

I have seen students come to classes with bare midriffs and shoulders, in boxer shorts,
bathing suits, and other kinds of clothes that, even by fairly casual standards, are more

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appropriate for streetwalking than higher learning. When did liberation from uniforms transform
itself into the social demand that one prepare to be ogled in the classroom?

Second deadly sin is GLUTTONY. It mean excess in eating and drinking: “for drunkards
and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” (Proverbs 23:21). The
punishment of this sin will be in the Third Circle of Hell. Sinners in this circle of Hell are
punished by being forced to lie in a vile slush that is produced by never ending icy rain. The vile
slush symbolizes personal degradation of one who overindulges in food, drink and other worldly
pleasures, while the inability to see others lying nearby represents the gluttons‟ selfishness and
coldness.

Depending on the culture, gluttony can be seen as either a vice or a sign of status.
Where food is relatively scarce, being able to eat well might be something to take pride in
(although this can also result in a moral backlash when confronted with the reality of those less
fortunate). Where food is routinely plentiful, it may be considered a sign of lack of self-control to
over-indulge.

Nowadays, I occasionally encounter a student who thinks it's OK to consume a large,

messy, and odorous meal in class. I once saw a student eat an entire rotisserie chicken, a tub of
mashed potatoes with gravy, several biscuits, and an enormous soft drink during the first 10
minutes of a lecture. It seems hard these days to find a student in class whose mouth is not
stuffed with food. Such students will often say that they have no other time to eat, but previous
generations -- who were no less busy -- managed to consume small snacks between classes.

Third deadly sin is GREED. It is an excessive or reprehensible acquisitiveness: “Having

lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind
of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:19). In the Fourth Circle of Hell, Dante
and Virgil see the souls of people who are punished for greed. They are divided into two groups
– those who hoarded possessions and those who lavishly spent it – jousting. They use great
weights as a weapon, pushing it with their chests which symbolizes their selfish drive for fortune
during lifetime. The two groups that are guarded by a character called Pluto (probably the
ancient Greek ruler of the underworld) are so occupied with their activity that the two poets don‟t
try to speak to them.

Greed is like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed is applied to the
acquisition of wealth in particular. Greed can also include Scavenging and hoarding of materials
or objects, theft and robbery, especially by means of violence, trickery, or manipulation of
authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed.

Students often pursue degrees not for the sake of learning itself but with the aim of
getting a better-paying job, so they can buy a bigger house and fancier cars than those owned
by their parents and their neighbors. That often leads to greed for grades that they have not
earned. Some students cheat on exams or plagiarize their papers; others, sometimes the most

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diligent, harass professors into giving them grades unjustified by their performance. The goal of
such cheaters and grade-grubbers is not the reality of achievement but the appearance of it.
They will then apply to graduate programs or entry-level jobs that they do not really desire and
for which they are not really qualified. They want to be lawyers, but they are bored by law
courses. They want to be doctors, but they do not care about healing people. They want to go
into business, not to provide useful products and services, but to get rich by any means
necessary. And so they come to believe that no one has integrity and that there is no basis --
other than the marketplace -- by which value can be judged.

The fourth deadly sin is SLOTH OR LAZINESS. This disinclined to activity or exertion:
not energetic or vigorous: “The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the
upright is a highway” (Proverbs 15:19). In this sin, the punishment cannot be found in any of the
Nine circle of Hell.

Sloth was first called the sin of sadness. It had been in the early years of Christianity
characterized by as melancholy: depression, joylessness, or laziness. An example habitual
idleness or sloth in the House of the Mezzanine is the Narrator who is a lazy, introverted,
intellectual who is often is la-la land. He wants the world to be different. He thinks that the world
should follow his passions for science and art. However he has never produced a work of art or
science in his three „working‟ hours.‟ The effects that sloth has on society are harder to quantify.
In a family, one member not pulling their weight can lead to dysfunction and perhaps family
breakup. In a business it means lost productivity. In society it may result in wasted resources. I
believe sloth is an individual, willful act affecting a single person. Sloth should not be confused
with depression, which is a medical condition that should be treated.

I can remember my students often postpone required readings and assigned

preparations, making it hard for them to understand their classes the next day. Gradually,
lectures and discussions that were once interesting start to seem boring and irrelevant, and the
temptation to skip classes becomes greater and greater, especially when the classes are in the
morning. Sometimes students arrive late with -- in my opinion -- insufficient shame, closing the
door behind them with a bang.

The fifth deadly sin is WRATH. This means a strong vengeful anger or indignation: “A
gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). The Fifth
Circle of Hell is where the wrathful and sullen are punished for their sins. The wrathful fighting
each other on the surface of the river Styx and the sullen gurgling beneath the surface of the
water.

Wrath may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred. These

feelings may manifest as in the denial of the truth, both to others and to on self. Anger may also
lead to the desire to seek revenge. Anger is the only sin not direclty associated with selfishness
or self-interest (It is possible that one can of course be wrathful or angry for selfish reasons,
such as greed or jealousy). The sin of anger is portrayed in the story Mary Postgate. The story

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revolves around Mary Postgate and the setting, which is the era of World War One. Mary‟s
anger and the country‟s anger focuses on Germany. Mary and the country think of the Germans
as animals. Mary in even allows a German aviator to die effectively murdering him out of anger.
The sin of anger in my opinion is the most severe. Anger lead to the most severe heinous acts
including murder assault and battery

Seemingly more often at present, teachers encounter students who are angered by
challenging assignments, which they label -- with bureaucratic self-assurance -- "unfair" or even
"discriminatory." When students do not succeed, they sometimes conclude that their teachers
are "out to get them" because of some vague prejudice. There are teachers who are killed with
their students just because they have failing grades.

The sixth deadly sin is ENVY. This is a painful or resentful awareness of an advantage
enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage: “Therefore, rid
yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn
babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:1-2).
This deadly sin cannot be found in the inferno, but I know for sure that there is really an equal
punishment to this sin because it is one of the deadly sin.

Envy is characterized by an insatiable desire. The sin of envy is a desire for something
that someone else has and which they perceive themselves as lacking. Dante called this as
“love of one‟s own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs.”

I think competition is a good thing in education; up to a point, it encourages students to

work harder and excel. But the envious student, perhaps daunted by some temporary setback,
comes to believe that education is "a rigged game." Envy is the voice of resignation that cringes
at the success of one's peers: "Listen to her, trying to impress the teacher, like she's so brilliant.
I hate her." Envy is the feeling that no one "earns" anything because there are no objective
criteria of accomplishment; and, as a result, success and failure seem to be based on political
and personal preferences. But envy is not limited to differences in effort and ability. Even more
pervasive is a sense of unjustified economic inequality, but, it seems to me, the fashionable
students in their convertibles who jeer the commuters at the bus stop commit a greater sin than
those who envy their money and status.

Last deadly sin is PRIDE. This is a quality or state of being proud – inordinate self-
esteem: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). This can
be found in the eight circle of hell specifically in Bolgia 6.

In conclusion the seven deadly sins are a collection of emotions or thoughts that have
wide social and moral implications. Actions rising out of the „sins‟ cover a broad spectrum of evil
acts from trivial injuries to genocide. The concept of the "Seven Deadly Sins" comes out of the
Christian tradition, but it also has value as an ethical guide or at least as a means of avoiding
unhappiness. Increasingly, as a teacher, I believe that one of the paramount purposes of

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education is to help young people nurture their spiritual being, their moral, acquire the wisdom
to escape those sins.