Deadly sins alive and well on social media
Lust.
Gluttony.
Greed.
Wrath.
Sloth.
Envy.
Pride.
If you’re like most people, me included, you probably crash into a few of the good old deadly sins every few days or so. Being human means making mistakes, and I’d reckon that there are very few among us who, in the 2 a.m. dark, wouldn’t admit to having human failings.
I mean, wanting to do better and slipping up repeatedly is kind of the definition of the human condition.
Lofty goals and earthly desires and all that.
Some faiths give you the opportunity to wash your misbehaviour away easily with a trip to the right sort of function; others make you live with the same for a while. But, while it might not be as familiarly codified, plenty of faiths have their own list of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours.
That being said, whether you’re Christian or not, the good old seven deadlies cover a fair amount of the misbehaviour ground rules; they talk about the proper way to be in a community – how to play with others. (And take what’s coming next with a grain of salt, OK?)
I’m absolutely sure I’m not the first to suggest this, but wouldn’t it be interesting to look at the world of social media postings through the sin-lens? (There’s plenty of information to be garnered from
social media, for sure; plenty of links to spread news and views and good writing.)
But personal victory posts? Put a list of the sins on a Post-it note and scroll down your timeline. Chances are, there’s a deadly sin or two in every few pages of posts.
There’s that friend who’s on an early winter vacation in Spain. You’ve seen their cathedral photos and the fresh fruit and seafood in the market on their Facebook page – now, they’re posting a delightful photo spread of the restaurant selection of the evening.
You could class that post as touching on gluttony or greed, maybe even pride. On your own behalf, you might admit to it providing more than just a smidgen of envy.
(See? That wasn’t so hard. We’ve only just started, and you’re four sins in already.)
Wrath?
It hardly even needs an example beyond the word “comments.” But here’s a few quick samples from a posting about federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s fall fiscal statement: “In other ‘real’ news Morneau is lying thru his a$$ to prevent a riot when the truth is ... Canada is speeding full bore into a RECESSION And anyone thinking different needs a lobotomy” and “Can politics get any more corrupt?” and “Check, and check.” Lust? You know it.
When you achieve something, it’s great to be proud about it, maybe even proud enough to broadcast it.
But should you?
I think about that a lot right now, watching the postings go up of “here’s our beautiful Christmas tree” and “look at everyone home for Christmas” and “look at this amazing spread of grub.” This, at a time of year when, for many, much is out of reach. Who wants to feel small, unloved, and that they’re a failure?
Maybe we didn’t realize we were all signing ourselves into the biggest interactive confessional the world has ever seen. The only thing missing, really, is any sort of self-awareness that we’re delivering ourselves up for public judgement.
Ask yourself if you see any gluttony, greed or pride in the things you’re posting – or worse, if you’re consciously or unconsciously provoking feelings of envy or wrath in someone else.
Here’s another small request, from the same faith that brought you the most common formulation of those seven deadlies. As you sit down at the keyboard, remember this sentiment: let the person who is without sin post the first stone.