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I have a soul of lead // So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

I’d like to relay a bit of irony right off the bat. Every article written for this site – every single one of them – I wrote the day of publication. And every one of those, bar the last, was on a Saturday or Sunday. It was never anything I’d call a routine, but it was just the way things were. Write, format, publish. I’m writing today’s article on a Thursday and while I don’t intend to do anything in the form of editing, I won’t be publishing it until Saturday.

Why’s that ironic, you ask? Well, because of all the writing requiring my attention, this is absolutely the least pressing. And it’s the article on Acedia, often referred to as Sloth.

The two are not interchangeable, however, and there’s a reason I went with Acedia over Sloth. Sloth paints an image we all understand, the lazy man lounging on the couch, bowl of chips on his stomach, watching the game. It’s a general laziness, and to that end it’s fairly easy to identify in ourselves. That said, it can be easy to misattribute Sloth, particularly in the always-grinding mindset a good portion of our culture finds itself in. The hyper-productive look at the people around them and assume a kind of gross lethargy has swept over the world. People are made to feel guilty for taking vacations or relaxing. Sloth becomes a label we tack on people who do less than what we do, because we’re at the “right” level of productivity.

So, rather than feeing into that, we turn to Acedia. Now, there are a few definitions for this, but they all circle around one defining characteristic of the word. Acedia is the failure to do as one should. Where Sloth can condemn us for taking time off, spending time with our families and letting more material concerns fade for a time wouldn’t fall into Acedia at all. Ignoring one’s family to take care of less important matters would, even if those matters aren’t necessarily slothful. Take, for instance, preemptively writing an article on the fourth Deadly Sin.

Acedia is also a more controversial subject to cover, particularly in today’s world. The very concept of what one “should” be doing is a hot topic. “Should” has a weight that we, as a society, do our best to avoid. We concern ourselves with what we “want” to do, conflating want with value, as though the most important matter at any one time is our own pleasure. A Marquis mindset. My opinion on that matter ought to be clear by now, but I do find his ideals have spread to a dangerous level. There is a growing worship of self – an elevation of the Queen of all Sin – that ignites Acedia in us.

It isn’t hard to see, either. Another bit of irony is how easily we can pinpoint Acedia in areas where we find injustice. The richest in our society are deemed vile for not using their wealth to help others. The poor are castigated for succumbing to drugs and broken homes. We attack companies for failing to protect the environment and governments for doing the same with their people. For failing to do what as they should.

Combating Acedia requires Diligence. Unlike the three sins I covered prior, the need to understand what one should do makes this virtue a particular challenge. In some cases, it can be easy enough – while at work, I should be working, so diligence demands I do all I can to keep on task and perform as best I can. But what about when I’m home? These kids are only going to be around so long, should I spend every moment I have with them? Should my pursuit of becoming a traditionally published author take time away from my family? Should I settle in and watch a movie with the missus and take care of some things around the house?

In a religious context, I suppose there are some very clear guidelines as to what I should be doing. For the most part, I do try to be diligent in those things, but I have a long way to go. There’s diligence in understanding that, as well, and working toward it. But, beyond religion, it becomes much more of a crapshoot. I will say that there’s no possible way I’m keeping up my end of the bargain. I spend too much time on myself, and over the years it’s made me more of an introvert than I used to be. I suppose, then, that Diligence demands I get the family together and see what I can do to make things right. They’ll know better than I what I should be doing – after all, an ordered and virtuous life demands I do what’s right by the people whom I love and rely on me.

So, while this might be a bit shorter of a post (maybe, I’m not going to check), I think that’s enough time for one weeknight. I’m off to help reorganize my daughter’s room and spend some time with the people who matter most.

My challenge to you, my friends, is to consider your “should” and, once you have an idea of it, work to order your life in that direction. It will take time and effort – Diligence, if you will – but in the end, it will be worth it. Let me know how that goes.