The Seven Deadly Sins

 The seven deadly sins. Sounds ominous, doesn't it? What, exactly, are they? In Roman Catholic theology, they are the seven vices that spur humanity onto other sins and immoral behavior. They were first enumerated by Pope Gregory I sometime in the 6^th Century and elaborated on by St Thomas Aquinas in the 13^th Century. (Encyclopedia Britannica online).

Here's the list:

1. Pride

2. Greed, or covetousness

3. Lust, or inordinate or illicit sexual desire

4. Envy

5. Gluttony, usually understood to include drunkeness

6. Wrath, or anger

7. Sloth

What are these, though? What did the Roman Catholics mean? I'll give you what the Online Encyclopedia Britannica gives as definitions.

Pride: 1.a. A feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by others. b. A feeling that you are more important or better than other people. 2.a. A feeling of happiness that you get when you, or someone you know, does something good, difficult, etc. b. A person or thing that makes you feel proud.

Greed: a selfish desire to have more of something (especially money)

Lust: 1. a strong feeling of sexual desire. 2. a strong desire for something

Envy: 1. the feeling of wanting to have what someone else has.

Gluttony: The act or habit of eating or drinking too much

Wrath: extreme anger

Sloth: the quality or state of being lazy

Hmmmm. Seems to me that most of America is guilty of most of these cardinal, or deadly, sins. Some people more than others.

Think about it. Why is it a sin to want to keep what you've worked for but not to have that taken from you and given to someone that didn't earn it? Is that greed? If it is, on whose part? If, in the course of human events, you've just knocked out a 60 hour work week, gotten paid regular time for 40 and time and a half for 20. Let's say you make $10/hour for simplicity. That would be $400 regular time and $300 overtime. A whopping $700! What a payday!

Now, since John Q Liberal over there didn't want to work because he was too busy marching against capitalism while living in his parent's basement and playing video games. He didn't earn a thing. Not one stinking penny. Is it greed that you should want to keep what you worked your arse off for and not give the poor socialist anything? Or is it greed that the poor socialist wants part of what you worked for because you have so much more than he does?

How about this? Is it envy that he feels towards you because you own your home, a car, nice clothes, etc. and all he has is his parent's basement that they allow him to live in, a few rags that he's had for the last 10 years, and for transportation he has his Chevrolegs (one person power)? How about we take it a step further and ask, does he lust after your money? He is definitely slothful because he doesn't want to work. He's damn proud of the fact that he stands up for social equity (not equality because that would mean he would have to put in some effort), and he's extremely angry that you have more than he.

This blog isn't about shaming anyone or disenfranchising anyone. There are those out there that are not able to work and need assistance. There are some that aren't educated enough to get a really good paying job and need a little help. These people aren't greedy, lusting after anyone or anything, slothful, angry, or envious. All they need and want is a little help to survive. Then, there are those like I described in the above paragraph. What I am attempting to do here is to get at least one person to open their eyes to the perversity of liberalism, socialism, Communism, and the general anti-capitalist agenda being forced down the throats of America.

I'm also trying to show how, even though there are a lot people that are not Christian, most of us are guilty of most, if not all, of the seven deadly sins. We all feel pride. We all feel envious at one time or another. I'd say that most of us have lusted after someone at least once in our lifetimes. We've all had our bouts with anger, greed, and laziness. The worst part is, if you look around, there are a lot (as Peanut would say: a LOOOOTTTTT) of gluttony going around the country. Does this make us bad people?

The human race, in general, is a race bent on the destruction of everyone and everything around us. We tear down mountains to build a couple more. We uproot our forests to built those mountains. We pollute our rivers and oceans. We set off nuclear bombs. We kill for greed, envy, pride, or for no reason at all. We steal from each other. We lie and cheat. This is humanity. Like it or not. We are the bane of Mother Earth. And the seven deadly sins are our lifestyle.

Is America the only country in the world like this? Not by a long shot! Every country is guilty of destruction. Every country is guilty of most of the cardinal sins. The only difference is we in America have a political party that screams at the top of their lungs just how bad we are. In a lot of other countries, they don't have that God-given, Constitutionally protected right to free speech.

So, in a word, yes. We are very bad people. Even the saintliest of us have been guilty of a few of those sins, not to mention a few of the Ten Commandments were broken along the way. According to the Bible, there has only been one person that was free from sin of any kind. Hate to tell ya, Buttercup, it ain't you.

All these social warriors lamenting the downfalls of America seem to forget that their riots, looting, arson, assault, lying, cheating, double-speak; all of it, is acting just as badly as what they are protesting against. You can't tell them that, though. They don't have the capacity to understand anything but their own feelings. Their arrogance and hedonistic tendencies get in the way of logic and common sense. If they were so bent on wealth redistribution like they say they are, they would be giving up their own millions of dollars instead of stealing yours to give away. They are the most heinous of criminals. The seven deadly sins are their mantra, their very way of life.

Do we need to change the way we live? Most of us should. We could all be a little kinder, less envious, less lazy at times, definitely less lustful for a lot of people (especially those that are on a first name basis at the abortion clinic). All in all, though, we are what we are and we do what we do. Most of us can't change because it is all we know. We are only human, after all.

Romance of the Ranchos

 During the 1950s there was a radio show called Romance of the Ranchos. This was the history of Southern California from the late 1700s to early 1900s. According to the broadcast announcer, all the information contained in the show was true history with only dialogue added that was probably what was said between the historical figures.

Romance of the Ranchos told the story of the immense ranches that were granted to Mexican citizens when Mexico controlled Southern California. It told of the beauty and fertility of the valleys. Frank Graham, the narrator, told of how the Dons lived peaceably amongst themselves and the Indians of the area. These ranchos were not small. Land grants were given for anywhere from twenty thousand to sixty thousand acres with one person as owner.

It was when the Americanos went to war with Mexico and took over the area that things changed. The peaceful hills and valleys that had been used for cattle, horses, vineyards, grazing, etc. started to change. The pueblos and missions were still there, dotting the countryside but now, with the money-hungry Americanos there, the ranchos were in serious trouble. They had never worried about proving who owned what, everyone knew that. They had wealth, not in money, but in livestock.

The Americanos moved in, squatted on land not theirs, put money before honor, and the Dons got into financial trouble. All ended up being forced to sell their beautiful homesteads to the Americans.

What happened then? What always happens when greedy American businessmen get involved? Industry, growth, destruction. The ranchos were divided up, towns sprouted and grew. The lush green valleys and fields turned into dirty construction sites. The towns turned into cities. The harbors were crowded with ships. California was no longer the peaceful, beautiful area it once was.

You look at southern California now. Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, etc. have taken over the grazing lands and open beaches. Where once was green fields is now desert. America has struck again! Destroy all the beauty to create huge metropolises for millions of people. Drain all natural resources for the millions to be comfortable. Mother Nature won't care. All that matters is making money and destroying all beauty.

I've said this for years: Humanity is the bane of the Earth. I don't know what the good Lord was thinking when he put mankind in charge over the Earth. All we do is destroy. John Denver said it in Rocky Mountain High: we tear down the mountains to put in a couple more. It isn't just California that we've destroyed. Colorado was once a beautiful state with clean air and beautiful scenery. The last time I went to Denver I couldn't breathe because of the smog. It's probably 40 miles out of the LA area that the air starts getting yellow with pollution. NYC is the same. Chicago, Detroit, Philly, etc. all polluted.

When are we going to get it through our heads that Mother Earth is the one that lets us live? When are we going to start to understand that we can't keep destroying the planet? I'm far from a pine needle junkie or a fresh air freak but I do believe that we need to take care of this ball of rock we call home. Instead of trying to find an Earth-like planet somewhere else in space or to industrialize Mars or the Moon, why don't we start to clean up this planet? If we can't take care of this one, what makes anyone think we can do it somewhere else? Or is it that greedy industrialists and elitists just want to exploit the natural resources of every other planet like they have this one?

Think about it. Get back to me.