Lust

Lust is defined as a craving for sexual intimacy, sometimes to the point of assuming a self-indulgent character. It is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.

How often do we read or hear news about women and children being raped and murdered? How often do we hear about women being teased on the roads? Why is it that these crime rates have increased? All over the world there are so many cases of rape or sexual assualt. In India, New Delhi is not just the capital city of our country, but also of sexual assaults( no offence to Delhi-ites). It is one of the most unsafe places for women in India.

Another form of lust is sexual slavery or forced sexual slavery. It is the organized coercion of unwilling people fforced into different sexual practices. Sexual slavery may include single-owner sexual slavery, ritual slavery sometimes associated with traditional religious practices, slavery for primarily non-sexual purposes where sex is common, or forced prostitution

There are so many girls who are forced into prostitution for money. Girls at the age of 15 are sent to brothels. All to satisfy a human being's lust. The recent sex scandal of Swami Nityananda shows that in the name of spirituality people go to any extent in cheating and getting sexual favours. Also the casting couch case, where upcoming models and actors were forced to do the same. 

In India, the words 'lust' and 'sex' are taboos. The mindset of the people is such that they are not ready to talk about it freely. They feel they are protecting their chilren from such negativity of the society. But what we don't realise that this gives a rise to ignorance among the youth which leads to education through wrong sources. To a great extent, people have started looking at it from a broader outlook with sex education happening in so many schools. Also parents have started being more free with their children than ever before.

Love and lust are two very different feelings which needs to be understood.

To quote Mason Cooley, " Love begins with an image; lust with a sensation."

Take Care :)
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Sloth

Sloth is defined as spiritual or emotional apathy, neglecting what God has spoken, and being physically and emotionally inactive. It  can also indicate a wasting due to lack of use, concerning a person, place, thing, skill, or intangible ideal that would require maintenance, refinement, or support to continue to exist.

Another word for sloth is procrastination, laziness. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of laziness is me. The next thing is Common Wealth Games, 2010. It has been all over the news for all the wrong reasons. One of the main criticisms of the Commonwealth Games was that India started preparations three years after the bid, losing precious time. 

It is said that everything in India is done in the last minute, there's no point giving someone seven years, it will always start three years too late, but somehow get done. There have been issues of falling bridges, unhygenic bathrooms, snakes in the rooms et al. I completely believe that India can pull off the Common Wealth Games,2010 but under what circumstances? What consequences?

India seems to be on it's way to creating a world record for procrastination. Highways, flyovers, subways and metros which take years to get built. The Rajiv Gandhi (Bandra-Worli) Sea Link, Mumbai is one such example. It took 10 years of expectations, delays and, of course, hardcore planning and labour. No doubt it is spectacular but at what cost of the tax-payers income?

Indians have come up with another method to delay activities, the Indian Legal System. I could cite so many examples where verdicts have been delayed for very insignificant reasons. The main problem with our legal system is that there are so many laws and by laws, it is not very difficult to twist, turn or somersault it, as a matter-of-fact.

I admit I procrastinate a lot more than many people, but at the end of the day, the best way to get something done is to begin and consistently continue till its complete.

As quoted by Olin Miller, "If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it."

Take Care :)

Greed

Greed is defined 'as an excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves'. 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.

If I have to relate the sin 'greed' to the current world scenario, there are so many instances that come to my mind.

To start off with, look at the corruption index. India ranks 84th in the world, which is not very surprising. The use of public funds for private gain is common. The misuse of power, position and privilege is widespread. Corruption seems to be a fact that affects all sections of society. From politicians to a delivery boy, everyone is corrupted today.

On one side, India looks like one of the most promising economies of the world. But with the corruption index growing, it seems difficult. We are so habituated to all this, that we fail to see the truth, the reality of India's poverty: that 830 million Indians make less than 20 rupees (A50¢) a day; that if you drive 30 minutes outside the big cities, you confront living conditions in the villages that are almost mediaeval; and that while the scourge of starvation may no longer haunt India, millions, including 2000 to 3000 children every day, die a slow death from malnutrition.

 Yes I agree that India is shining, with the economy booming and sharemarkers soaring, but this one aspect of India simply cannot be ignored.

Even worldwide corruption is rampant. There are instances of British MPs fiddling expenses and pocketing money paid by hardworking taxpayers. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.

Along with that, terrorists, which seems to be the new religion, are greedy as well. They crave for power, fame and overall destruction of peace.

There can also be an argument to this sin. Various Businessmen who are flourishing in their businesses today like J.R.D Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, Subhash Goenka et all were greedy for fame, power and riches. But there is a huge dissimilarity between greed and ambition.

To quote Erich Fromm's words "Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."

Take Care :)

Gluttony

The Oxford Dictionary defines gluttony as 'habitual greed or excess in eating.' It refers to gulping down or swallowing food, drinks or any intoxicants to the point of waste. In some Christian denominations, it is considered to be one of the deadly sins- in terms of withholding it from the needy.

It is commonly known about the growing craze of unhealthy and fast foods, leading to a high increase in the number of obese population in the world. It's a culture of the west, which seems to be catching up fast in India. As a result, the immunity of people is reducing. Obesity leads to diabetes, various heart diseases, some fatal as well. A lot of people are now signing up for weight loss programmes for fear of diseases. A very nice way to spend money; eating expensive, unhealthy food and then joining weight loss programmes to lose it.

An irony to the situation is the number of mal-nourished children in the world. It seems to have added to one of the major reasons for causes of death. In this strata of the society, people are dying because they don't get enough food to eat.

A different perspective at the situation is the increasing trend of 'size zero'. Researcheres have shown that this trend is just as unhealthy as obesity. Models and film-stars, who have started this new style seems to fast catching up with the current young generation.

In the ancient times, where over-eating, being considered a sin, was punished in hell with being force-fed with rats, toads and snakes (sorry for the exaggeration, it looks unbelievable in today's scenario), a world made of fashion and fahion-fads, of luxuries and needs, we fail to attend to one main part of our lives- our health.

As said by Jim Rohn --"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."

Take Care :)

What's this all about?

When I decided to start my own blog, I couldn't think of where to start from or what to write about. Then I saw the movie 'SE7EN', starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. For those who haven't seen the movie, it's a thriller which shows two detectives unsolving the mystery of a serial kiler. The killings are based on the 'seven deadly sins' which is written about in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

After watching the movie, I realised that just like the 'psychotic' serial killer, every one of us have witnessed these SINS in our day to day lives. The only difference being, either we don't realise it, since we are too ignorant of them, or just too used to it. In any case, no one is ready to make a change.

So I thought, talking about it and spreading awareness is the first step towards it.

Will keep posting, Feedback and Comments are welcome.

Take Care :)