More on Acedia—Culture of Indifference or Sloth

Dorothy Sayers, on the sin of acedia or sloth:
“It is one who believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die…”

R. R. Reno in First Things (August 2003) says this:
“Most of us just want to be left alone so that we can get on with our lives. Most of us want to be safe. We want to find a cocoon, a spiritually, psychologically, economically and physically gated community in which to live without danger and disturbance. The carefree life, a life acedia, is our cultural ideal. Pride may be the root of all evil, but in our day the trunk, branches and leaves of evil are characterized by a belief that moral responsibility, spiritual effort and religious discipline are empty burdens, ineffective and archaic demands that cannot lead us forward, inaccessible ideals that, even if we believe in them, are beyond our capacity.”

Today to be aloof, distant, with an appearance of being well-healed, possessing a sense of coldness for the purpose of creating space in our personal cocoon, leaves us respected and admired in today’s world. But deep down inside we know we are slowly suffocating to death from loneliness, indifference, and purposelessness. May God wake us up. Come Lord Jesus, come. Amen.