More Than Halfway

Although it's been many years since I've aligned myself with any religious tradition, each has teachings and concepts that continue to resonate with me, for better or worse. With respect to the seven deadly sins, it's possible an early heavy dose of guilt - the Irish Catholic strain - partially explains why some of those unlucky seven pop up now and again in my reflections.

Lest you dread a post wallowing in self-flagellation - a quaint religious custom, no? - let me start with this: Had David Fincher featured my proportion of the deadly sins in his gruesome film "7even", the movie would have been less than half as long. No need for stomach-churning depictions of avarice, gluttony, lust, and sloth in my film. Your turn - Which of those four ever give you pause?

Now anger, envy & pride? Best to start alphabetically and perhaps save a few for another post. First off -  no disrespect to Christian dogma - anger can be an issue, especially when physically directed at others, but it also has its place. A healthy anger directed at injustice or intolerance is not a sin in my mind. That said, because my anger is more likely to be directed at myself, this deadly sin has clear health-related - vs. heaven-related - ramifications, at least for me. How about you? Is working on your anger, whether it manifests in an inward or outward fashion, a growth edge for you?

So, with a batting average above .500, am I more than halfway to the pearly gates? Is that George Burns or ... Morgan Freeman I see?