i’d like to clarify, if you feel uncomfortable with this post, there’s no need to be. i speak to myself with this essay too, and it happens to the best of us.
i’ve been thinking a lot about what the term was for sitting down in a place for hours, doing nothing is. despite not being immobile and having things to do, why have we become comfortable ignoring our responsibilities? i did some research and discovered that action is a sin.
‘the sin of sloth’
sloth is more than just laziness. it’s not just sitting on a couch or enjoying a day off. it’s not just bed-rotting. sloth is a failure to act, a refusal to fulfill one’s duties to themselves and to the community. it is an erosion of purpose. a sin because it wastes the gifts of time, talent, and energy. resources we are morally and spiritually obligated to protect. for me, it has manifested in subtle ways. as someone who unfortunately feels like i deserve whatever i want, it has hidden behind procrastination, distraction, or even a false sense of rest for me.
sloth is about busying yourself with trivialities while ignoring meaningful responsibilities, spiritual, personal, or professional. believing that since you’re ‘busy’ you’re productive. but of what use is the productivity if it’s not toward something that actually matters? it isn’t always visible from the jump, but its repercussions pile up in your life: opportunities are lost, growth stagnates, and your purpose is unfulfilled. years move by and you realize one day, painfully, that you gave your life to laziness and inaction. that in those moments where you chose ‘5 more minutes’, your life slowly crept past you. sloth is a refusal to live fully. it is arrogance disguised as comfort, you telling yourself and your maker that gives life and can take it that you have one more day.
sloth takes so many faces in this modern world. endless scrolling, binge-watching, overthinking, procrastination, and so many other things. they all feel harmless and can even be termed self-care to a large extent. but if it was true rest, you would feel energetic afterwards. instead, all that comes with sloth is the feeling of being drained, feeling more tired than you were before you decided to indulge yourself. that difference is so hard to catch, but it’s so important you recognize it. i still struggle with it, but i’ve found out that the cure to sloth is not overworking yourself or taking on more than you can handle. it’s a conscious choice. it lies in the small, purposeful act of reclaiming your time, defying all odds and doing what needs to be done despite your bed calling to you.
for me, it’s choosing to iron my clothes the night before work. it’s deciding to drop my phone after all i’ve done is scroll through social media for the last hour. it’s me realizing i need to act on something and not shifting it, but acting immediately. which is why i’m writing today after ignoring my responsibilities for 6 months :) . i set rules for myself and i hold myself to them. and it’s not perfect, but i like to think i get better with every day i put what needs to be done over how i feel.
in 2026, i promise myself that i will rest, i will pause and take a breath, i will reflect, but i will NOT drift. and that i will make the conscious choice to live fully, every single day.
