Page 74 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 23

Community
others. We begin to chase a
phantom which keeps us awake
at night as we plot, filled with
greed. Such covetousness is
infectious to our own mental
stability and to those around us. and change our perspective.
Lust follows from such greed
to own everything. Having
a healthy sexual desire is
expected of all human beings.
It is essential for the survival
of the human race and it is
a symbolic physical act of
declaring love and union with
the opposite sex we attaché
ourselves to. Yet a sheer
physical desire to fornicate
with everyone we set our
sights to begets lust. Such
a desire is an ailment to the
person’s mental stability and
brings emotional and physical
sickness to anyone with
whom the lustful crosses path.
Bearing in mind how pride
begets greed and greed begets
lust, we will move onto the
other forms of excess.
Continuing with the list of
deadly sins, we now deal with
Anger. Wrath or anger is an
excess display of emotion that
takes control of our rational
faculty. It is normal, and
at times acceptable, to feel
disappointment and displeasure
in our minds when our dreams
74 | we tell the true afrikan story
are contrary to the reality. This “Gluttony is an emotional
can be adjusted by examining escape, a sign something is
the dire situation and handling eating us.” The fear of scarcity
it in rational manner – to either overshadows the rationality
alter the situation or accept it required to acknowledge
when something is adequate
But wrath breeds in the mind of or enough. It is normal to eat
the narcissist who is filled with or drink in order to sustain
greed and lust. The one whose life, and sometimes to indulge
blinded by vanity refuses to in fine meal and drinks. But
accept others have equal rights gluttony leaves a person in
and freedom. A mind filled with want, never satisfied, and
wrath does not have the mental always fearing lack while
setup to face reality and, thus, having excess.
becomes an agent of distraction
to the self and others. Maya The person who is greedy
Angelou once said: “Bitterness enough to take possession of
is like cancer. It eats upon the something or someone, but not
host. But anger is like fire. It have the righteous means to
burns all clean.” attain them becomes envious.
Envy is a disease that can
Gluttony (excessive eating) potentially drive the mind to
comes creeping into our mind insanity. The desire to toil
as we think we own everything. and reach the same level as
The archetype of gluttony others is a health human desire.
craves to consume excess However, the envious mind
amount of food and beverage. does not have work in his or
The American novelist, Peter her vocabulary. The normal
De Vries (1910 - 1993) wrote, desire is substituted by an
While going through the classical writings,
which we currently may presume as ‘a waste
of time,’ one finds elaborated discourse
regarding ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’. They
are: Vanity, Covetousness (greed), Lust,
Anger, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth.