Monday, May 5, 2008

SIN THAT IS IN

Not too long ago the Vatican issued a list of “new sins” which was quite clever of them. Stating it in such a fashion caught the attention of the nations at least for nanosecond.

The world has its own list of new sins that seem to top people’s concerns far more effectively however. I wish I could site you the source for this list but I lost the reference. It reported that today’s evils consist of:

High Prices
Inconvenience
Lack of Choice
Lack of Privacy
Heart Burn
Hair Loss

Everybody has a strong opinion on these things and could wax eloquently on them in public without any reservations. It is perhaps because we can feel the burn of these sins so readily and universally that they are accepted as sins to be done away with. The culprit is some other faceless evil man or force, not my son who is shacking up with a girl and has a baby on the way.

Just the same, and not wanting to left out of the process, I want to add my own list of modern day sins to be done away with. (The picture below is from my new favorite place to get coffee.)


1. Scheduling anything, but especially children’s activities during dinner time.
2. Unnecessary automated phone answering systems – especially ones without the helpful option you need nor a way to contact a real person.
3. Answering a cell phone in public without an apology and stepping outside.
4. Discouraging vocations.
5. Placing unnecessary distance between people with technology.
6. Not exerting control on the content of information that comes into your home over every computer and television.
7. Spending more free time with electronic devices that real people when available.
8. Blaring television sets in areas designed for family interaction such as restaurants.

Any objections? Any additions?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is inevitable that a mom of 4 will respond, "What??" in answer to any "MOM!" shouted within a hearing radius (and, thus, also inevitable to be embarrassed when encountering the very baffled child who is not one's own, and is now sobered into gentleness, realizing he has it better than he thought in his own mom). But it shouldn't be inevitable to respond, "Hi!" to someone who has just said "Hi" to no one else whom you can see, only to find yourself snubbed while they continue their conversation on a phone that is all but invisible. Rude. They could at least say "hi" to the out-of-the-loop old person who misunderstood. That's not really adding to your great list, just grousing, but there are indeed a million potential technological dividers of people, as if there weren't enough before that. We do indeed need to be more careful that plastic and/or sports does not replace flesh and togetherness.

Anonymous said...

Yes yes yes Amen Amen Amen!

And I wanna go to that coffee shop! How COOL!

Amazing you bring up "lack of choice". One of the biggest problems in America is that we have TOO MANY CHOICES! Kids are not learning how to make a choice because they don't know how. They have option overload. So add that to your list....option overload.

Anonymous said...

Not just scheduling anything around dinner time - but eating in front of the TV - no socialization whatsoever. Another for me is being put on hold (telephone) for over 1 minute waiting for a customer service rep.

However, the baldness issue - well now, I have to say that a friend of mine, yes girlfriend, once told me that 'Bald men don't waste their hormones on growing hair.' I liked it & it kinda stuck with me as did she.
Anon

Fr. V said...

'Bald men don't waste their hormones on growing hair.'

LOL!

Being that I'm rather short on the stuff myself!

Liz said...

1. leaving cell phones on during mass
2. answering a call during mass
3. answering a call during the CONSECRATION.

i am only bothered by people on the phone in public when they are talking to loudly. or recently i was at a sporting event and during the national anthem a lady was yelling into her phone. O_O aye caramba

Anonymous said...

Guessing JA meant short on HAIR not the other "H-word," hey just because you don't like something somebody else does does not make it a sin. How much energy do we waste expecting others to act the way we THINK they should act?

Adoro said...

There IS such a thing as polite and courteous conduct, and all the things outlined by Fr. V. are things that are contributing to the downfall and degradation of modern society.

Acting in a self-centered manner when in public IS a sin, altbeit a small one.

Common courtesy isn't very common, is it?

paramedicgirl said...

Oh oh. #7 is my vice.

Love the sign!

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

loving the sign.

Amen to all of them listed as well as the ones during Mass...

driving without using blinkers, that's just annoying