Seven Sins of a Child

Seven Sins Depicted in America's Next Top Model

Okay, before the bombing starts, please know that this is just an observation. There is no malice from my part... I just consider it to be an interesting observation. I am not writing this to discredit all children. In fact, I love children and besides, I was a child too! The following article is applicable only for children under the age of seven.

I have always heard people saying that children are pure, innocent, good, little angels, etc. However, in actuality, they are the embodiment of the seven sins. In case you did not know it, the seven sins are gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, lust and pride.

Gluttony

Gluttony is derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, which meant over-indulgence and over-consumption of food and drinks. Saint Thomas Aquinas categorized six ways of committing gluttony as eating too soon, eating too expensively, eating too much, eating too eagerly, eating too daintily and eating wildly. (from Wikipedia)

Surely, you don’t need me to explain much to prove that children are the embodiment of gluttony. They commit five of the six ways to commit gluttony as described by St. Thomas Aquinas explained above. Children will demand for food no matter what the time, always demand for delicacies like sweets, ice-creams, cookies and cakes and will gobble up everything when your back is turned... provided it’s the food they like, of course. They are just never full... only for food that they like of course :P.

Greed

Greed in psychology is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves. (from Wikipedia)

Well, it is again obvious that children are greedy. They will want to hoard all the food they like, want to have lots of toys, gadgets, attention, etc. They will be unwilling to share but will not accept the fact that others have the right not to share their toys/food too.

Sloth

Sloth is defined as putting off what someone asks you to do or not doing it or anything at all.

For those who are parents, how often is it that you have to threaten your child to do their homework and housework? Children would rather spend their time glued to the TV or just sitting around doing nothing rather than doing something they are told to such as cleaning their room. Babies sleep all the time too… of course, they need the rest, but sleeping whole day doing nothing fits the description of sloth too :P.

Wrath

Wrath is an emotional state that may range from minor irritation to intense rage. In Buddhism is also defined as “being unable to bear the object, or the intention to cause harm to the object.” (from Wikipedia)

Ever heard a child’s scream? The probability is that the child’s parents refused to buy something that the child wants. They would throw tantrums, scream wildly and in some cases, would even utter words that a person should never know at such young age. Some more bold ones would actually start to throw things around in their attempt in exacting vengeance on their parents.

Envy

Envy may be defined as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement or possession and either desires it or wishes the other lacked it. The Book of Exodus (20:17) states: " You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

Well, don’t you remember when you’re little that you were green-eyed when the other child has a brick game or a Gameboy or a beautiful Barbie doll? Don’t you ever wished that your parents would be as generous as the other child’s parents? Didn’t it ever cross your mind to wish to see that beautiful Gameboy that child is playing will break down or maybe you even thought of stealing it? Remember when the teacher praised the others instead of you? Enough said!

Lust

Lust is an inordinate craving for flesh of another to the point of assuming self-indulgent and sometimes violent character.

Okay, this is only one of the seven sins that is in the grey area… meaning, that this is the only sin that children did not commit the full meaning of the sin. The sin of Lust is primarily used for sex. And of course, thankfully, we are not in an era when this thing is common for those who are related through first blood.

However, in a lesser level, lust is also the feeling of love to the extremities. Examples are, loving someone so much that you would do something that would hurt him/her just to get their love and attention. And that is something that children would do. In order for you to continuously love them, they would just do almost anything to get your attention. Children would cry whenever you leave the room or when you leave them in the care of another. They would be screaming and flailing wildly at you so that you would not leave them and would be at their side forever. Of course, it is amusing to note that this feeling will wear off once they have gotten used to the idea of you leaving them and once they got to know friends. Just remember, whenever you think that your teenager child is not loving you as much now, it was you who convinced them that they could survive without your presence!

Pride

Pride is, depending upon context, either a high sense of the worth of one's self or one's own or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things. One definition of pride in the first sense comes from Augustine: "the love of one's own excellence. (from Wikipedia)

Pride is also known as the root of all sins as mentioned by St. Thomas Aquinas and seconded by Pope Gregory I… although I do not possess the wisdom to connect pride to the rest of the sins… I mean I can connect pride with wrath, envy, greed and lust, but I have no idea how to connect it to gluttony and sloth.

Children are obviously proud creatures. They would lie and steal just to not be humiliated by others. A great example would be in claiming that they possess certain things that would make others envy even though they did not possess them. Other examples would be claiming their parents to be someone that they are not, lying about toys, gadgets, etc. In Cantonese, we call them "ying lek", if translated directly would be "admitting own's cleverness".

So there, here they are, the Seven Sins. It is horrifying to know that most of us have committed some or even all of the Seven Sins since we were young… at a lesser scale, but nonetheless, it’s still the Seven Sins. No wonder the adults are even worse!

I must say that I have committed all of it since I was a child… except for the last one, pride. Strangely, it never did occur to me to show off when I was a child... I never hide the fact that I am from a poor family, besides, in my time, the stuff that makes us happy doesn't cost lots of money unlike children nowadays, phones, PSP, DSi, computers, etc. Of course, now that I'm an adult, it's an entirely different matter! Now, I am committing all except for one too, guess what is it :P. So, the big question is, are the Seven Sins overrated? Meaning that they are not as bad as they sounds? Or are we just too blind (or unwilling) to see the evil in a child. Afterall, if children are evil, there can be no hope for adults!