It's an interesting book. In it, Savage explores each of the seven deadly sins--greed, lust, sloth, gluttony, envy, pride and anger--by committing each of them, or at least trying to commit each of them, from his own unique, in-defense-of-the-sinner-standpoint.
I say "trying," because it doesn't work out so well for him. One of the more interesting chapters is the sloth chapter, which turns into a diatribe on marijuana use. Savage's argument: If used recreationally, there's nothing wrong with pot, and if anything, the drug can actually help hard-working folks get through life easier.
This chapter got me thinking--not about marijuana, which is a topic for another time, but about laziness.
In a way, laziness is one of the most dangerous of these sins. Let's face it--we've all been guilty of it at one time or another. But we all know people who have let it get the best of them on a regular basis.
And in an extremely warm climate, summer lends itself to laziness. It's the time of year when the heat can wear a person down, and lead to a bit of sloth. It's easy to slack--you come into the office a bit late, or you put off your Editor's Note until the last minute, or you write a stereotypical "here's my advice" column, or you put off a state budget compromise until a special session.
It can happen to us all--but we shouldn't let it happen. Instead, we can use the weather and the late sunlight to re-energize ourselves.
That's what I am going to try to do. I think it's something that we can all work on, to make our lives--and the lives of those around us--a little better. Energy's a good thing, after all.
