What is sloth?

Porpoise said:

"The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth." (Proverbs 26:13-15)

From these verses, it sounds like sloth is a strong disinclination to exert oneself due to anxiety, drowsiness, or fatigue. If so, how is it a sin? People cannot control their anxiety or fatigue or otherwise intense aversion.

I am trying to think of what else it could be, if not that.

Laziness, according to Merriam-Webster: "disinclined to activity or exertion: not energetic or vigorous" - In other words, fatigue or drowsiness, right?

Wikipedia: "Laziness (also known as indolence) is disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or exert oneself." - When someone is anxious or fatigued, they still have the ability to exert themselves, it's just really difficult and agonizing.

Collins Dictionary: "If someone is lazy , they do not want to work or make any effort to do anything." - If someone doesn't have the energy to do something, they won't want to do it in that state.

So it sounds like laziness or sloth refers to strong disinclination/aversion to exertion (such as anxiety/fatigue/drowsiness/etc.), when the ability is present (the person is not held at gunpoint and told to be idle, or paralyzed, or in a coma, etc.).

I cannot think of much else that would cause someone to have a disinclination to exertion. I guess if somebody didn't care, was indifferent or heartless about some cause. Like abusive parents who don't take care of their kids, or the person who doesn't care how their yard looks, or the employee who doesn't care about doing their job right. But that wouldn't result in a disinclination toward exertion in general. Those people would still have other things they are energetic about. And in that case it would not really be the exertion itself they are disinclined toward. They would just be not inclined toward a particular cause. So sloth/laziness couldn't be that, could it?

I really, really don't like this, but it truly does sound like sloth is fatigue, anxiety, depression, drowsiness, physical pain, or some other condition that causes exertion itself to become aversive. That can't be right, can it? Could somebody correct me on this? What exactly is sloth specifically?

Click to expand...

Porpoise said:

"The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth." (Proverbs 26:13-15)

From these verses, it sounds like sloth is a strong disinclination to exert oneself due to anxiety, drowsiness, or fatigue. If so, how is it a sin? People cannot control their anxiety or fatigue or otherwise intense aversion.

I am trying to think of what else it could be, if not that.

Laziness, according to Merriam-Webster: "disinclined to activity or exertion: not energetic or vigorous" - In other words, fatigue or drowsiness, right?

Wikipedia: "Laziness (also known as indolence) is disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or exert oneself." - When someone is anxious or fatigued, they still have the ability to exert themselves, it's just really difficult and agonizing.

Collins Dictionary: "If someone is lazy , they do not want to work or make any effort to do anything." - If someone doesn't have the energy to do something, they won't want to do it in that state.

So it sounds like laziness or sloth refers to strong disinclination/aversion to exertion (such as anxiety/fatigue/drowsiness/etc.), when the ability is present (the person is not held at gunpoint and told to be idle, or paralyzed, or in a coma, etc.).

I cannot think of much else that would cause someone to have a disinclination to exertion. I guess if somebody didn't care, was indifferent or heartless about some cause. Like abusive parents who don't take care of their kids, or the person who doesn't care how their yard looks, or the employee who doesn't care about doing their job right. But that wouldn't result in a disinclination toward exertion in general. Those people would still have other things they are energetic about. And in that case it would not really be the exertion itself they are disinclined toward. They would just be not inclined toward a particular cause. So sloth/laziness couldn't be that, could it?

I really, really don't like this, but it truly does sound like sloth is fatigue, anxiety, depression, drowsiness, physical pain, or some other condition that causes exertion itself to become aversive. That can't be right, can it? Could somebody correct me on this? What exactly is sloth specifically?

Click to expand...

Porpoise said:

"The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth." (Proverbs 26:13-15)

From these verses, it sounds like sloth is a strong disinclination to exert oneself due to anxiety, drowsiness, or fatigue. If so, how is it a sin? People cannot control their anxiety or fatigue or otherwise intense aversion.

I am trying to think of what else it could be, if not that.

Laziness, according to Merriam-Webster: "disinclined to activity or exertion: not energetic or vigorous" - In other words, fatigue or drowsiness, right?

Wikipedia: "Laziness (also known as indolence) is disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or exert oneself." - When someone is anxious or fatigued, they still have the ability to exert themselves, it's just really difficult and agonizing.

Collins Dictionary: "If someone is lazy , they do not want to work or make any effort to do anything." - If someone doesn't have the energy to do something, they won't want to do it in that state.

So it sounds like laziness or sloth refers to strong disinclination/aversion to exertion (such as anxiety/fatigue/drowsiness/etc.), when the ability is present (the person is not held at gunpoint and told to be idle, or paralyzed, or in a coma, etc.).

I cannot think of much else that would cause someone to have a disinclination to exertion. I guess if somebody didn't care, was indifferent or heartless about some cause. Like abusive parents who don't take care of their kids, or the person who doesn't care how their yard looks, or the employee who doesn't care about doing their job right. But that wouldn't result in a disinclination toward exertion in general. Those people would still have other things they are energetic about. And in that case it would not really be the exertion itself they are disinclined toward. They would just be not inclined toward a particular cause. So sloth/laziness couldn't be that, could it?

I really, really don't like this, but it truly does sound like sloth is fatigue, anxiety, depression, drowsiness, physical pain, or some other condition that causes exertion itself to become aversive. That can't be right, can it? Could somebody correct me on this? What exactly is sloth specifically?

Click to expand...

Porpoise said:

“There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”

Click to expand...

Sabertooth said:

Once, when I was delivering newspapers (by car) and another time, when I was doing census (by foot), there was a BEAR in the road...!

Click to expand...

Fish14 said:

Lions are scarier than bears though

Click to expand...

Porpoise said:

"The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth." (Proverbs 26:13-15)

From these verses, it sounds like sloth is a strong disinclination to exert oneself due to anxiety, drowsiness, or fatigue. If so, how is it a sin? People cannot control their anxiety or fatigue or otherwise intense aversion.

I am trying to think of what else it could be, if not that.

Laziness, according to Merriam-Webster: "disinclined to activity or exertion: not energetic or vigorous" - In other words, fatigue or drowsiness, right?

Wikipedia: "Laziness (also known as indolence) is disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or exert oneself." - When someone is anxious or fatigued, they still have the ability to exert themselves, it's just really difficult and agonizing.

Collins Dictionary: "If someone is lazy , they do not want to work or make any effort to do anything." - If someone doesn't have the energy to do something, they won't want to do it in that state.

So it sounds like laziness or sloth refers to strong disinclination/aversion to exertion (such as anxiety/fatigue/drowsiness/etc.), when the ability is present (the person is not held at gunpoint and told to be idle, or paralyzed, or in a coma, etc.).

I cannot think of much else that would cause someone to have a disinclination to exertion. I guess if somebody didn't care, was indifferent or heartless about some cause. Like abusive parents who don't take care of their kids, or the person who doesn't care how their yard looks, or the employee who doesn't care about doing their job right. But that wouldn't result in a disinclination toward exertion in general. Those people would still have other things they are energetic about. And in that case it would not really be the exertion itself they are disinclined toward. They would just be not inclined toward a particular cause. So sloth/laziness couldn't be that, could it?

I really, really don't like this, but it truly does sound like sloth is fatigue, anxiety, depression, drowsiness, physical pain, or some other condition that causes exertion itself to become aversive. That can't be right, can it? Could somebody correct me on this? What exactly is sloth specifically?

Click to expand...