LIBBY: Do you ever feel like you lose control? You think you're fine,
then you unwittingly end up in the same old situation, or doing things you know
aren't good for you? Ever thought that maybe
you're feeling the effects of the seven deadly sins? KAI: Like have you ever gone to the carnival and tried to ride every ride
just to prove that you could, but then you got jealous of your friend because he won a stuffed lion for his smoking hot girlfriend, so you spent the whole day
on the horseshoe toss trying to win the thousand dollar prize, then got so angry from not winning that you ate way too much cotton candy, and felt so sick the next day that you didn't care if you missed a huge test, and your calculus grade
never fully recovered? LIBBY: As that weirdly specific
example illustrates, sometimes there are greater forces at work in the choices we make and they can leave us with
a not-so-great feeling. KAI: And we know about those forces. LIBBY: Do we ever.
KAI: All seven of 'em. So stick around. Might change your life. (lighthearted music) LIBBY: Hi, I'm Libby. KAI: And I'm Kai. Welcome to Catholic Central, and today's topic, the seven deadly sins. LIBBY: Which you could
describe as seven things that may feel deliciously
satisfying in the moment, but won't make you happy
no matter how hard you try. KAI: And you might even wonder which of these deadlies is going to kill you. LIBBY: But these aren't those kinds of sins. Catholics consider them deadly because they're deeply
rooted sources of other sins, universal forces that
get at your weaknesses and drive everyone to do things they know are not a good idea. KAI: So if you've ever wondered why you seem to be doing the same things over and over, even though you don't want to, the problem's probably right here. LIBBY: But don't worry. We've also got advice for
improving your self-mastery and dealing with the sins, the antidotes. KAI: The antidotes, or remedies,
go back to the early church, which defined them in
forms of actions to do, and virtues to develop. But unfortunately they do
involve effort on your part and are not available for
sale, even on the internet. LIBBY: Let's dive in with pride. Pride's the head sin, the thing we can trace all the other sins back to. It's arrogance, the belief that we are higher than God, the desire to control our lives
and the lives of others. KAI: This includes believing
(crowd cheering) that you're essentially better or more important than others, failing to recognize
others' accomplishments, and generally putting your own desires at the top of your list of most important things in the world. LIBBY: The antidote is
the virtue of humility. KAI: But that doesn't mean thinking about how bad you are at everything. LIBBY: True humility means having an honest, realistic sense of your strengths and weaknesses, and realizing
whatever gifts you do have, God's given them to you. You can start by trying to
give these gifts to others, doing good for someone
for nothing in return. KAI: Second on the list of
the seven deadlies is envy. (phone ringing) Oh, we have a caller. How timely. CALLER: Oh, hi, Kai and Libby. Wow, you look so successful. LIBBY: Yeah, hi. We're in the middle of doing a show. CALLER: Oh, I'm just so jealous. You know I always imagine myself
doing the same exact thing. I guess you guys just got
chosen to do it first. It's okay. I'll just go back to my job
that I hate and pays nothing. Oh, well.
(laughs neurotically) KAI: I hope she's okay. LIBBY: Hopefully the antidote will help, just in case she's watching. CALLER: But I love you guys. KAI: The antidote to envy is gratitude for what you have, and being joyful at the good fortune of others. LIBBY: Even if their fortune is undeserved. KAI: We've always gotta
watch out for comparisons. They're deadly. And if we're jealous of someone, maybe try going out of
our way to praise them. LIBBY: Next deadly
sin, number three, anger. KAI: You can't spell danger without it. LIBBY: Anger isn't just losing your temper. KAI: In fact, anger, in itself,
isn't necessarily bad. After all, righteous anger can lead to positive growth and change when directed towards justice. LIBBY: But the key with righteous anger is that there's no hatred
or desire for revenge, especially against an innocent person. Anger becomes a sin when it comes out of an extreme feeling that
things aren't going the way you think they should be. KAI: It can happen between people,
groups, or even nations. Worst of all, it festers and
grows in a person's heart. LIBBY: And what's the antidote to anger? Forgiveness, acceptance
of what can't be changed, letting go of the need to get even and letting something stay in the past while learning a lesson that makes us wiser the next time anger comes around. KAI: And instead of letting things fester, you can actively forgive people the moment they make you angry. But moving on now to the cutest deadly sin in the animal kingdom, sloth. LIBBY: Actually, I'm being
told it's pronounced sloth, but a better word is the
Greek and Latin acedia. CYNIC: Question for both of you. Does any of this really matter? Why do anything when you
can just be jaded all day? LIBBY: Well, it does matter,
convenient question-asker, because we're both doing the
job we've been given to do. When the important stuff stops mattering, we're probably falling victim to acedia, often seen as indifference, lethargy, or commitment phobia, Kevin. KAI: Unlike clinical
depression, which is physical and can be treated with
medication and therapy, acedia distracts us from spiritual things, like prayer and acts of
kindness and compassion. CYNIC: But don't you ever feel sad because any act we do as humans is inherently meaningless since
we will never be fully good? LIBBY: Sure. But the way to get past that is diligence. Try figuring out your mission, and what you're born to do with your life. In doing what we know we need to do, a sense of meaning and the energy to pursue it can't be far behind. KAI: OK, now let's be super diligent and finish out these last three, which brings us to avarice. LIBBY: You might know avarice
by its other name, greed, the excessive desire for
riches and possessions. RICH GUY: Excuse me, young whippersnappers, but money's essential for the functioning and wellbeing of society. KAI: Uh, yeah. We're not saying it isn't. LIBBY: There's nothing wrong
with private property or wealth in itself. In fact, according to the Bible, it's not money that's
the root of all evil, but the love of it. KAI: The question is more whether you think that having more and more money, or anything, for that matter, will fulfill you or make you happy. RICH GUY: Oh. So I suppose instead of
building more hotels, you want me to build homeless shelters for the undeserving? LIBBY: Well, have you tried generosity? RICH GUY: Of course not. If I give something away
I don't have it anymore, and it's mine. On a separate and
completely unrelated note, I feel empty inside. Well, I'm off to the golf course. KAI: Moving on to number six, gluttony, or as I think it should
be called, guttony. Gluttony is the immoderate preoccupation with food or drink, either quantity, quality, or the timing of it. LIBBY: Eating or drinking too much. KAI: Only eating fancy gourmet foods. LIBBY: Eating or drinking when a person should
be doing other things. If we make food more important than it should be, it can
end up ruling our life. If that's the case, we
might try asceticism. KAI: Asceticism means taking some time away from sensual pleasure
to grow spiritually. LIBBY: Or focus on the social
connections food helps us to nurture, like eating with
friends or family mindfully. KAI: And speaking of sensual pleasure... LIBBY: Lust, the one you probably
feel most guilty about. I mean, if we're honest. KAI: We're honest, yeah. Now, contrary to what you might've heard, the Catholic church is not anti-sex. LIBBY: Catholics believe sex is
inherently good and beautiful. KAI: I mean, where do you think big
Catholic families come from, am I right? LIBBY: But what isn't good
or beautiful is turning another person into an object
to gratify your desires, treating another person like a thing. KAI: So there are a few rules,
but they're really a way to prevent people from using each other for selfish reasons,
and to protect what's good. LIBBY: If you're having trouble with lust, it might be because you're thinking of people only in terms
of what they can do for your satisfaction. The antidote for that is chastity. KAI: Did somebody say chastity? CHURCH LADY: Don't be attracted
(church organ playing) to anyone ever. Don't look good, looking
people directly in the eye. LIBBY: In reality it's more
than a list of don'ts. Chastity actually is all about the dos, actively loving another person based on your state in life, and
respecting your own sexuality. Single or married, it's always about what you're giving,
not what you're receiving. KAI: So that's all of 'em. LIBBY: The seven deadly sins. Pride, envy, anger, sloth,
avarice, gluttony, and lust. KAI: And the seven antidotes, or virtues. Humility, gratitude, forgiveness, diligence, generosity,
asceticism, and chastity. In the end, the sins and the
virtues are all about freedom, freedom to be the best of
what we're created to be. These are likely always
gonna be a problem for you, because congratulations,
you're part of the human race, same as me and you and--
LIBBY: Me, all-- KAI: All of us, yeah.
LIBBY: Everyone. Your whole life will probably be a balance between the misery from
being influenced by them and the peace from conquering them. KAI: And one way Catholics
have to conquer them is through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, and lots of prayer. LIBBY: And remember, while
you're conquering them, or trying to, not to be
super judgy of others. KAI: I'm Kai and this has
been Catholic Central with the seven deadly sins. LIBBY: And I'm Libby. Stay lively. KAI: Oh, lively.
LIBBY: You like that? KAI: I get it, like deadly, but lively. LIBBY: Right, 'cause you said it. (upbeat music)
