The Last Taboo
April 1, 1994
The sloth is a tropical mammal that lives much of its life hanging upside-down from tree branches. When obliged to descend to the ground, sloths crawl along a level surface at the rate of ten feet a minute (meaning their top sprint is one-ninth of a mile per hour). Sloths are generally sluggish and inactive; they build no nests and seek no shelter even for their young. They sleep fifteen to twenty-two hours a day, rising in the late afternoon to eat whatever leaves may be close at hand. Being so passive, they are virtually untrainable, although occasionally you'll find one working as a denominational official or on a roadside construction crew. From time to time, a sloth hangs around my home and office, a discovery that has surprised me. I'm familiar with lots of my faults, but I never suspected this one. Up to now, I've been careful to whom I admit it. I'm careful because sloth is our society's unforgivable sin. It is almost never mentioned. I can't remember the last time I heard anyone confess it. Think of job interviews. When someone is asked, "What's your biggest weakness?" 90 percent of the answers are variations of "I work too hard," and "I tend to be too perfectionistic." When have you heard someone say, "I'm just too darn lazy"? But I've discovered that I have to quit playing this game. Psychiatrist and best-selling author Scott Peck says that ultimately there is one great impediment to spiritual growth "and that is laziness. If we overcome laziness, all the other impediments will be overcome. If we do not overcome laziness, none of the others will be hurdled. … Spiritual growth is effortful, as we have been reminded again and again." Here are some ways I've tried to make that effort and so deal with sloth.
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