Odds are that you probably have never heard this word before. It’s a term that is no longer used, but signifies profound indifference and inability to care about things that matter, even to the extent that you don’t care that you can’t care.
Acedia was a concept developed by Christians in the fourth century who fled to the deserts of the middle east in an effort to return to the simple life and rebel against the wealthy and politically powerful church. These men and women discovered that even though they had left their material possessions behind, they held on to their inner demons. They developed a psychology of the “eight bad thoughts” that commonly troubled them: gluttony, sexual immorality, love of money, sadness, anger, acedia, vainglory and pride. These eight bad thoughts were later re-written as the seven deadly sins – acedia became a part of sloth. Though the word itself has been lost, its effects are widely understood. If you look at modern psychological descriptions, you will find acedia. “A toxic, nearly unbearable mix of boredom and restlessness, frantic escapism (including that of workaholism), commitment-phobia and enervating despair.” Sound familiar?
Evagrius, one of these Christians who traveled the desert, conceptualized the basic notion that thoughts matter. Our inner life has consequence. What goes on in our mind or our hearts shapes our words and our actions and affects those around us. We are not victims of our thoughts, we bear responsibility for them. “It is not in our power to determine whether we are disturbed by these (bad) thoughts, but it is up to us to decide if they are to linger within us and whether or not they are to stir up our passions.” His teachings were similar to what we call Congnitive Behavioral Therapy today. There is nothing wrong with looking at the past, but the more important issue is how to live right now with thoughts, emotions and behaviors which may seem out of control. Evagrius considered Acedia to be a spiritual affliction that is far more deadly than physical and mental afflictions such as lust, gluttony, anger or depression because it creates a weariness of soul that instills hatred for place, work and life itself.
In the world today we have addictions to the internet and virtual worlds, fractured families who are so busy that they no longer spend time together, a society that is the wealthiest in history yet whose citizens remain dissatisfied and turn to drugs for anxiety, depression and other disorders. People have lost faith in themselves and others. Acedia offers a false sense of complacency and security. We can feel more for our “online” friends than we do our neighbors, look at the bad things in the world as “the way things are” and relieve ourselves of any responsibility for doing something about it. We see the homeless person and think “That’s not me”. We see the hungry child and think “That’s not my child”. We see the old man sitting in the park and think “That’s not my father.” We can be so busy we don’t have time to care or fight, we can be too tired to feel compassion, or decide that the problems are so big there is nothing we can do about them, so why try.
Perhaps in this time of economic upheaval, war, and uncertainty, it is time for us to look to the monks of the early 5th century as an example. They focused on mind and spirit, life in community and provided a great model for mutual support in an age where social structures were fractured. They cared for the orphans and the sick, identified with the poor, and offered help to people who were hurting. Monasteries became the institutions of learning and rebuilding. After all, before a kingdom can be rebuilt, the inner work must be done. What rebuilding needs to happen in our lives to improve the world around us? Why is Pride – making too much of ourselves – more focused on as a sin than Sloth – being less than what we can be?
“Dejection and anger afflict the mind; food, things and sex burden the body; but acedia is lodged in the very soul.” – Mary Margaret Funk (modern Benedictine)
“Our present age is perhaps no more evil than a number of preceding periods, but it is evil in a special way. Namely, the extent to which we have obliterated our consciousness of evil. It is marvelous to observe how often the self-proclaimed defenders of the right and good do not seem to have noticed in themselves the vices of pomposity, exaggeration, and self-righteousness.” - Alasdair MacIntyre
“It may be easy to profess not to believe in sin, but it is hard not to believe in sinners, so we embrace the comfortable notion that at least they are other people.” – Kathleen Norris
Story: Two men travelled through the desert on foot. Eventually they ran out of food. Facing endless sand, hunger and diminishing strength, the men cried out to God for help. Soon they arrived at a crossroads where they found 2 loaves of bread. The hungry men ate, continued on their journey and eventually reached their destination.
Student: Who do you think dropped the bread? An Angel or a Demon?
Teacher: It does not matter who dropped the bread. We give glory to God because this experience does not profit the soul, but purifies it.
(Read the book Acedia and Me by Kathleen Norris)
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