61.2 Sloth

 61.2 Sloth

 

Question:

What are some of the qualities that will ruin a person?

 

Answer:

Procrastination, forgetfulness, sloth, and excessive sleep

are the vehicles of those prone to ruin. (Couplet – 605)

நெடுநீர் மறவி மடிதுயில் நான்கும்

கெடுநீரார் காமக் கலன்.     605

Explanation:

         According to Valluvar, procrastination, forgetfulness, sloth, and excessive sleep are the four qualities that will affect a person adversely in many ways. These four qualities may sometimes destroy one’s reputation, ruin his career, and be detrimental to his success in life. Procrastination is the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so. As the proverb says, “Procrastination is the thief of time.” The consequences may be severe depending on what is not done on time. If a student procrastinates and does not study well, he will fail his test. If an employee fails to submit a report on time, he may be fired. If a patient procrastinates having a medical procedure, it may be fatal. So, procrastination is always detrimental to one’s progress, success, or well-being. Forgetfulness is equally bad or perhaps even worse than procrastination. At least the one who procrastinates may end up doing what must be done relatively late instead of promptly. The one who forgets to do things may be unable to recover from his lapses.

 Sloth is slowness in the mindset and disinclination to act. This is similar to laziness. Sloth is always wanting to rest and relax, with no desire or intention of doing useful and necessary activities. According to the Bible, sloth is considered one of the seven cardinal sins. Apart from sin, failure or unwillingness to work will lead to poverty, which may lead to other crimes and unacceptable behaviors. Finally, excessive sleep also causes lethargy and laziness.

So, It is obvious that the four qualities mentioned in Couplet 605 are certainly to be avoided.