Capital vices, the cardinal sins – call them whatever you like. Students across the nation are falling victim to a seven-series trap, enrapturing them with their lethal grip. The 7 deadly sins are keeping hold of college kids everywhere, turning hardworking students into egotistical, greedy, manipulative, insatiable, lazy, jealous, sex-crazed maniacs! To avoid these vices and learn about how you’re probably re-enacting every single one of them, read ahead… and remember once you lay victim to one, you may lay victim to all!
Pride: As a hardworking college student myself, I tend to get a little boastful. Ya know, acing a test or kicking ass on a paper, we all get a bit proud. However, this first of many sins can be deadly to any friendship. We’ve all had to endure the arrogant “friend” telling us about their 4.0, the condo they visit in the French Riviera, and how absolutely perfect their new Jimmy Choo’s go with this season’s Prada bag. GAG! Avoid ever sounding like this egotistical, vanity-obsessed “friend” by remembering this little mantra: “If I tell someone something with the intention of making them jealous or wanting their approval, I should just not say it….ever.”
Greed: One of my most hated deadly sins! Nothing is quite as unattractive as a greedy person. College is expensive, and yeah, 95% of us are subject to eating packaged noodles for dinner, but being generous has nothing to do with money! Splitting a cookie with a friend is not going to break your bank; it’s not like someone is asking you to share alcohol (that’s a different story). If you attend an amazing school (like Pitt!), you have a lot to be thankful for. The next time you walk past clubs or charities in towers lobby, pay it forward and throw them some change! (You were probably going to use those few dollars to buy something that will add onto your calorie count anyway). And as any good mom will tell ya, “It’s the little things that count.”
Wrath: Perhaps the scariest of the seven capital vices, wrath is sometimes unavoidable. (Especially for us freshmen girls stuck in a small dorm and sharing a bathroom with, like, 30 other females). Wrath is the evil demon that comes out of us before we know it and tosses words out of our mouth that we didn’t think we’d ever say (profanities included). Wrath is the type of evil that’ll destroy friendships, crush relationships, and prove to everyone around you that you might be a little crazy. Avoid it like the plague by sleeping, eating right, and exercising. A mean person is the last thing you want to be known as!
Gluttony: OH NO! The one I know EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU IS GUILTY OF! (Myself included.) The insatiable need to eat everything in sight, gluttony is a SURE way to gain the freshmen (and sophomore, and junior… and senior) fifteen. Keep up your gluttonous eating habits and they’ll rename it the “college 60”! We’ve all been that kid in the caf, so ravenous that we load our plate with fries, cookies, pizza, and eat like we’ve been on a 40-day fast. Avoid the shocked stares of your fellow classmates when they see the amount of food you’re eating by using smaller plates and avoiding every section in Market that uses a fryer!
Sloth: With the Internet’s new obsession with the cute, cuddly, smiling animal, you’d think being called a sloth is an adorable compliment! Well, it’s not. It’s actually the deadly sin that every student – from pre-med to theater majors – suffers from: procrastination, laziness, and the ability to lie in bed for nine straight hours watching Netflix. Sloth is sure to consume your life, and soon your grades, and your weight, and your relationships…aaanndd pretty much every aspect of your life (except partying…you’re probably not too lazy to do that). Avoid this laziness by… actually I really don’t know how to avoid it, and I’m too lazy to think of a solution.
Envy: Catfights! “He’s MY man!” “Does she think she’s impressing anyone with her Valentino?” “EW! She’s not even cute.” Sorry fellas, I think us girls win this category for being the sex most likely to be petty, jealous, raging bit— ehh, girls. Probably most lethal for the people we’re jealous of, envy has more power than all the seven deadly sins combined. It’s present in everyday college life: schoolwork, getting into a program, landing an internship, having a cuter skirt at a party. Envy sneaks its way into situations you wouldn’t even think of! Avoid being the envious one by – wait for it – NOT CARING. Don’t forget that the grass is not always greener on the other side, and if you’re jealous of your ex’s new girl or a friend’s great hair, remember that they’re just people, and they’ve got their own set of issues. Be over it.
Lust: Last but certainly not least! Ahhh, lust and college…goes together like peanut butter and jelly…cranberry and vodka. Oh, the romantic drunken hook-ups in a dirty frat basement and the thirsty stares of freshmen boys, lust is the NUMBER ONE COLLEGE SIN. Unavoidable and seemingly everywhere, lust approaches you when the boy down the hall stares at you in your yogas. It creeps up on you when sitting in class, only to realize your lab partner is looking down your shirt. Yes, some college students mistake these advances and stares to be love, but don’t be a fool. Lust drives college students everywhere to act insane. It infects their blood stream and becomes a driving force in all their actions. It can be attributed to our age and the falsely stated notion that college is primarily about sex. I would tell you all how to avoid the power of lust, but I HIGHLY doubt you will listen. Since everyone is going to act on his or her sex drive anyway, just be safe and smart about it. Last thing lust wants is a wailing baby at 3 AM.
So there you have college friends: a complete rundown on the seven deadly and unavoidable sins while away at school. I have given you some good (and not-so-good) advice on how to not fall to the overpowering strength of these vices, but it’s up to you to avoid them. We’re all subject to fail at one or another (or all seven) at some point, but don’t sweat it. Being a little sinful can be fun sometimes. ;)
Photo Credit:
http://megchia.blogspot.com/2011/12/seven-deadly-sins-american-next-top.html
http://s524.beta.photobucket.com/user/Smallsthehero/media/7DeadlySins001.jpg.html