Wiki definition:
“Gluttony (Latin, gula) is the overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of waste. The word derives from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow.
In Christianity, it is considered a sin if the excessive desire for food causes it to be withheld from the needy.[20]
Because of these scripts, gluttony can be interpreted as selfishness; essentially placing concern with one’s own interests above the well-being or interests of others.”
Gluttony always meant overeating to me. Maybe it’s because I grew up as a fat kid. Maybe it’s because of the christian connotations of the word that were implanted in my subconscious early on. Maybe…and this is the most likely culprit… it’s because I watched “Seven” one too many times, and I can’t get those scenes out of my head as I’m writing about the 7 deadly sins.
However, I think the fact that we have adopted the term “binging” on anything media related is a sure fire sign that gluttony is alive and well in our culture…and can have far deeper connotations than just culinary overindulgence. As I’ve mentioned previously, I believe that our Netflix habits perfectly demonstrate one of this generations biggest problems.
We don’t just want everything right now:
- We wanted it 5 minutes ago…
- and OMG are you still making me wait on that thing?
- How hard is it to deliver all of my wants and desires whenever I well please to ask for them?
- If I can watch all 6 seasons of a TV show in a week, then surely you can get me all of that work I requested from you in a day, right? It can’t be that hard.
- Or, OMG are you really going to take 10 minutes to respond to my text message? I just read 3 blogs about how to know whether or not your friend is ignoring you via text in the time that it took you to respond to me….SMH…
- FML, I HAVE TO WAIT HOW LONG UNTIL THE NEXT SEASON OF THAT SHOW????!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY DO THEY DO THIS TOOOOO MEEEEEEEEEE!!!
The above definition of gluttony mentions gulping and swallowing. That’s how I feel much of the time when I take a step back and observe our media consumption…or just consumption in general. We’re a big lot of gluttons. We gulp, swallow, and gorge our way through meals, content, conversations, shows, our lives….and if gluttony tells us anything it’s that the result is just a waste.