The Seven Deadly Sins

While the seven deadly sins are associated with ecclesiastical writings, their origins are in pagan texts originating in Egypt and Persia. It is commonly accepted that fourth-century Egyptian Christian Ascetics, including Evagrius Ponticus, selected the worst sins from pagan writing and that this list was further refined by Pope Gregory and then Thomas Aquinas to create the seven deadly sins. However, over the centuries the list has been used in literature ranging from Dante’s Inferno to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. They are now embedded in modern thought as archetypes.

In this complicated time of increasing conflict and stress, it occurred to me that perhaps a return to simple rules for living could have a positive influence. Because Covid limited my movement outside the house, I had time inside to contemplate a simpler approach to life. For me the question became: can the small blocks of a child from an earlier generation be used to create constructions which, when photographed, would render images to illustrate basic precepts for a better world community?

From a psychological point of view, the idea of the sins (deadly because they can “kill” the divine spirit present in all men and women) can be represented by displaying the specific sin on a plank on one side and the “other” (or, rest of the “normal” world) on the opposing plank.