Celebrity(Idolatry), Pretentiousness, Martyrdom, Self-Destruction, Fraud, Collusion, Self-Absorption

Wow, it is hard to limit it to seven. 1. Tolerance of politicians who take care of corporations rather than the citizens, obliterates the very foundation of our country and recklessly spends the lives of our young, of religion when it shows contempt for life and the security of and well being of all people, and corporations who abuse the powerless to gild the lives of the powerful. 2. Ego unchecked. 3. Ignorance when self induced though I think this is the mission statement of corporate media. 4. Triteness because it is the result of number 3. 5. Fear which prevents rational reasoning and measured reaction. 6. Vanity when it makes us feel that everything we do is so important that what is really important is last on the list. 7. Cruelty in any form for any reason.

Cowardice - it’s opposite is courage that is the underlying virtue of all other virtues like integrity and respect. My daughter stepped in between two girls, who she did not know, who were having a very physical fight in a high school hallway. She forcibly shoved them apart and ordered them to “stop now.” About 50 other students had encircled the pair and had chosen to be bystanders. Just then a teacher appeared and ordered all of them into her room and began yelling at all three of them. My daughter explained what she had done, and wasn’t punished. The next day, one of the tough girls sent a message via another girl to my daughter that she wanted to talk to her. My daughter thought , “uh oh.” The girl said, “I just want to thank you for stopping us. If the teacher had seen us fighting I would have been expelled.” There were no more problems with that girl that my daughter ever heard about. Another time, my son was driving and saw one of the “jocks” beating on one of the much smaller yell leaders who my son said is gay. My son pulled over, took the bully by the back of the shirt and pulled him off the top of the other boy. My son told him to “Get lost,” and the bully started to walk away. My son pulled the smaller boy up and asked him if he was ok.. Just then the bully crept up behind my son, and took a swing at him. He barely stepped back in time - and then my son just decked the bully with one punch to the jaw. Game over. Violence is sometimes necessary to protect the weak and vulnerable.

So that sin does not get all today’s attention, my list of virtures: Self-Actualization, Authenticity, Service, Enrichment, Truth, Compassion, Conscious

1.Detachment - from the suffering and death of others, including American troops in Iraq. We don’t protest the war if it doesn’t affect us personally. 2. Intellectual laziness - we spend more time reading about celebrities, fashion and nonsense than current world events. 3. Greed 4. Gutlessness - we need to learn to speak up for what is right and against what is wrong. 5. Lack of vision - we need to think about the future of our world 6. Lack of standards - in our personal lives and in America in general. 100% literacy in America should be a basic standard. 7. Gossip/backstabbing - it just contributes to the pervading negativity in our culture.

Dr. Klein, interestin’. Now do you really believe that outlivin’ your money is a deadly sin? And if so Who is the sinner? Hum? Or was this simply a Kleinien slip of a personal fear?