Why do we stay subscribed to newsletters we never read?

One night I was looking through my email trash for an accidentally deleted message. And I was completely struck by two things:

1. The number of things I had intentions to read, but never bothered after the first open, is a problem.

2. The power of sloth is strong.

The Catholic Church long saw sloth, or indifference to one’s duties, as one of the major sins one could commit, along with gluttony, wrath, greed and envy. The curious part is that sloth is largely a sin of omission; whereas one must be actively avaricious, for example, sloth was a sin because it entailed a lack of action. Out failure to do anything is the sin.

In the Divine Comedy, Dante wrote of sins in relation to love and that sloth was the sin of insufficient love. Lust might be too much love, in this framing, but sloth was neglect. The guilty paid this debt by running through the fourth terrace of purgatory. Zeal, it is revealed, is how they are punished.

In my case, I am sure I found these writings fascinating for a moment, or something that might benefit me in the future. Then subsequent headlines killed my interest. It generally takes me 10 messages or more to finally unsubscribe. Maybe I am giving them one more chance, ten times over.

You don’t need to give me 10 chances to give you something fascinating, but hopefully I take less than that to get there.

Playlist

0.0.0.0. D I S E A S E
Future Blondes
0.0.0.0. D I S E A S E
FANTASY 1

Deep Sleeping Exit
Michael Vallera
Window In
Denovali Records

It's Ok To Die
Nico Georis
Plant Music Vol. 3 - The Golden Teachers
Leaving Records