Well, to be honest, I don't have a favorite sin, for favorite in some ways connotes fondness, and I'm fond of none of my sins. Neglect: My Predominant Sin would have probably been more accurate, but I'll stick with what I have for its pithiness, not its accuracy.
Regrets plague us all to a degree. I look over my life and my biggest regrets regard things I've neglected. Friendships, responsibilities, my studies...the list is extensive, and if I make the headings broad enough it could encompass my whole life. That's probably more accurate anyway: my whole life, one big lump of negligence.
It would be easy to blame it on some type of external force or impetus. Deflection of blame is another flaw I share with most of humanity. But in this, for now, I choose to defer: I, and I alone, am responsible for my failures. No other force or being has made me remain silent when I should have spoken or made me remain inactive when I should have been performing. There's a kid's song that goes something like this: "There's a big ole "I" in the middle of sin, and the "I" in the middle is me."
What's interesting is trying to explain to someone what the magic is in avoiding sinful behavior. I've never found a good explanation for doing this other than this: "Just don't do it." That's what it boils down to. It is, after all, a choice between only two alternatives: doing something you shouldn't do or not doing it. Can't get much simpler, can it? We would prefer to complicate the matter. Obfuscation, we feel, absolves us of some of the responsibility. Decisions made in a fog, when alternatives aren't so clearly defined, are prone to go the wrong way through no fault of our own. That's what we would like to believe anyway.
Allow me to lay bare the truth. Until we take responsibility for our own wrong behavior, we will be continually adding to that list--that long, long list--of failures in our lives. By realizing our own potential for wrong behavior, perhaps we can make more good choices. A slight pause, some honest reflection, and oftentimes the fog clears away, revealing only two choices: right and wrong.
Disclaimer: Everyone experiences times of grayness, where there seems to be no discernable difference between one alternative and another. If both are wrong choices, then avoid them both. Inaction when your only choices are all wrong is not a bad thing. In moments like this, wait if you can. If you feel forced to choose between equally unattractive options, then make a choice knowing that the consequences will be yours to bear.
