Acedia: Unholy Unhurry

Another form of unholy unhurry that many of us have heard little about is acedia. Derived from the Greek a (for “not”) and keedos (meaning “to care”), acedia is ultimately a failure of love. It’s a place of apathy toward life and a kind of spiritual boredom; it’s that umpteenth lap somewhere between the enthusiasm of the starting line and the celebration of the finish line.

Whether midday, midlife, halftime or halfway through a big project, we’re tempted to give in, give up or distract ourselves. Acedia tempts us to abandon the life we have for some imagined better option somewhere…