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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
5 Deadly Cancers to the Human Soul
Back several months ago, my dad was admitted to the hospital for a routine removal of prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer in men. It was a routine operation, but they discovered the cancer had grown much larger than anticipated. Still, it was operable. No problem.
Routine removal notwithstanding, while on the operating table, due to complications not important for this telling, my dad’s heart stopped … three times! Today, he’s fine, but we almost lost him.
It got me thinking.
There are physical cancers that eat the flesh, consuming and devouring3 the physical body. There are medicines and procedures to eradicate4 such destruction. Sometimes and for some cancers, it works. Sometimes it doesn’t and the host – the mom or dad, the son or daughter, the brother or sister or grandparent dies prematurely5.
And so with the human soul.
There are spiritual and moral cancers that eat at the human spirit as well, that consume the moral will, that devour2 character and compromise values and one’s integrity to high principles, that eat away at the characteristics and conditions that create a happy life.
Just as physical cancers can metastasize, spreading into other vital organs, entering bone marrow6 and spreading throughout the body of the person we love, becoming so pervasive7 it is no longer treatable, moral cancers can equally shorten our spiritual life expectancies8, infecting our relationships, and our sense of self-worth.
In such conditions, moral cancers weaken the moral immune system and other moral infections can, and often do, set in.
The following list warns of some of those moral and spiritual cancers that are best eradicated9 early on to prevent metastasizing and the subsequent corruption11 of other vital moral organs, and the social and emotional damage that often follows in the wake of their destruction.
FIVE MORAL CANCERS
1. Pride
This moral cancer corrupts12 brain cells, affecting perception. It often has a puffing-up effect, distending13 its proper dimensions until the pressure becomes unbearable14 and the host of this cancer begins hallucinating visions of grandeur15, of dominance, detached independence, and can lead to a holier-than-thou attitude.
Other mood-related diseases that can develop as a result of the ravages17 of this cancer include fits of anger when others don’t agree or obey. Symptoms include an aversion to uncomfortable truth, an allergic18 reaction to introspection and intolerance to being corrected. They are therefore slow to learn from others or from life. They believe, after all, that they already have all the answers.
Misdiagnosis: Don’t mistake confidence for the moral cancer that pride is. Confident people can be very humble19, open to learning life’s lessons and even seeking others’ opinions. It is the emotional maturity20 of self-confidence that emotionally permits the vulnerability of potentially being proved wrong.
Treatment: A daily injection of humility21 is needed as soon as possible. Often, life will pull down the ivory towers of the proud as trials and adversities crack the foundation.
But in the meantime, learn to recognize the interdependency of life. Recognize and thank those who make your life possible: spouse22, parents, teachers, police officers, grocery store clerks, for instance. Get in the habit of expressing gratitude23. It’s recommended as well, that those suffering from this illness spend lots of time on their knees.
2. Selfishness
This illness can paralyze its victims with a sense of entitlement. They can get extremely demanding as life fails to serve them as they believe they ought to be served. They are turned inward to the point that others around them feel sucked into a solar system that revolves24 around their self-centeredness. But the more focused they are on themselves, the more elusive25 happiness is.
Why? Because happiness is best created by serving others, turning our focus outward. That’s not the mindset of the selfishness-inflicted26 patient. Marriages and children and all other relationships are strained, at best, and collapse27 with advanced stages of this disease.
The cancer of selfishness blinds the eyes to others’ needs. This leads to insensitivity in word and deed. They tend to be takers, always looking out for what’s in it for them. They are easily offended because they see the world in terms of how it affects them. They think and speak in the personal pronoun. All surrounds the ever-present Me!
This cancer causes a form of turrets28 syndrome29 whereby the poor person so inflicted will often blurt30 out things like: “How dare you!” when the thing dared has nothing to do with them.
Misdiagnosis: Beware of this misdiagnosis, for self-respect can fool the untrained eye. Self-respecting people can regularly be found doing things that benefit them, that renew them, things they enjoy doing: reading, running, skiing, going to the gym, playing guitar or the piano or flute31, painting, working on a project that’s important to them.
Self-respecting people are not willing to go along with the crowd for the sake of going along, especially if it includes compromising their values. Self-respect can appear selfish (to the selfish), but is not.
Treatment: Prevention is the best cure for this epidemic32. Selfishness is best inoculated33 against by regular doses of service: donate to your favorite cause, give blood, volunteer at a local food bank, coach a youth team, organize a service project in your community or for your church, volunteer at your child’s school, stop to help push a stalled car, help a neighbor move, look for opportunities to bless others’ lives in small and larger ways.
And take note of how you feel about yourself, those you serve, and life itself as you do for others. You just may come to like that feeling!
3. Greed
I’ve seen many cases of greed so ravage16 the people infected, that they live in a constant state of unhappiness. They are unfulfilled and can never enjoy what they have or what they have done for very long. They habitually34 want more and more and more, to the point that more important things take back seat, if permitted into the car at all. They want what others have and want it so badly that other parts of their lives can become infected as well.
Often, values become compromised and character undermined as the greedy place the objects of their greed at higher value than their moral standards. Then unsavory methods for attaining35 what they want corrupt10 the very things they get.
Symptoms include paying very close attention to what their neighbors have, feeling ripped off by circumstances for whatever is falling apart in their lives and an increasing use of dishonesty and deception36 to get what they want.
Misdiagnosis: Ambition can share some of the qualities of this disease. But ambition, a drive to improve oneself and the conditions of one’s family, is not necessarily the same moral illness.
The ambitious can work hard at growing a business, at living a better life, but their focus is on the condition it creates for themselves and those they love. They are driven to succeed from a value they place on what they do and who they are.
The ambitious are driven to improve themselves, their marriages, their children’s lives. They want to improve what they do and how they do it. They can be obsessed37, but it is an obsession38 with excellence39. The greedy, by contrast, are obsessed with the having, not the becoming.
Treatment: Nothing short of a full values-transfusion will really work for this cancer. Old values of greed must be drained and replaced with a value system that respects people and moral values higher than things, that values moral standards higher than prestige or power or wealth, that justifies40 the end by virtue41 of its means.
This virus manifests itself in the form of broken vows44 and double lives. It leads to shifting eyes and shifting hearts.
Its symptoms are sneaking45 and lying and filling hearts with illicit46 thoughts that break the spirit of solemn commitments to monogamous love. It breaks hearts and sows distrust and creates insecurity and doubt in relationships. It softens47 the will and undermines self-respect. Secret images in magazines, movies or online break down moral immune systems giving life to this metastasizing cancer.
Misdiagnosis: Lust can sometimes appear as romantic love because both include desire for the object of that love. But lust is self-serving. It desires gratification.
Romantic love desires the expression of its ultimate yearning48, but first seeks to be a source of strength to what it loves. It seeks what’s best for the other even if that means waiting for the ultimate expression for the right time, right place and right context.
Lust doesn’t care so much for contexts and timing49. It wants pleasure for pleasure’s sake, and it wants it now!
Treatment: This pandemic needs to be quarantined. All images, literature and film that stimulate50 such wanton desire need to be sterilized51, replaced by spiritual and moral content. Scripture52 and other moral literature can renew the heart to moral re-dedication. But don’t be fooled by signs of remission. Continual vigilance is a must! Relapse is commonplace when guards are let down.
The cancer of cowardice is much worse than the infection of fear. Those suffering from cowardice experience a sort of paralysis54. It eats away at the internal organs of resolve and determination. It stops us from taking action. It prevents us from doing what we should do when that thing lays outside our comfort zone or places us in potential harm’s way. It therefore keeps doors of opportunity and growth shut and locked.
It also prevents us from developing and exercising character in moments of opposition55 and difficulty. This cancer can lead to knee-lock, stopping us from standing1 up for what’s right.
Misdiagnosis: Fear can be misdiagnosed as cowardice but is not the same thing. Fear can cause its own problems when misplaced. But most of us fear taking steps into the unknown. We fear standing up for what’s right when we know we’ll be opposed. We worry about being ostracized56 by others for the moral stances we take. It can be very scary. And that’s okay most of the time if we still take proper steps toward the object of that fear.
The virus of fear turns to cowardice only when it stops us from moving forward, from doing what we believe is right. If we are paralyzed by our fear, it is a good indication that the fear has grown into the more destructive character cancer of cowardice.
Treatment: Cowardice requires a self-delivered shot of selflessness. The more self-centered we are, the less willing we will be to risk death or discomfort57 or even embarrassment58. We will believe in self-preservation more than in a set of values or principles worthy59 of sacrificing for. Love of decency60, love of others and love of doing what’s right will help reduce the cowardly impulse.
Still, there are other procedures to treat cowardice: Try imagining yourself courageously62 overcoming your fears over and over again, beating the paralysis in your mind time after time. Then practice being courageous61. Start small and work toward increasingly braver behavior until cowardice has been surgically63 removed from the body of your life.
Final thoughts
Just like the ravages of the physical disease, if left untreated, these character cancers can spread to our vital moral organs, corrupting64 other traits and characteristics, damaging self-respect and eating away at the flesh of self-worth. So as you diagnose your own moral cancers, seek to eradicate them from your life immediately. You will then live a much more rewarding, self-confident life of integrity to higher values.
As you do that, life will be sweeter, filled with more meaning and, ultimately, more happiness.
It would mean a lot to me if you would share your thoughts in the comments.
What are your experiences with these character cancers? Any forms I missed? Which is the most challenging? How have you overcome your own character cancers?
And please share!
I would love these ideas to reach a broader audience. If you feel you can support me in this goal, please Tweet and Share.
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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eradicate
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| v.根除，消灭，杜绝 | |
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prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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pervasive
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| adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的 | |
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expectancies
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| 期待，期望( expectancy的名词复数 ) | |
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eradicated
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| 画着根的 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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corrupts
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的第三人称单数 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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distending
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的现在分词 ) | |
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unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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ravage
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| vt.使...荒废，破坏...；n.破坏，掠夺，荒废 | |
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ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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allergic
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| adj.过敏的，变态的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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revolves
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 )；细想 | |
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elusive
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| adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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syndrome
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| n.综合病症；并存特性 | |
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blurt
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| vt.突然说出，脱口说出 | |
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flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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inoculated
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| v.给…做预防注射( inoculate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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obsessed
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| adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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justifies
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| 证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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bouts
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| n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作 | |
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43
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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44
vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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illicit
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| adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的 | |
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softens
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| （使）变软( soften的第三人称单数 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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timing
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| n.时间安排，时间选择 | |
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stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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51
sterilized
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| v.消毒( sterilize的过去式和过去分词 )；使无菌；使失去生育能力；使绝育 | |
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52
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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53
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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paralysis
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| n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症) | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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ostracized
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| v.放逐( ostracize的过去式和过去分词 )；流放；摈弃；排斥 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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courageously
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| ad.勇敢地，无畏地 | |
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surgically
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| adv. 外科手术上, 外科手术一般地 | |
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corrupting
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的现在分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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subscribe
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| vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助 | |
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scroll
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| n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡 | |
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