Akedia Or The Demon of Boredom

Sloth, apathy, boredom. They have been in fashion up to these days. The Greeks used to call it Akedia, or the demon of boredom. It referred to a great decrease of attention, a lack of interest. So it is a feeling close to despair and discouragement, when the sufferer of this "disease" feels like doing nothing at all.

According to the Christian tradition, the first one to speak about akedia or apathy was Origen. He thus spoke of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. He defined akedia as lack of focus, of vigil, drowsiness and dizziness. Then Evagrious referred to the most significant temptations that a monk has to fight against and conquer. He mentioned eight passions, among which he included apathy. It is seen as a demon who invades the believer, blinding the eyes of his heart and weakening his spirit and mind, bringing him close to depressive thoughts. The sufferer of akedia thus loses his joy of living, the joy of salvation, or any feeling that made his life full of hope and happiness.

Inspired by Psalm 91, Evagrious chose to define this demon as the "midday demon", as he usually appears in the middle of the day, when the weather is particularly hot, especially in the desert, and when the person who fasts loses his desire to continue such sacred ritual.

Apathy can be defined as a sort of "obscure evil", which makes the victim unable to keep living in solitary places, in silence, no longer in a state of deep calmness and peace. That person may experience feelings of spiritual emptiness and disgust, having a cynical attitude towards other people and life in general. He longs for liberation from this oppressive inner state of imprisonment.

It is in fact a spiritual illness, when the human soul gets disoriented and in denial of all accomplishments that person has made throughout his earthly existence. According to Evagrious, this demon of boredom actually shines away the light of God from the human eyes, so that he gets lost.

Another thinker named Umberto Galimberti refers to apathy as a sort of "intellectual vacuum", to "melancholy". Those who suffer from spiritual apathy are thus feeling exiled on earth. Nonetheless, sometimes apathy can be in fact the temptation and seduction of atheism, so it can be quite damaging to the believer's soul, unless he rushes to seek the divine protection.

This mind asphyxiation and will paralysis may result in man's getting into hellish zones, into such worlds where there is no human dignity, no desire to enjoy life as it is and as it was given. The good part is that God can still reach people's minds, even in this desperate situation.

The so-called "fathers of the desert", those familiar with the spiritual realities and attacks of demons, are very likely to have gained such discernment, that they can identify this illness of spiritual boredom from its very first symptoms, and fight back to prevent it from growing into their souls. It may happen to those who are wrapped up in lots of activities, in an agitated life, who are always on the run and are not accustomed to quiet life, to the silence of the desert, away from human interaction and superficial relationships, not accustomed to being alone with themselves, in order to understand themselves, to get to know their very own desires, likes and dislikes, to accept their failures and successes and to be fully aware of their own limitations.

Akedia's victims lack the ability to enjoy things as they were given by the Creator of the universe, to have a thanksgiving attitude towards God for all his earthly and spiritual gifts. They are temporary blinded, so that they no longer see God's love, manifested in Christ's sacrifice for the whole mankind. According to some Christian philosophers and thinkers, the remedy for apathy is the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper. Eucharist fills man's heart with the joy of forgiveness, with gratitude for such a wonderful Maker. In short, the demon of akedia strikes when the person falls into the temptation of no longer believing in God's all - conquering, unconditional love, with all the great state of mind such faith may bring.