Augustine's Confessions Book 2 Summary

Augustine’s Confessions Book 2 Response

The themes of the second book of Augustine’s Confessions are well summed up in the preamble before chapter one. The sins of idleness, lust, and pride are analyzed and by Augustine in a way that shows deep insight and reflection. Augustine feels that even in his, or anyone's, sin, he was at a sincere level just trying to be more like God. While talking about idleness, Augustine goes back to a vacation when he was home with his parents with nothing to do. He states that while idle, the thoughts of sin, specifically of lust, were rank in him. He also notes that his father does not help the situation, telling his mother of his excitement of having grandchildren in the near future. Idleness thus was the origin of his mischievous escapades, since he sought to please himself and the desires that festered in his idle mind. He does cleverly make …show more content…
Lust is a struggle, though, that is not easily talked out of. I do not struggle with pornography, but I let my mind wander to places it should not far too often. That is part of the reason why I have made a commitment to myself and God that I will put him first by making sure to stay single for a time and focusing on building my relationship with him. Pride is a sticky subject, we all have some sort of pride, and not all pride is negative, but it is difficult not to allow oneself to spiral into a habit of thinking too highly of one’s accomplishments. Making sure that God is the focus and that we are not just trying to be like Him on our own is the best way to ensure this. Augustine’s Confessions are a genuine, heartfelt collection of relevant struggles to today’s teens. I have gleaned that it is possible to sin with the right motive, consciously or subconsciously, and that all humans, regardless of time period or society, have some of the same basic struggles and