the.com/indulgence
the art of saying yes when wisdom whispers absolutely not.
means the act of yielding to a desire or pleasure, especially when it's a little more than you strictly need or should have.
from From Latin 'indulgere,' to be lenient or give free rein to — a verb of soft permission. It entered English by way of the medieval Church, where an 'indulgence' was a remission of penance for sin, famously bought and sold until the practice helped spark the Reformation. From pardoning the soul, the word drifted to pampering the self, so that today's indulgence is less about absolution and more about that second slice of cake.
- church racket
- Medieval church sold them to shorten time in purgatory
- sparked revolt
- Luther's anger at indulgence sales launched the Reformation
- brain chemistry
- Dopamine spikes more in anticipation than the act itself
- word roots
- From Latin indulgere, meaning to be lenient
jubilee indulgences 2000 — pope john paul ii granted full remission of sins to catholic pilgrims visiting rome during the holy year 2000
tetzel's indulgence campaign — johann tetzel sold papal indulgences across germany 1515-1517 to fund st. peter's basilica construction in rome