Early church leaders recognize acedia as one of the vices that plague humankind. It strikes during the midpoint of a journey, where the beginning and end seem nowhere in sight. Evagrius (I keep pronouncing his name wrong, including here) called it the “Noonday Demon” that makes the day seem too long to endure. Rather than escape, he tells us to recognize it as a temptation to abandon our journey. Once recognized, it loosens its grip on us so we can continue our journey.