Mr. Herman sat back on the sofa, while Romo, Marlon, and Riri sat across from him, each in a relaxed yet attentive posture. The sweet tea on the table had started to cool, but the discussion had only just begun.
Marlon opened his notebook."Okay, Sir, we've heard your and Mrs. Santi's life stories. Now, let's try to view it through the lens of the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues."
Mr. Herman raised an eyebrow."Whoa, this feels like a thesis defense."
Riri laughed."Relax, Sir. This is just for our research."
Romo leaned back, thinking for a moment before speaking."If we start with pride, I think there were moments when you felt superior to others, especially when your business was doing well."
Mr. Herman chuckled."Yeah, yeah. I definitely felt superior, especially to neighbors whose businesses were smaller. When I first bought a car, I purposely parked it right in front of the house so everyone could see."
Riri shook her head with a smile."That's a classic form of pride. Being proud of one's achievements without considering others' feelings."
"And the funny thing is," Mr. Herman added, "when my business collapsed, the people I used to look down on were the first ones to help me."
Marlon jotted something down."Interesting. Your pride was eventually met with humility. It was only after you lost everything that you became more humble."
Mr. Herman nodded."That's right. I used to think my success came solely from hard work, but after the fall, I realized luck and support from others played a big part too."
Romo smiled."A valuable lesson, Sir. Finding the balance between pride and humility is crucial. It's okay to be proud of your hard work, but we must also remember that we can't live entirely on our own."
Mr. Herman let out a deep breath."Yeah, when I think about it, all these events did teach me something."
Marlon tapped his pencil against his notebook."When it comes to greed, I think that clearly appeared during the phase when you chased profit without thinking about the consequences."
Mr. Herman gave a wry smile."Yeah... Back then, I didn't care about business ethics, as long as I made money. Until karma came around."
Riri nodded."Exactly. You kept wanting more and more, but ended up losing everything."
"But on the flip side," Romo interjected, "you discovered charity after going bankrupt. I remember you said that after your downfall, you became more caring toward the people around you."
Mr. Herman gave a small smile."Yeah. I used to be stingy, but now if someone needs help, I try my best to lend a hand."
Riri leaned back into the sofa."It's fascinating, isn't it? You were consumed by greed at first, but after losing everything, you learned generosity. It's like a cycle we have to go through to understand what really matters in life."
Mr. Herman chuckled."Yeah, sometimes people need a slap from life to wake up."
Romo folded his arms."When it comes to sloth, I think it showed when you gave up completely after your business failed."
Mr. Herman nodded."True. I used to think, 'What's the point of trying again?' I preferred lying around at home instead of finding ways to bounce back."
"And who pulled you out of that state?" Marlon asked.
Mr. Herman smiled."Mrs. Santi."
Riri gave a soft smile."Ah, that leads to diligence—the opposite of sloth. You got back on your feet not because of outside pressure, but because someone kept encouraging you not to give up."
"Mrs. Santi is truly remarkable, Sir," Romo said. "Her patience could be a real-life example of virtue."
Mr. Herman chuckled lightly."That's why I always say, without her, I'd probably still be a lazy bum lying around."
Marlon flipped through his notes again."As for wrath, you used to lash out at your employees when the business started to crumble, right?"
Mr. Herman nodded."Yeah. I was frustrated and took it out on them, even though it wasn't their fault."
Riri shook her head."And in the end, your employees resigned. That's the result of uncontrolled anger."
"But," Romo chimed in, "that also taught you to be more patient, didn't it?"
Mr. Herman gave a faint smile."Yeah. After losing everything, I realized how important patience really is. I used to snap easily, now I take a deep breath before speaking."
The discussion continued, exploring different aspects of Mr. Herman and Mrs. Santi's lives and how they related to the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues.
Eventually, after a while, Mr. Herman stretched and smiled."So, in conclusion, I'm a former sinner who's halfway to redemption?"
Riri laughed."No, Sir. It's more about the human journey. Everyone experiences both sin and virtue in different forms."
Marlon closed his notebook."What matters is knowing when to stop, and when to move forward."
Romo nodded."In the end, life isn't about completely avoiding sin or becoming perfectly righteous—it's about finding balance."
Mr. Herman looked at the three of them and smiled."You kids are young, but your conversations are pretty deep, huh?"
They all laughed together, while the tea on the table had now gone completely cold.
After dissecting sin and virtue through Mr. Herman and Mrs. Santi's story, the living room felt more contemplative. Mr. Herman and Riri were chatting casually, while Marlon leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought. Romo sat beside him, watching him curiously.
"You look deep in thought, Mar," Romo said, swirling the teaspoon in his teacup.
Marlon sighed and replied,"I was just thinking… Since we were kids, we've been taught about good and evil, about living according to the 'right' values. But after hearing Mr. Herman and Mrs. Santi's story, the real world isn't that simple."
Romo nodded slowly."What do you mean?"
Marlon stared at the ceiling for a moment before continuing."For example, in our religion, we're taught amar ma'ruf nahi munkar—to encourage good and prevent wrong. It's one of the core values. But in practice... how does that play out?"
Romo thought for a moment, then said,"In practice, it's not that easy. People can recognize what's right and wrong, but not everyone can or wants to follow it. There are so many factors that lead people to still do things they know are wrong."
Marlon nodded."Exactly. Like earlier—pride, greed, wrath—all of them are seen as sinful, but in reality, they exist and often become the very things that push people forward. Sometimes, we can't live by virtue alone."
Riri, who had been listening, chimed in."Right. Take humility, for instance. Too much of it, and people walk all over you. Or charity—if everyone's too generous, there'd be no one left ambitious enough to drive progress. The world needs ambitious people too."
Mr. Herman chuckled."Well then, I guess I was once part of what drove the world forward, huh?"