The key differences in perceived proximity and immediacy are the determining factors in response magnitude. Even physical threats that are perceived as remote can have little impact (for example): an unhealthy diet, a possibly approaching storm many miles away, or smoking tobacco. Due to a deceptively abstract aspect, spiritual matters can appear on the distant horizon, when, in fact,–like an unhealthy diet–the impact is subtle yet immediate. While spiritual discipline is hands-down preferable to complacency and sloth, spiritual inertia (like its twin, physical inertia) is hard to overcome due to a disarmingly deceptive sense of remoteness.
