Hamartia

The Greek word hamartia literally means "missing the mark" — an archery term for failing to hit the target. This etymology is important because it reframes the concept of sin from moral depravity (the connotation in much Western religious language) to something more like "failure to become what you were created to be."

In the Philokalia, hamartia is closely related to plani (illusion, wandering) — both describe a condition of being off-course, misdirected, living at a distance from your deepest reality. The antidote is not punishment but metanoia — turning around, returning to the path, redirecting your attention toward what is real.