The pot and the kettle

The pot and the kettle.
 
One of Grandma Fannie’s sage reminders was “The pot is calling the kettle black.”   As we know both are black.  She and other adults I knew as a child were, of course, attempting to remind one of the dangers of judging another person.  When one is judging another, one is not focused on facing that all of us can be just as unkind or thoughtless as the person of whom one is being critical.   Since Grandma Fannie spiritual framework was the Christian religion she might reinforce the lesson de jour by reminding one that Jesus was purported to have said, “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the bean out of thine own eye, and then shall thou see clearly to cast out the mole out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5 KJV).
 
I was remined of these lessons while reading a report that Purdue Pharma had recently been found guilty of three criminal charges related to opioid addiction;  the company admitted it had lied about having an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market; that it paid doctors for a speakers program which was designed to get them to write more prescriptions for its painkillers, and paid an electronic medical records company to send doctors more information on patients with the goal of getting them to prescribe more opioids
 
Purdue will pay a significant fine and the family which owns the company will pay an additional amount to settle civil suits.   The reaction of many individuals, including some parents of those who have struggled with addiction, was sadly predictable.  They wanted the guilty parties to be convicted of crimes and sent to prison.    Given that we continue to convict and send many addicts to prison this desire is not surprising.
 
Certainly, if we as a society are going to send those who commit criminal acts to feed their addiction to prison it would make sense to send those who are complicit in causing and facilitating addiction to drugs such as prescriptions opioids to also be convicted of crimes and sent to prison.
 
Perhaps we need to consider the following:
 

• Convicting and sending those with a primary diagnosis of addiction is not cost effective or successful treatment of the addictive disorder.
• Addiction is a disease and not a criminal offense.
• We live in a society where success is often defined by how much money one makes or has.
• We pay CEOs and other chief executives very large salaries because of what it says about relative worth and not because anyone is worth that much money or feel they need that much money to live.
• Attachment or addiction to profit as an indication of success is no different than addiction to alcohol or other drugs. Looking to people, places and things outside of oneself to prove one’s worth never works and is self-perpetuating.

 
Basically, I am suggesting:
 

• The behavior of pharmaceutical companies whose mission is to make money irrespective of their stated mission is no different than that of the person addicted to alcohol and other drugs,
• Many of we parents have taught our children that money, titles, things, and status determine one’s worth.
• We, as a society, are complicit in creating the addict; the person looking to run from themselves with alcohol, other drugs food, sex, money, prestigious degrees, titles, or things.
• Certainly, Purdue and other companies should help finance addiction treatment, but the long term, basic need is for a culture which values all people for who they are and the skills and talents they contribute to creating a just, inclusive, spiritually healthy community.

 
There is clear evidence that not only drugs, but patterns of thoughts change how the brain functions.  The thinking of the owners and other executives of companies such as Purdue Pharma is just as addictive as the thinking of the son or daughter who is addicted to opioids and other drugs.  Perhaps we need a cultural and spiritual shift and not more punishment.   Perhaps it is time for the kettle to quit calling the pot black.
 
Written November 26, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org