The sins of Sodom
I have a friend who posts at the bottom of every email, “Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. (Ezekiel NLT)” Times have not changed much. Social scientists who study depression and other illness which results in a feeling of disconnection continue to report that loneliness and a loss of the experience of a tribe are the leading causes of symptoms which are often misdiagnosed as clinical depression. Research does show that a chemical imbalance is the cause for a relatively small percentage of what is diagnosed as clinical depression.
There have always been a significant number of humans who have believed that it was not enough or okay to be the imperfect beings that we are. We look to material possessions, power, sex, degrees, food, alcohol, and other mind altering drugs to numb the pain of the belief that we are not enough and/or as an attempt to fill the empty, disconnected hole within us. Not surprisingly none of these work. Indeed the sin is not pride, gluttony, or laziness but the self-obsessions which arises from the “dis ease” of looking in all the wrong places to be enough. The self-obsession causes one to not see or identify with the poor and needy outside one’s door. The self-obsession which is caused by the lie that one is not enough leads to the lie that one had more because one deserves more; that the poor and needy choose to be poor and needy. Absent is any awareness of luck and winning the lottery for opportunity, a brain which works in a way which is compatible with what the society terms success, a sense of our own “dis ease” of believing we have to be better than.
Pride and gluttony or otherwise known as addiction is hard work. Giving up/feeling hopeless or believing there is no hope - otherwise known as laziness – is a result of depression and a cause of depression. What then is the alternative?
The alternative is simple. Accept that it is enough to be you and to be part of a tribe all of whom are enough. I was listening to a story of a man who has been researching depression around the world. He tells the story of a psychiatrist in England who, after evaluating a group of patients who he believed were not suffering from a chemical imbalance invited them to create a garden in the space behind his office building. He helped get the supplies. Soon there was a tribe of people creating this wonderful garden; The garden benefited not only that group of patients but also all who worked in the office building and all who came there as patients or service people. The two key ingredients were being part of a tribe and having a sense of purpose – being able to leave a footprint of which they could be proud.
Today
I wish for all of us to know that we are enough.
I wish for all of us to know that being a part of the whole is enough.
I wish for all of us to know that we each have an essential role to play in keeping the universe balanced.
I wish for all of us to know we are loved.
I wish for all of us to know that it is safe to love.
I wish for all of us to know that we deserve healthy food, clothing to keep us warm and which protects us from the elements.
I wish for all of us to know that we deserve shelter, health care, and safe water.
I wish for all of us to know we do not have to suffer violence or to be violent.
I wish for all of us to know we are enough to share equally in the earth’s resources.
I wish for all of us to know we do not need to fill the void of loneliness with alcohol, other drugs, sex, material possessions, food or steel shields
I wish for all of us to be free of the desperation of gluttony, greed and laziness/hopelessness.
Written September 23, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
I have a friend who posts at the bottom of every email, “Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. (Ezekiel NLT)” Times have not changed much. Social scientists who study depression and other illness which results in a feeling of disconnection continue to report that loneliness and a loss of the experience of a tribe are the leading causes of symptoms which are often misdiagnosed as clinical depression. Research does show that a chemical imbalance is the cause for a relatively small percentage of what is diagnosed as clinical depression.
There have always been a significant number of humans who have believed that it was not enough or okay to be the imperfect beings that we are. We look to material possessions, power, sex, degrees, food, alcohol, and other mind altering drugs to numb the pain of the belief that we are not enough and/or as an attempt to fill the empty, disconnected hole within us. Not surprisingly none of these work. Indeed the sin is not pride, gluttony, or laziness but the self-obsessions which arises from the “dis ease” of looking in all the wrong places to be enough. The self-obsession causes one to not see or identify with the poor and needy outside one’s door. The self-obsession which is caused by the lie that one is not enough leads to the lie that one had more because one deserves more; that the poor and needy choose to be poor and needy. Absent is any awareness of luck and winning the lottery for opportunity, a brain which works in a way which is compatible with what the society terms success, a sense of our own “dis ease” of believing we have to be better than.
Pride and gluttony or otherwise known as addiction is hard work. Giving up/feeling hopeless or believing there is no hope - otherwise known as laziness – is a result of depression and a cause of depression. What then is the alternative?
The alternative is simple. Accept that it is enough to be you and to be part of a tribe all of whom are enough. I was listening to a story of a man who has been researching depression around the world. He tells the story of a psychiatrist in England who, after evaluating a group of patients who he believed were not suffering from a chemical imbalance invited them to create a garden in the space behind his office building. He helped get the supplies. Soon there was a tribe of people creating this wonderful garden; The garden benefited not only that group of patients but also all who worked in the office building and all who came there as patients or service people. The two key ingredients were being part of a tribe and having a sense of purpose – being able to leave a footprint of which they could be proud.
Today
I wish for all of us to know that we are enough.
I wish for all of us to know that being a part of the whole is enough.
I wish for all of us to know that we each have an essential role to play in keeping the universe balanced.
I wish for all of us to know we are loved.
I wish for all of us to know that it is safe to love.
I wish for all of us to know that we deserve healthy food, clothing to keep us warm and which protects us from the elements.
I wish for all of us to know that we deserve shelter, health care, and safe water.
I wish for all of us to know we do not have to suffer violence or to be violent.
I wish for all of us to know we are enough to share equally in the earth’s resources.
I wish for all of us to know we do not need to fill the void of loneliness with alcohol, other drugs, sex, material possessions, food or steel shields
I wish for all of us to be free of the desperation of gluttony, greed and laziness/hopelessness.
Written September 23, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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