Who shall lead the revolution?
I was sitting in a professional workshop today having my brain tickled by community colleagues who excel in helping children and adults deal with such issues as adverse childhood experiences, addiction and chronic illnesses.
Once again, I am reminded of the courage it takes for children and adults to seek help in reclaiming themselves. In the process, health care professionals often reclaim themselves. Why do I think it takes courage? I think that we humans have long been looking outside of ourselves to either find or numb ourselves. Never before in the history of humans have there been so many options - power, sex, alcohol, other drugs, things, money, food, abuse of others – to avoid being with ourselves and, thus, reclaiming ourselves. Whether we are choosing a faster acting drug such as alcohol, some addictive “natural” or person made drug or a slower acting drug does not matter. Many societies, including here in the United States, have chosen to label and focus on addictions to alcohol, and other drugs, sex, and food. They have been labeled as “the addictions” and as dangerous to society. Yet, in the process of labeling these as “the addictions” and insisting that only those addiction need to be treated we have cleared the way for those in that group that work a spiritual recovery program to lead the revolution. When a group of people reclaim themselves, and do not substitute one addiction for another – one way of avoiding oneself for another – they became the leaders which will stand ready to guide others back to themselves.
Addiction to alcohol, other drugs, sex and food are, in many respects, symptoms of the spiritual illness of much of society. By labeling this group of people as the “sickies” of the culture and insisting they are the ones who need treatment we are opening the door for them to lead the spiritual revolution which all desperately long for even if many to not know what they want for need. As a group, those recovering from alcohol and other drug addiction spend more time on spiritual growth than any other group.
Those of us in the health care field need to keep helping this group of future leaders to heal. In the process, if we are paying attention, we may heal ourselves. This group may be the light which shows the way to reclaiming ourselves as a species.
Written May 10, 2018
I was sitting in a professional workshop today having my brain tickled by community colleagues who excel in helping children and adults deal with such issues as adverse childhood experiences, addiction and chronic illnesses.
Once again, I am reminded of the courage it takes for children and adults to seek help in reclaiming themselves. In the process, health care professionals often reclaim themselves. Why do I think it takes courage? I think that we humans have long been looking outside of ourselves to either find or numb ourselves. Never before in the history of humans have there been so many options - power, sex, alcohol, other drugs, things, money, food, abuse of others – to avoid being with ourselves and, thus, reclaiming ourselves. Whether we are choosing a faster acting drug such as alcohol, some addictive “natural” or person made drug or a slower acting drug does not matter. Many societies, including here in the United States, have chosen to label and focus on addictions to alcohol, and other drugs, sex, and food. They have been labeled as “the addictions” and as dangerous to society. Yet, in the process of labeling these as “the addictions” and insisting that only those addiction need to be treated we have cleared the way for those in that group that work a spiritual recovery program to lead the revolution. When a group of people reclaim themselves, and do not substitute one addiction for another – one way of avoiding oneself for another – they became the leaders which will stand ready to guide others back to themselves.
Addiction to alcohol, other drugs, sex and food are, in many respects, symptoms of the spiritual illness of much of society. By labeling this group of people as the “sickies” of the culture and insisting they are the ones who need treatment we are opening the door for them to lead the spiritual revolution which all desperately long for even if many to not know what they want for need. As a group, those recovering from alcohol and other drug addiction spend more time on spiritual growth than any other group.
Those of us in the health care field need to keep helping this group of future leaders to heal. In the process, if we are paying attention, we may heal ourselves. This group may be the light which shows the way to reclaiming ourselves as a species.
Written May 10, 2018
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