Go! Carry the message
July 10th, 2008 by Mighty MorganMighty Morgan here!
Today started like may other days…uneventful and wonderful all rolled up in a picture perfect morning. I headed up to the store to grab some things for around the house and then the headlines of the morning paper caught my attention.
Rarely do I ever read the newspapers or even watch the news on T.V. because it just seems to suck the joy out of living. But today was different, because right in front of my eyes at the checkout line at the local supermarket I saw that another person had been lost to the horrors of addiction and the family was now left to pick up the pieces of the life of their daughter who is now gone forever. (The full story can be read here.)
Her name was Natalie Ciappa, she was only 18 and she will never get the chance to recover.
Many days can come and go in which I forget the cesspool life that I escaped from; but then there are days like today, that remind me that addiction is still a problem that many will never get the opportunity to find freedom from it.
I read the parents heartbreaking story as well as the mis-information they held within their minds of what an addict is and it reminds me of how many people just don’t fully understand the nature of addiction. Addiction is not just a physical problem in which only abstinence can cure. It is an internal problem, a dis-ease of self that infects the emotional, spiritual and finally the physical aspects of a person. Recovery from this begins with abstinence, but more work has to be done in order to find freedom.
I often find it so ridiculous the money that is spent on “The War on Drugs.” because this approach in focusing on the drugs, has done little or nothing in helping to combat the ever increasing problem. I sometimes wonder how many more people will die before it becomes known that the methods of treating the symptoms of addiction; just the usage…
..Is just as ineffective as placing a band-aid on cancer.
I know that I used because my entire outlook on life was based on finding relief from the constant state of dis-harmony I wandered in on a daily basis. I had no capacity to understand that the quick fix I felt when I used a substance would never free me from the dis-ease I felt.
I do quite a bit of work in helping other people that have found themselves at the end of the road trying to find the path back to life. But today I feel powerless in the grand scheme of it all, because it is just not possible to reach out my hands to everyone; and not everyone is ready to receive the help they may need.
It’s days like today that I stop and wonder how I escaped and why I got the chance to live another life, while so many others don’t. I know there will never be an answer will ever adequately allow me to just accept that I survived. But I do know that it empowers me on a daily basis to carry the message to those who are still sick and suffering and to be an example of the hope that is available.
How do you set the example for the people in your life that are brought before you or do you even bother?
I always pose the question what is it about the world we live in that makes people want to use drugs of all types to create an alternative reality. And part of the problem as I see is we have become a ‘It’s all about me’ society. Children are taught it is all about what you earn who you know what you drive where you live. We are a generation plugged in and tuned out the basic human need of being heard really heard and listened too unconditionally this need is not being met. We are not brought up as a community anymore interdependent on each other it is a every man for himself mentality. As a Psychic I get so many people wanting any easy answer to the chaos of their world a quick fix because they cannot cope with this world we live in. My message is and always will be acceptance….we have to let our children know from birth that they are enough just as they are warts and all no matter what. Instead of telling them they will never be enough unless they meet a set criteria society has laid out for them. Each child at birth is a living breathing miracle of greatness and all rulers of perfection should be thrown out the window because they are enough and always will be. I have been a guest speaker at many a youth group and the theme is always the same I am not enough just as I am. Something to ponder anyway.
Robin Js last blog post..I am so proud!
Robin…you said it all with that comment. I know that for me, when I began to look within myself it was empty of any information that allowed me to actually accept myself as I was…it was a long hard road until I finally understood, who I am is enough and has always been enough…I think if I may have believed that way back when I first picked up a substance for the first time….I probably wouldn’t have continued down the road I traveled.
mighty morgans last blog post..Lighting the path.
Robin I thought it made a bit of sense until I got to ‘as a psychic’
I was then overcome by a feeling of irony that a ‘psychic’ was commenting on people accepting ‘reality’. Funny eh!
I set an example thru behaviour - how i act - politeness, consideration, a bit of fun…. subscribe or don’t, but so far I have’nt done ‘drugs’ so my way must be worth a try?
Jonathan Crouchs last blog post..We’re still Singing in The Rain….
give the drugs a spin first jon- you might find something that really suits you.
Good for you Jonathan…keep it up !
First, I want my say in the “war on drug” and in many other areas of mental and physical health. Because of finances, insurance companies, who make tons of money, are in the treat the symptoms only. But, the problem becomes the root cause of whatever illness, especially addictions and mental health, never get address. So, becomes the cycle of becoming acute, you recieve symptom treatment, insurance company says you are okay, repeat. Whereas, if you take the extra time and money, you eventually, in most cases, eliminate the repeat.
I think, I set an example by my actions, words, behavior, respecting to other person, listening, and being genuinely interested in what they have to say. Also, by telling the story of my own life…still in progress.
Good stuff Clinical! I think the most powerful way to be an example is walking through the wreckage of our pasts (If we have one) and showing other people the hope available when they start upon the journey we have already made it through
mighty morgans last blog post..Lighting the path.
Too much ‘Vitamin me’ can be detrimental and as Robin mentions in our quick fix society people are often looking for more……acceptance is indeed key but inspiring change is another step, as your posts do here Mighty.
Thanks guys…….when at the end of my road I had to find others like myself who found way out of the way of life I was living…so I followed in their lead…now I have the fortunate experience of showing other people the way that has worked for me and the millions that who have also walked upon the path of recovery
mighty morgans last blog post..Lighting the path.
hey there Morgan…
you cant help everyone, and not everyone wants help… it is just the way it is…. my sister is a prime example…
but to answer your question..
I am who I am, I do what I say, and live as I do… my example is simply be yourself and if people dont like it then to bad for them.. if people dont like what I say (because it is usually the truth) then tough. I dont have time to waste on those who are only there to hang on and drag you down with them….
might sound harsh but it is the only way I can get through..
Have spent time with the users, time wasters, hangers on, bludgers, and the rest and got to a point when I had to say No more, and start to live my life for me and my family… it is hard but worth it…