Letter: To really change, we must all face our addiction

Posted 3/9/18

To the editor:

Ban guns? Go ahead. Think it will work? Think it will help? Think our addicted nation will solve another complex issue chasing “The Shiny Object?” Will we, can we actually …

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Letter: To really change, we must all face our addiction

Posted

To the editor:

Ban guns? Go ahead. Think it will work? Think it will help? Think our addicted nation will solve another complex issue chasing “The Shiny Object?” Will we, can we actually change something? The people of “me”, in front of the cameras, changing things?

I have to admit I just don’t get it. How are the people that are all about themselves and all about consuming going to pull this off? How are a people that are intolerant of everything that’s not of themselves going to gain consensus? How are a people that listen only to themselves going to learn anything of weight, of balance? Unfortunately, it appears they are not. And I think that describes most of us, our society, immune to party affiliation.

My name is Mark. I’m an addict. I’m not a recovering addict, just an addict who doesn’t take mind altering drugs. Some things in life you just don’t recover from.

“I started taking pain meds because I feared my pain.” “I became an addict because I feared my life”.

That’s how it goes, we fear our lives or some part. The question is what is it that you, or your addict, fear so much that you will attempt to go to that alternate place, space, universe to escape reality? What’s your pain?

As I mentioned, we are a people that seek simplistic answers to complex questions and expect viable results. We’re the people that thinks we can, and should, bring the destitute of the world here, to our home, as a solution to their pain. We don’t think about why it is they need to come here or our part in it. We don’t think about changing ourselves to solve that problem because it’s too hard. “Have to change our greed?” Never!

That, is pretty much the definition of an addict. Just ask Mexico, our drugstore.

Believe me, I know some things, I’ve got this one. Some 20 years’ experience as an addict and I know one when I see one. And I know that if you and your addict think you can be free of addiction and continue to be the same you, doing the same thing, with the same people, in the same place, in the same way and be alive, you’d be wrong!

We’re in a conflict for our souls and we’re losing. A conflict for the lives of our children, our society and, as usual, we’re are acting out of fear, ignorance and desperation. And that’s how that goes. When your rallying cry is “What’s in it for me” and “My life matters” you’re going to lose in the long run. Dr. King said “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others”?

That is not us as a people.

Mark Page

Little Compton

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