Reader Response

I recently received a reader response to my original post on this blog. (Introduction and Mission Statement, July 28, 2009.) I was so enthralled with the insight that this woman offered that I wanted to share it in the corpus of the forum, and not let in languish, buried in the comments area. Here it is:

"Someone once asked me - who is your hero - without a second thought I said it is my addict. Now that may seem strange to some people, given the emotional, health, financial, spiritual toll it has taken on our family but she is my hero for the exact reasons you stated at the end of your mission statement. The "beast" may never go away but it has been an amazing journey watching someone figure out how to deal with addiction and still function in society, be a loving person and process how much she has lost in life yet realize how much more there is too gain. The battle within takes strength and courage and for that she is my hero - my addict."

This is a truly profound passage and I am so pleased that she would share it. My belief is much the same. Addiction turns the mere human into a superhuman, because the addict faces immensely greater obstacles in the simplest functions of life. Suddenly, just getting up for work is a Titan's struggle with the universe; appearing "normal" to others is a primary purpose. It is a self inflicted handicap that annihilates the boredom of the day to day and creates in our otherwise banal lives an interesting backdrop for our existence.

"Who am I? What am I doing with my life? What is my purpose?" How many of us really want to answer these questions by responding, "I'm a plumber who works a job he hates so that he can pay the bills and merely survive." I think for many people having children - when all else fails - becomes the answer to these eternal questions of life. "I live for my kids, so that they may have a better life in the future than I do now." And I think this is a very noble sentiment and an excellent purpose; and, possibly, one of the primary reasons our species continues to survive. But philosophically, where does it leave those of us who actually need an answer to the questions, not just a postponement beyond our own lives as the answer?

The functioning addict has an answer to these questions. "I am an addict and my purpose is to wrestle with my addiction and try to give the world as much of myself as I can in spite of it all." And for many of us, the attempt to fulfill this, to make it true is what keeps us going.