Sorry the blogging’s been a bit sporadic. I’m at a conference over the next few days and doing a few seminars – but normal service should resume by the middle of the week. If you have any spare prayers in the tank, they would be greatly appreciated…
Seminar tomorrow morning is on ‘addiction’. It’s a fascinating area – not least in the ways in which it is commonly depicted. On the one hand, we’ve got the ‘crazy junkie ‘of crime drama (or, if you’re of my generation, Zammo from Grange Hill). Then there’s the lovable (and usually Irish) boozer. The list goes on. Some – drug addicts for example – are villified. Others – shopping lovers – are encouraged. Many potential addictions are in themselves, fairly neutral. Facebook, computer games, even gardening. But interestingly, ‘addicts’ are not. ‘Addicts’ – are often either good or bad. They’re feral, depraved monsters. Or, if you listen to the House of Dior, they’re glamorous models, endorsing a sexy and dangerous fragrance. What’s common to both is that addicts are never people like us. And that’s the lie that allows us to keep feeding the drives that we think we’re controlling, but which in fact control us.
Addiction starts as something you enjoy and gradually becomes something that’s bigger than you that has taken over. Once its in control it wipes out the perspective of its size compared to everything else, allowing it to keep its control and power over you. There is no such thing as a good/healthy addiction I don’t think. When it’s all you can think about and focus on it can be hard to even realise there’s a problem
Thanks Sarah – that’s a great point about addiction and perspective. It starts smaller than you, ends up bigger and wipes our your perspective.