WEEKLY MEDITATION
When all the desires are distilled, you will cast just two votes. To love more and to be happy.
-Hafiz
At their center, the drives for both active addiction and for successful recovery are the same. In both cases, it is the pursuit of fulfillment and contentment that drives them, they are simply functional vs. dysfunctional means to the same end. In both cases, it is very easy to lose sight of this important truth, and herein lies an important point. In active addiction, this emphasis is easily lost within the desperate pursuit of the substance or behavior to which one is addicted. In recovery, this truth can be lost within material desires legitimately associated with living a successful life. There is no need to reject the material world or corporeal goals to stay focused on the fact that love and connection are ultimately what create happiness and contentment in life. It is important to remember that our material pursuits should serve to support our emotional goals. If this is forgotten, we end up serving our desires instead of their serving us. Whether the material goal is heroin, sugar, romantic connection, a new job, car, or a sound retirement plan, the larger goal remains the same. We are ultimately seeking feelings of love, connection, contentment, and the security that naturally accompanies their existence.
