WEEKLY MEDITATION
The unexamined life is not worth living
-Socrates
These are bold words. And more directly related to the process of addiction recovery, they could not be. Whenever we find ourselves trapped within a rigid emotional pattern that we did not consciously choose, it indicates that we have a lesson to learn before we are able to transcend this pattern. Our internal feelings can always be used as signposts along the winding path of our lives, helping direct us toward comfort and fulfilment—if we learn to read the signs. Every pattern of discomfort offers an opportunity for this type of growth should we decide to see it this way. Before they harden into obsessions, addictive  patterns offer a feeling of relief, transcendence from underlying discomfort. But this inevitably stops working as the addictive patterns deepen past their temporary ability to alleviate their own discomfort. We must then use the power of objective examination to bravely find our way toward a different approach to comfort. There are numerous methods and growth modalities that we might employ toward this end, but examine we must, often again and again, if we are to truly free ourselves of our addictions and the emotional underpinnings that propel them.
