THOUGHTS ABOUT CHURCH AND OPIOIDS

THOUGHTS ABOUT CHURCH AND OPIOIDS – a twin relationship So that you understand the way in which I use these twins a brief definition follows. I do not mean to say that one is the same as the other; I do mean to say that church and opioids serve the same purpose in that both seek to relieve anxiety and quiet pain. I use the word church generically – I mean any person(s) who has faith in an all knowing god; a god who has a heaven and hell and the power to destroy the universe. I also use the word opioids generically to mean all substances (drugs) that alter reality. I grew up well before the age of the internet and social media; I welcomed their coming and use them regularly. As a writer much of my research is done on line. The vast amounts and variety of information and the speed at which I can retrieve it still amazes me. The speed at which new information is coming into being is like the exponential expansion of our universe – impossible to keep up with it. When I was much younger the sources of information was periodicals the library radio talking with others and a bit of tv. There was another important source that I used all the time – that was observation. That brings me to the reason for this post. The once vibrant neighborhood I grew up in was gutted by employers leaving, expressway ripping the heart out of the community, and population density out stripping available resources. I began to observe a strange occurrence that at first I found hard to believe. The neighborhood was dying but new life was beginning; that new life came in two forms: church and opioids. At first that made absolutely no sense to me – then the light came on. When a person or a people have increasing levels of anxiety and pain they seek to rid themselves of what is driving the anxiety and too quiet the pain – church and opioids hold out a promise to do both: but the down side is likely to lead to addiction. adolphusward.net