| | Hey Bruno,
I have a family member who seems hell-bent on self-destruction, despite being old and having a child. I remember what it was like to be that far gone, and I've come a long way.
My who family is basically atheist and I really believe this has a lot to do with our troubles (for all religion's failings, it does seem to give people peace and inner strength).
I don't want anyone to become religious, but I was thinking that the solution I found for myself, Buddhism, would be a great way for this guy in particular and my family members in general to grow spiritually without needing to "submit" to the idea of a greater power.
Part of me feels the way you express here. I know how poorly the A&P evangelizing can go (tried that), but I was thinking of maybe trying something more sober and calculating.
Simple samatha meditation could work wonder for a guy like I describe. Even if he spent the rest of his life as a jhana junky he would be in a much better place than he is now.
I just can't accept that it's morally upright to watch people in your family destroy themselves and their family (including a young daughter) and do nothing about it, not when you feel that you may have answers that can help.
I understand exactly what you're saying, but I wonder if I could manage an approach that lands well.
I know one thing for sure though, and that is the fact that I am not ready for such a move yet. I have a long way to go. However, I do think that my extended retreat will put me in a much better place to help these lunatics.
Does anyone out there have anything to say about the dharma helping people recover not from suffering in the "dukkha" sense, not from existential suffering, but from really hardcore addiction, madness and self-destruction? Are there any good resources for this kind of info?
I will say that the guy in question once mentioned to me in an offhand way that he used to trip on acid, and that if he ever dropped now he would "FREAK out." I wonder if he crossed the A&P all those years ago and has been mired in the dark night ever since. What a horrible thought. To go your whole life without ever figuring out what is wrong with yourself and how to get help.
Of course, I don't think the guy has even been to a fucking shrink. And I don't think his wife has tried to get him to go. What is it with people that they're willing to accept such low standards for their own lives? Why are people so pathetic and insane (myself included)? |