I want to talk for a minute about Alcoholics. Rather, I want to use them as a reference, a jumping off point, if you will. If you survey 100 people, it is the general consensus that an “alcoholic” is considered a bad person; or at least it is considered a bad thing to be, it has quite the negative connotation.
But I say, who determines this? What moral standard is this alcoholic subject to? Who decides what is right and what is wrong?
We all have addictions: money, popularity, heroin, television, sex, shoes…
The single largest genre of people that stands out to me when thinking of alcoholics is writers…authors. So many greats were raging alcoholics: Hemingway, Kerouac, Tennessee Williams, etc. But these are some of the greatest authors of all time.
When determining what is “bad” or what is “good”, we must first consider purpose. If we determine one’s purpose in life to be living the longest, we do find that these authors/alcoholics have failed sorely in life. But, however, if we were to determine that one’s purpose in life is to make the greatest impact on others by utilizing his or her God given talents and abilities, would not these have achieved this in the greatest sense??! YES, they were alcoholics, YES they abused alcohol, but YES they (with the assistance of alcohol) produced some of the greatest, most impactful literary work of all time.
You personally may not aspire to be an alcoholic; me either. But, if this is my destiny, the key to opening the doors of my complicated soul to the world…so be it. I will take this burden, this scourge. I’ve never been able to write so openly, so raw and exposed, than when I am three or four glasses of wine in. That may not be inspirational in itself (I pray it is not), but pray my words are. May the product of my efforts be life-changing, if only to one…
Love,
Jess
Mind of Jess 