Being the best version of yourself...
Redmayne
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Posts: 1,543
Being the best version of yourself...
Alcoholism is often referred to as the Illness of Ignorance/Perception, which, given it's the only illness that'll tell you, you haven't got it whilst at the same time killing you, is to me, perfectly understandable. With, as what others refer to a thirty year 'drinking history' as a 'high functioning alcoholic' behind me and now well over eight years sobriety...
It's also true of me to say my life was blighted, between 1988-2009 by the presence in both my personal and professional relationships by, bizarrely at least seven people, later identified to me by health professionals highly qualified in this subject who showed the signs and symptoms of suffering from, what is an abnormality in the brain, of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The classic symptoms of which are that they are self absorbed, have no empathy, limited communication skills and whilst they appear to be capable of cognitive thinking, they cannot....
Due to a combination of my delusional alcoholic thinking and these relationships it doesn't take to much imagination to realise that between us all, 'the lunatics were running the asylum' me! A I result I endured a lot of loss, pain and suffering so much that those around me, without wishing to sound over-dramatic, wondered I wasn't dead ...
All behind me now, with me entering 'the Autumn of my life', in Sept. when I celebrate my 70th birthday ... in which it seems to me that all I can do, now 'safe, sane and sober' all I can do, is to try, to the best of my ability is to be the best version of myself I can be...so that, echoing the words of William Ernest Henley's famous poem, much used by Nelson Mandela, in his years in prison, 'Invictus' so that I can be Master of My Fate and Captain of My Soul'...
As Epictetus, one of the great Stoic philosophers along with Marcus Aurelius and Seneca said, 'We're all just little souls, dragging a corpse around.... something to think about...
It's also true of me to say my life was blighted, between 1988-2009 by the presence in both my personal and professional relationships by, bizarrely at least seven people, later identified to me by health professionals highly qualified in this subject who showed the signs and symptoms of suffering from, what is an abnormality in the brain, of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The classic symptoms of which are that they are self absorbed, have no empathy, limited communication skills and whilst they appear to be capable of cognitive thinking, they cannot....
Due to a combination of my delusional alcoholic thinking and these relationships it doesn't take to much imagination to realise that between us all, 'the lunatics were running the asylum' me! A I result I endured a lot of loss, pain and suffering so much that those around me, without wishing to sound over-dramatic, wondered I wasn't dead ...
All behind me now, with me entering 'the Autumn of my life', in Sept. when I celebrate my 70th birthday ... in which it seems to me that all I can do, now 'safe, sane and sober' all I can do, is to try, to the best of my ability is to be the best version of myself I can be...so that, echoing the words of William Ernest Henley's famous poem, much used by Nelson Mandela, in his years in prison, 'Invictus' so that I can be Master of My Fate and Captain of My Soul'...
As Epictetus, one of the great Stoic philosophers along with Marcus Aurelius and Seneca said, 'We're all just little souls, dragging a corpse around.... something to think about...
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 8,674
Excellent post, RM!
I will just add...
"Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know." - Charles Kingsley
That's what I want!
I will just add...
"Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know." - Charles Kingsley
That's what I want!
Redmayne
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Posts: 1,543
'To be yourself...'
'To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment' - Emerson
' The time assigned to each of us is limited, if you do not use it to free ourself it is gone and will never return' - Marcus Aurelius, my personal hero ...
' The time assigned to each of us is limited, if you do not use it to free ourself it is gone and will never return' - Marcus Aurelius, my personal hero ...
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 740
All true, Redmayne. It's sometimes unbelievable when I look back at my own "high-functioning" alcoholic life. How I could have believed that I was doing okay? I was a mess! And then the difficulty of believing that I could have a life without the alcohol when I realized it was time to quit-though I am doing it.
Yes, the illness of ignarance/perception indeed. That's why forums like this one are so helpful. They help us see reality when we need it most.
Delfin
Yes, the illness of ignarance/perception indeed. That's why forums like this one are so helpful. They help us see reality when we need it most.
Delfin
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
