Our Narcotic Culture

“We tend to end up as good people, but as people who are not very deep - not bad, just busy; not immoral, just distracted; not lacking in soul, just preoccupied; not disdaining depth, just lacking in practice.”

-- Ron Rolheiser, author, speaker, priest

Our culture is a powerful narcotic, which can be both good and bad. Good in that a narcotic soothes and protects against brute, raw pain. Our culture has within it all sorts of things (from medicine to entertainment) to shield you from pain. That can be good, providing it is not a false crutch.

But a narcotic can also be bad, especially when it becomes a way of escaping from reality. It can perpetually insulate you by keeping you so entertained, so preoccupied, and so distracted that you lose focus on the deeper issues of life such as faith, forgiveness, morality, and love.

Who or what makes you focus on these deeper thoughts?  Whoever or whatever it is, seek it. Make time for it. Schedule it.  It will spur your spiritual growth, which is ultimately why you are here.