During one of our recent small group gatherings, a new member - who happens to live in a homeless shelter for veterans - said something that really struck me. In fact, I'm still not quite sure what to make of it, but it seems significant. He was talking about his struggles with drug addiction and said...
"An addict is an egomaniac with no self-esteem."
I think what he meant was, someone who wants the world to revolve around themselves (or thinks it does), but they can't handle the pressure. Therefore... they turn to some form of addiction to help them cope.
I'm having a hard time fully wrapping my mind around this, and I don't know where he came up with the idea, but it makes a lot of sense to me. So, that has been occupying some of my thinking lately. What are the implications of this on a society increasingly becoming more preoccupied with self, and ever more lacking in self-worth/esteem??