4 Years of Overthinker's Journey, Spirituality Against Addiction, Taking Ownership
Existential Espresso Vol. 68
What I’ve been reading:
Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have contributed more to true spirituality than most religious organizations. More specifically, the Twelve Steps do more justice to the essence of Christian faith than most churches today. That’s the case Richard Rohr makes in Breathing Under Water, and his arguments are compelling, to say the least.
We are all addicts. Or, a better way to put it, we are all broken in some way. There is a certain dose of confusion, alienation, and anxiety that’s inherent in the human condition. But for some of us, this brokenness manifests in the form of visible addictions. By drawing parallels between the Twelve Steps and the gospel, Richard Rohr tries to point us in the direction of not only defeating addiction but also leading more loving and mindful lives.
As someone who has been thinking about the connection between our existential predicament and addiction, this book was everything that I was hoping for and more. It’s exciting to have the last book I read this year end up being one of my favorites.
However, there are two types of people who won’t like this book. Those who are not interested in Christianity or religion at all. And those Christians who are not willing to read strong and well-argumented criticism of the institution of Christianity as opposed to true faith.
Before we continue:
Four years, friends. Four years of wrestling with big ideas, growing, and surviving life challenges, but also thriving in the face of them. On December 29th, we will hit that milestone. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me.
To celebrate this special occasion and embody the holiday spirit, I have something for you. I am opening the gates of the Sisyphus Society for the next 4 days. And you don’t need to make the usual 3-month commitment at $104, which prevented a lot of you from joining.
For the first time in over a year, and maybe the last, I'm offering a 1-month peek behind the curtain. And it's not for $34.67 (a third of the usual price), but for a mere $25. Less than your weekly coffee budget, and infinitely more stimulating.
This is for those who have been waiting for “a better time” to join. Here it is. I'm not here to convince you to join and give you a lengthy sales pitch.
If you know my work, you know the value that awaits inside. If not, this isn't for you (yet).
The gates of the Sisyphus Society slam shut on December 29th.
Let’s end the year strong and start the next one even stronger. To our limits and beyond!
[Claim Your 1-Month Sisyphus Society Membership Here]
What I’ve watched:
How I kept a job at McDonald's with an IQ of 70
How in the world did I stumble across this video on YouTube? I have no idea.
It was one of those magical moments where the algorithm recommends something you had no idea you would love watching.
It’s a 5-minute video, so I won’t give you an unnecessarily long breakdown. Just watch this awesome human talk about taking ownership of his life. And then ask yourself: Is it okay for you to do anything less?
What I’ve been thinking about:
I’ve been writing down the most important lessons I’ve learned in 2023, so here is one:
When you are engaging in an effort that is testing your limits, the effort starts feeling good for its own sake. You stop having to be motivated by the external result or reward that you expect to receive at the end of that effort. That’s because you are continuously getting results during the effort itself—you are increasing your capacity to work hard. And the more that capacity increases, the more certain it is that you will be able to achieve any external goal you set for yourself.
Thank you for reading.
P.S. I’ve kept up my daily uploading on YouTube, and I intend to keep it up. If you haven’t yet, please show some support by subscribing and also enjoy videos where I talk (rant) about the same or similar topics that I’ve been writing about here.
Free Resources:
My free ebook: The Lost Art of Reading
Paid Resources:
The Art of Showing Up: A Clear and Practical Method for Mastering Consistency
The Gold Pill: Timeless Ideas for a Life Worth Living
If you like my Existential Espresso writing, there is zero-cost support in the form of subscribing, liking this post, commenting if you have any thoughts on it, and of course sharing this with anyone who would find it interesting.
Or you can consider becoming a paid supporter of Existential Espresso for 5$ per month. By doing this you would be helping me to keep investing time into researching and writing all the content on the daily basis.
What you get by becoming a paid supporter is access to the members-only essays (such as “Why Having a Price on My Head Didn’t Upset Me”or “Why Living With a Bulletproof Vest is The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me”), as well as an opportunity to recommend topics for future essays.
However, even taking the time out of your day to read what I have to share with you means more to me than you can imagine. Thank you.