One of my favorite holiday stories is “A Christmas Carol,”
the timeless classic, written by Charles Dickens. I’ve seen many adaptations of
it; there have been numerous stage and screen versions, rolled out each
December.
One of the constants in the story, however, is that of the boy character, Ignorance and the girl character, Want, introduced to the Scrooge character via the Ghost of Christmas Present.
They’re portrayed as creature-like, snarling, hissing and clawing for attention. They make their dramatic appearance, hidden underneath the Ghost’s robe.
And, the drama queen in me loves that poignant, uncomfortable
scene because it’s a wakeup call reality check for humanity. According to the
literature classic, here’s the exchange between Scrooge and the Ghost:
"Beware them both, and all of their
degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written
which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."
(Merry Christmas, how’d you like
some social justice?)
And Scrooge chimes in, ever so
reasonably, with the following response…
"Do they have no refuge, no
resource?"
To which the Ghost sends a
zinger, using Ebenezer’s own thoughtless words from earlier against him…
"Are there no prisons, no workhouses?"
Ouch. Talk about having your
tuchis handed to you!
Anyway, as I’ve been making my
way through at least four versions of the story this holiday so far, I’ve been
struck by the power of the Ignorance and Want words and what they represent-
and not just in social justice issues either. I’ve been viewing them through
the prism of recovery. First, let’s look at Ignorance, defined as being…
“A lack of
knowledge or education;
An unawareness of something, often of something
important”
That’s quite direct, isn’t it?
How many things, even such
horrible things like injustice, abuse and addiction, have been done in the name
of ignorance? Yet the wreckage is still apparent and devastating.
“My people are destroyed for
lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge…”
Hosea 4:6
I know that for me, personally,
this lack of knowledge- this ignorance- was the gradual descent into my eating
disorder behavior. Already mired by food, weight and body image issues since
childhood, an “innocent” diet led me down a dark path. When I started the diet
as a teenager, my goal was not to develop anorexia and bulimia; my goal was to
be thin. But I was ignorant of
exactly what I was doing. And, before
long, I was ensnared. It’s since been a continuous and imperfect extrication,
now, years later into my recovery.
The ignorance was built on the
lie that my determined “answer” of being thin would make everything right,
perfect and pain-free in my life. Indeed, using the word’s definition, I
certainly was not aware of the truly
important real significance to my issues. To paraphrase the Ghost of Christmas
Present, “Doom was waiting for me.”
Goody.
Like Dickens’ classic, the
Ignorant creature in me was snarling and hissing, clawing to get away from
Truth.
Can you relate in your life? What
are you ignorant of, right now, in your family, your recovery and your personal
issues?
But wait, we’re still not done. Let’s
head on over to Want.
Ah, yes, Want. The word is
defined as such:
“To desire something: to feel a need or desire for
something;
To wish something done: to desire to do something
or that something be done;
To miss something: to feel the lack of something”
Want and hunger are often represented
as the same animal, aren’t they?
And so, like the character from
“A Christmas Carol,” the want is the parasite which drives its host to
obsession and compulsion. It won’t stop until “it” gets what “it” wants.
Is anyone else recognizing themselves here?
In issues like addictions, vices
and drives, there’s this never-ending black hole element, promising us-lying to us- stating we’ll be satisfied
once “this or that” happens.
“There is a way which
seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. A
worker's appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on.”
Proverbs 16:25-26
And so, we turn to drugs, alcohol,
food, sex, relationships and self-destructive choices, hoping our pursuit of
that chosen thing will make us feel complete and healed.
“Everyone's toil is for their mouth,
yet their appetite is never satisfied.”
Ecclesiastes 6:7
And cue the snarling, hissing and
clawing creature of Want. Isn’t she adorable?
Each of us needs to get real with
that greedy, grabby, selfish creature within us. We are fallible human beings,
after all. Hate to break it to you.
“For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth
that we are dust.”
Psalms 103:14
Nevertheless, we need to
acknowledge those unmet needs- or perceived
unmet needs which drive us; we need to deal with our creatures. And then,
to use an often- quoted statement, we need to “check ourselves before we wreck
ourselves.”
It’s not always perfectly
accomplished; we fail repeatedly. Again, hate to break it to you.
But, let’s allow “A Christmas
Carol” serve as a reminder concerning Ignorance and Want: yes, they are
creatures, but they are children as
well.
That’s part of why they are,
indeed, so relatable. At the end of the day, that is who WE are: we are
children…children of God. And Dickens, himself says about that reality…
“It is
good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its
mighty Founder was a child himself.”
Ignorance? Want? Are these creatures actively in our lives?
Join the club. And don’t despair. We can be mindful of them and tend to them as
needed in our lives. We can make better choices; we only first need to be
willing.
And, with that, as Tiny Tim says…
"God bless us, everyone!”
Copyright © 2021 by
Sheryle Cruse
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