ADDICTIONS

The all-boys rock band SimplePlan has a song on addiction. It goes something like “Am addic…. Am addicted to you”. Most of us sang along to the song, or let me say a good number of us. And the budding rock band made their millions on the Album.  Clean cut deal; everybody walked home happy. Then we all forget the lines and we go back to our daily familiar routines labeled LIFE.

But Am the kind of guy who takes my music seriously, I like to listen to it word by word. I like to dissect the lyrics into bits and try and come up with a meaning to what each line say. Weird Huh? But that’s just me. ‘So what business does a serious-about-my-music guy like me have listening to Simpleplan?’ It’s that one word that caught my attention…… Addicted

See we all have addictions of our own. You might find this odd but am addicted to video games. My all time favorites are Need For Speed and FIFA 11. There’s something about the speed and torque in NFS or the Golden goals in FIFA that completes me in a way. When I’m stressed video games are my pain killers. And when am looking for energizers to psyche me up I don’t play small group games and all that; it’s my beloved video games on my laptop.

If you ask me that’s addiction right there; though it’s kind of a mild one. I don’t know what the Dictionary says but I’ll give my own words on Addiction. It can be good or bad; mild or severe. If your addiction is mild and can be called good you’re safe……. If yours fall on the other side of the play there are several things involved.

For the few years I’ve been around I’ve seen bad… and not just bad but Super-bad addictions. In my High school days I lost a few friends to Marijuana and Alcohol. I’ve seen people addicted to indecent movies and stuff. I’ve seen ‘deluded love’ addictions! Believe me; I think it’s the disease stalkers suffer from. What scares me about the addictions is not the before but the after. I’ve lost friends to addiction; families have broken apart because of addictions; people would do anything, even kill, to satisfy their insatiable addictions. So my question is ‘Why would a plant make one kill and make the other calm. Am told there is medical Marijuana that acts as a pain reliever; when weed became a Doctor!

Here is my final verdict on Addiction; it simply is a trap! A trap from the devil. He uses it to capture people he targets in this world. Addictions yield to addiction fulfillment which then leaves you with your senses or it has your brains fried. And what happens when you can’t think straight because of an addiction; the Devil has a workshop, period!

I can’t stop every Tom Dick and Harry from falling into addiction. Not when Peer pressure leads you to your first fatal try or Bad media makes some addictions seem ‘cool’. But if you ever got to read this get this straight….. Free your mind from the Devil’s grasp!

Do you know your purpose?

Purpose. What is Purpose? Is it just another noun we have used since time immemorial? Does it have a meaning to it? If so do we truly understand it?

Well yes. Purpose is a noun, a word like any other. It only sets itself apart when we bring its in-depth meaning to light.  I try to understand the true meaning of purpose. My PC thesaurus will give me synonyms like point, idea, reason or rationale. To some extent they help. However I feel like there is a deeper meaning to the word, one that neither the dictionary nor computer can give a full definition of.

I tend to believe that only God can help me understand this word. And if I use this word on myself, I get the picture of accountability. My true definition of purpose, one that is even ringing in my mind as I write, is the accountability we have in life. What is your purpose in life? What is my purpose in life? I tend to feel lucky to have had the privilege of reading “The Purpose Driven Life”. No one gives you an up, close and candid examination of purpose the way Rick Warren does in his book.  He summarizes his work with one question “What on earth am I here for?”

Why are you on earth? Ever wondered? I know you are getting convicted as you contemplate this. To be honest, this conviction is my cup of tea every morning. When I breathe I get the scent of conviction; when I drink I can feel conviction in my throat; when am watching a movie or playing a video game, conviction is all I see on the screen. Instead of the usual ‘GAME OVER’ words that come when the game ends, I see this one dreaded question; what is your purpose?

This is not paranoia, not in the least. It’s what I like to call self examination. The one thing the devil is always trying to keep us away from. We are kept away from seeing reality. How is that done? We are always kept busy; busy voting for the next top model; busy trying to decide who sings best on Pop idols; busy watching 90210, or Smallville, Vampire diaries, Spartacus or Human target.; busy trying to meet targets, trying to outdo each other for our own gains. Busy, busy, busy………….

We have lost our dreams; we have nothing to live up to or a goal that will keep us driven all through life. We lack the vital vitamins of purpose in our system. And what’s the result? We are vegetables; we drift through life never fully comprehending our potentials. The devil seems to be succeeding; keeping us away from the responsibilities entrusted to us we will account for one day. Remember the word ‘Accountability’?

So which way forward? Let’s get back to our roots. Let’s go back to the point where we set goals and dreamt of successes. That point where you were certain you will be a doctor, an engineer, a diplomat…...  someone big! Let’s get our caring hearts back. Let’s mind what we talk about, what we see, what we do and what we think of. Thoughts produce actions and action results. Results are a two sided coin; both bad and good. So determine on which side of the coin you want to be in. Decide what it is your want with your life. Decide what on earth you are here for. Decide your Purpose!