Like too many children, I was born into an alcoholic family. Travel on this difficult and pounded road has brought me to believe that alcoholism is self-medication for underlying mental-health issues, unhappiness, and a misguided search for God or Spirit. There is no coincidence that alcohol is often referred to as “spirits”. Throughout my life the vivid visions of what I experienced as a child in the midst of alcoholism haunted me. I suffered from migraine headaches, anxiety, and a continuous unfilled need to be loved, accepted and appreciated. This finally developed into depression. My spirit was broken. I had to mend it and I started to look for God. I moved away from my family to California where the ways to experience God are infinite. God was everywhere and my discoveries were fascinating. Christ’s teachings introduced the possibility of replacing anger with understanding and forgiveness. Paramahansa Yogananda taught me that yoga and meditation can transform anxiety into peace and that a church can respect and honor every religion. The Native Americans, Wiccans and Pagans confirmed that God speaks eloquently through nature. I had my first experience with unconditional love with Zen Buddhism where just “being” is good enough to be loved. I always feel grounded and balanced in Jewish practicality and with Krishna I celebrate the joy of God. I was surprised to learn that the Muslim faith is the largest faith in the world representing the lion’s share of the religion pie chart. I am humbled by their prayerful and long standing devotion to God. I found family with great saints, avatars and sages. I noticed that the Saints, Ghandis, Mother Theresas and Martin Luther Kings always sought to unify, love and serve without passing judgment. Archbishop Desmond Tutu recently said, “God has no enemies; there is a crisis in our world today and we need to be living demonstrations of Peace on Earth. We say in Africa, ‘A person is a person through other persons.’ We are made for togetherness. We are made for friendship. We are made for fellowship. We are different precisely to know our need of one another.”
I agree with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who has stated that all the trouble in the world is created by unhappy people. As First Lady she’d seen miserable world leaders act out, and she believed personal unhappiness always led to trouble. She went on to say that, “you owe it to yourself, as well as the world, to make yourself happy.” The Dalai Lama’s usual message is simply, “be happy and compassionate.” I have gained great admiration and awe for the different and personal ways we commune with Spirit. Sharing in this rich and diverse communion mended my broken spirit and introduced me to a very personal God and unconditional happiness. I know that when I am right with God, I am right with the world. And for this, I believe.