When I was a relatively new mom I had the benefit of living very close to my own mother. She was a great help with my small band of banshees. She read stories, sang lullabies and babysat (even overnight!) whenever I needed. She visited or called every day and never left a sink full of dishes undone… EVER!

Well, now she’s 80. My children are nearly all grown, most gone, and mom has moved into our guest suite on the first floor. She likes my dogs well enough, but while she’ll never say so, it is a struggle to fill their dishes. And sadly, her hands are so weakened from arthritis and gout that dishes done by her now need to be (discretely!) re-done.


I love the perspective that time has afforded my family and me. My challenge is to both recognize and articulate it. So here goes… I’ll begin by quoting my 19-year-old philosopher who noted wryly, “We’re all connected as f**k!” While somewhat inelegantly stated, I have come to believe this truth as it applies to both mundane and profound relationships. It speaks to the core of my Montessori being. Classic Montessori directresses (teachers) are not didactic; they are merely connectors to a variety of hands-on materials that teach the intended, universal lessons.

When I expand this concept, our universe is one large classroom and we are all living connectors. We connect past to present. We connect actions to meaning. Indeed, we connect the divine to the everyday. Viewed in this connected context, it necessarily changes how we treat things around us, and each other. As conveyers, we carry messages. As bridges, we provide pathways. As witnesses to the process, we ultimately provide perspective as well. Whew! At first glance, this may seem overwhelming, an impossible position, but upon reflection, I find it completely freeing: it is not all about me… indeed, it’s possibly NEVER about me… yet what I do as an individual has the power to affect all of humanity.

Sadly, like my mother’s hands, our culture/society has become gnarled and weakened by time and repeated tasks. We continue to do things that we have become incapable of doing well. Our systems (education, criminal justice, economic, you name it!) need revisiting, re-imagining and an injection of new energy… a compassionate energy that respects the individual, yet recognizes his or her larger connection… to everything! How might this perspective reframe what we do, seek, consume? How might it build a deeper, more meaningful relationship among and between all living beings? By relinquishing our white-knuckled, atomized control, how might we actually preserve and sustain all of humanity?

When confronted with an emergency the natural reaction is to do something. Professional nurses, firefighters and police officers engage in continuous training and practice so when that moment presents itself their actions are quick, competent and helpful. When events conspire to present the ordinary with an extraordinary twist - the "do something" often elevates action that disregards obvious, thoughtful solutions.

Addiction and addictive behavior has been around awhile. Maybe as humans began acting we've always had a component of obsession and addiction in some part of our energy. Today's headlines are filled with the latest iteration and effect of the scourge that we seem unable to shake nor confront in a sustainable manner. Doomed to repeat the mistakes I offered the following viewpoint to our local paper in hopes that our community might step back and try something different to the same old challenge.

Imagine if those we rely upon to help us in a crisis had to find a new key each time the same problem arose. Frustration might be an inadequate description of our reaction. Enjoy and please feel free to pass along, quote and use as the thoughts assist in your locale.

Star-Gazette, Guest Viewpoint - 4/29/16

A sampling of recent newspaper headlines throughout the Southern Tier:

Do something: We need solutions on addiction now

Southern Tier needs leadership on heroin crisis

Hanna, Reed request White House opioid forum

Resources not following rise in heroin use

These stories highlight the challenge virtually every community faces, an unaddressed addiction crisis of which heroin is the latest bellwether.

In my lifetime the same headlines have applied to crack and meth, and with the addition of alcohol, the tragedies and costs are reported almost daily. Combine these articles with coverage of the new/old governmental joint taskforces, roundtables, pleas for assistance, resources, answers/solutions and we have a concise example of a recurring nightmare, where the frightening part always appears, yet you awake without any resolution.

Awareness, no matter the motivation, often leads to thoughtful problem-solving. Creative solutions differ strikingly in both tone and tenor from the problems calling for their presence. The clearest indicator of solution-based vs. problem-based thinking is the descriptive language used. The articles and reports detailing the struggles of individuals and communities facing addiction always contain the words war, crisis, epidemic, fight, battle. These are reactions, not sustainable solutions.

The reality of our situation might best be characterized by Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), who said, “There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know.” When applied to addiction, it seems like we are ignoring what we already know — recovery. We can articulate the problem and its manifestations, so why do we miss the solution when it’s as big as the challenge we face? I’m not sure. What I am sure about is that communities already have many powerful resources to face the challenge of addiction.

Recovery embodies words like resource, wellness, support, peers, non-clinical, strengths-based, forward-facing — words that offer positivity and possibility to those seeking to change addictive behaviors and their effects. Detractors will say “we don’t have time because too many people are dying.” While true and tragic, this has always been the case with addiction, yet we still attempt to wage the same battles, employing proven, ineffectual treatments. Still others will scoff at such a simple proposal as focusing on a panacea while a fire rages, yet I can tell you even the wildest, uncontrolled fire is finally extinguished one flame at a time by the smallest of water molecules.

The problem is not new. The fear-based reaction of our leaders and institutions in response to the individual manifestations of addiction is also not new, despite headlines, roundtables and joint task forces that present politicians and specialists as luminaries leading the way. The simple fact is the resources communities seek to sustain recovery and implement recovery-oriented systems of care are available today.

Recovery-oriented systems of care refers to the idea of a coordinated network of community-based services and supports that is person-centered and builds on the strengths and resilience of individuals, families and communities to achieve abstinence and improved health, wellness and quality of life for those with or at risk of alcohol and drug problems.

Are we finally ready to elevate the principles and practices of recovery? To employ solutions that presently exist and elevate outcomes of an addiction treatment industry that are consistently inadequate?

The real question remains as it was in the day of Ambrose Bierce: Are we ready to discover what already exists?

Cadwallader, an Elmira resident, is a creative partner in Meaningful Trainings. Learn more at meaningfultrainings.com.