Incomprehensible Demoralization!

Demoralize: To lower the morale of, weaken the spirit, courage, discipline, or staying power of; to throw into confusion.

We are given a choice when we enter The Program. We can either continue to drink, blotting out the circumstances of our miserable existence the best we can until we die a painful, slow, agonizing death, unhinged and alone, or we can accept that there is a spiritual solution to our disease. It's not always an easy choice. It's almost never an easy choice. The Book uses the phrase "incomprehensible demoralization." That's a good phrase.

We pause, a few beats too long. The silence gets uncomfortable.

"Uh, can I get back to you on that?"


I went to Costco yesterday. On weekends the store sets up little sample stations where customers can try different food products and infect themselves with the germs of small, sick children who have touched everything on the tray, while simultaneously sneezing and coughing. At one stand I fumbled a cracker smeared with an inoculation of something supposed to simulate a real food product of some kind. It fell to the floor and exploded. I took a napkin, bent over, and cleaned up my mess, grateful that I didn't use one of my favorite expletives to express my displeasure.


"Thank you, sir, I really appreciate that," the nice lady said. I got the feeling that she was surprised. I got the feeling that most people left the detritus there for her to clean up.


I approached another stand.

"How ya doin"? I asked the hostess.

"OK," she replied, a little warily.

I got the feeling not too many people asked how she was doing. I got the feeling they stuffed the food in their mouths and continued to walk. I always thank them for the food sample, like they're handing out stuff they paid for. I pretend that I'm interested and find that, after a while, I become interested. She was a nice woman. We talked for a minute. She was getting off work in a few minutes and was pretty happy about it. I could relate to that.

I think this falls under the guise of service.





I spit the meat like thing she had given me into my napkin and threw it on the floor, cursing loudly.