The Wolves of Karma
January 14, 2012 by Ronn Ives, under Close Encounters.
Imagine if years ago you were really stupid and got yourself hooked on drugs. What TYPE of drug doesn’t matter. WHY you did it doesn’t matter at the moment, either. While you were being stupid with drugs, you were stupid with plenty of other things in your life – losing your driver’s license, your jobs, your family and friends… all the typical things we so take for granted they are almost a cliche. Almost. Cliches and stereotypes often have a basis in truth.
Many people contact me and visit FUTURES with the intention of selling what they have. It’s often for sad reasons – the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a divorce, etc. But if there was EVER a testament to the long term, awful effects of addiction, it’s the people I see trying to put their lives back TOGETHER – even after YEARS of being “clean”. The things they did when addicted return to them day after day and year after year – as debts to those they cheated or hurt. By that time, the debts have stacked up, been compiled and tallied, and any further NEW irresponsibilities cause further “domino” effects – ones that seem impossible to overcome.
I’m beginning to think that the most devastating effect of drug addiction ISN’T the difficulty in quitting or changing your living environment – it’s in handling the years of aftershocks… YEARS & YEARS of distrust and anger from those that knew you, repeated attempts by those people to “collect” on their debts, and of course the court records that follow you no matter how far you run.
Today, I again dealt with a man who faces his own actions – old actions, echoes of old actions – every single day. He’s currently selling all of his most loved possessions – emptying his home – to try and keep the Wolves of Karma away from his door.
The price is incredibly high.