A Dissipated Life

“There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had.” (Luke 15:12-16 MSG)

A life squandered is one of the saddest things to watch. Sometimes a person is given more than his fair share of resources, talents, and opportunities. If this individual chooses to waste this largess on dissolute pleasures, then all he ends up with is a dissipated life. I have watched this happen to several people. I pray my life doesn’t end up like this.

 

In my attempt to avoid a similar path, I’ve been trying to figure out what causes some lives to be frittered away.

One common trait that these people share is delusional thinking. A delusion is defined as a false belief about oneself or other people that persists despite its being at variance with the facts. This self-deception leads to a denial that one’s choices and actions are directly related to the destruction that follows in their wake.

This reminds me of when my son was 2 years old and still in diapers. When we would get that tell-tale whiff of a stinky diaper, we would ask teasingly: “Did somebody poopy?” My toddler would look around, his brows furrowed in an expression of confusion mixed with concentration, and then announce, “Dada poopy!” I’m pretty sure my baby wanted to believe this, despite the evidence to the contrary.

This sort of imaginative, false beliefs can be funny coming from a toddler. However, in an adult, this delusional way of thinking can be quite destructive. When a grown-up cannot recognize that he has created a mess, when he holds someone or something else responsible for the consequences of his actions, he is likely to cause recurrent damage.

Other traits that are common in profligates are a lack of self-control, a sense of entitlement, immaturity, and irresponsibility. They also tend to be self-absorbed, self-indulgent, and intemperate. Substance abuse seems to be a prevalent problem, perhaps because it bolsters their delusions and allows them to wallow in their alternate reality.

 

Now that I’ve rummaged through this muck, what can I learn from this? How can I avoid squandering what I have been blessed with? I shall try to cultivate self-control, discipline and altruism. I must guard against egocentrism. I have to ask wise friends to correct me when I inadvertently get off-track. I will try to be receptive to criticism and swiftly make corrections. I need divine guidance to be able to distinguish between good advice and bad advice. Therefore, I shall pray for discernment, good judgment, and clarity of purpose.