“If not irritable, he may seem dull and boring …” (Chapter 9, Big Book)
“Now I was to plunge into the dark, joining that endless procession of sots who had gone on before.” (Chapter 1, Big Book)
“And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky / And they all look just the same” (Little Boxes, Malvina Reynolds)
“We were never being boring / We were never being bored” (Being Boring, Pet Shop Boys)
When I’m in self, I’m boring. I have five thoughts. Here they are:
- I love you!
- I hate you!
- You hurt my feelings!
- Where’s mine?
- Go away!
The fifth one is usually expressed less elegantly than that.
There’s no character in unhappiness. There might be some personality, but that’s just window-dressing in a shop where there’s nothing for sale.
Luckily, life sober, once one has started to practise a programme, is surprisingly and increasingly interesting, and I find people who are getting well interesting, because each person seems quite different than the next, with a unique perspective and a unique personality. It is active alcoholism and the consumption with self that are dull.
As self is shrunk and destroyed, I also have more capacity for noticing what is going on around me, and the world starts to seem much more interesting.
What’s your experience?