By Luke V.
Before arriving at The Family Foundation School my life was far from sane. I was angry, depressed, violent and uncontrollable. I withdrew myself from everything and acted on my anger towards my family and friends. At FFS, I continued the same patterns of anger and depression. My sponsor told me a relationship with a Higher Power is a necessity if I wanted freedom from inner demons and character defects.
In Robin Ducey’s Living Skills class, theoretic and ideological discussions concerning a Higher Power were essential and expected. I started by being attentive and questioning my existence. I questioned what would happen after I die. Where would I end up? What is my Higher Power? What does He have in store for me? Can I trust everything will turn out okay?
While contemplating these questions and others of the same nature I wanted more. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy provided an explanation of what might happen after death and the importance of the journey through life.
His Inferno renders hell, Purgatorio a place of judgment, and Paradiso provides a vision of paradise. Dante’s journey with Virgil heads into the underworld, ascends out of the inferno, through purgatory and into paradise. This journey presents a metaphysical perspective of our lives after death as well as transforming our despair and anguish to freedom and peace.
Living a good, just, honest life moves us into paradise. Living a life of dishonesty, selfishness and negativity buys a ticket into the long painful experience of hell.
While contemplating Dante’s metaphysical notions, I looked at how I lived my life. In the past, I lived in fear, anxiety and despair. The way I was living led me to hate myself and everyone around me. I was violent and was destined to experience the long eternal suffering of hell. I did not want to live in hell on earth any longer, so I started seeking a solution.
I talked with my sponsor and decided I was going to give a relationship with a Higher Power a try. I experimented with prayer and meditation. I started attending Mass and having conversations about God and my existence. I came to believe in the power of God after witnessing a student in a state of distress and violence turn to a place of serenity and peace because he called on his Higher Power. Cultivating this relationship with God has freed me from anxiety, stress and fear. Now, I have a good direction and purpose in life. I will be attending the University of Scranton in the fall on scholarship and as a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. The Family School has taught me how to deal with life problems. My relationship with God and the principles I have set down to govern my life are the most integral ideals I have gained here.
