This may well belong in the boring post thread, but here goes.
It's fairly well known here that I have experience with addiction. I attended AA meetings in a particular group for quite some time. Over the course of a year or so, the group became 'sick'. By that I mean people were fighting constantly, some dropped out of the group, stopped taking their meds, some started using again, just an unhealthy situation altogether, completely dysfunctional. I started to fall into the trap myself.
As it happened, I ran into an old timer who saw what was happening to the group. He told me, son, you have to go to some other group meetings to see what's wrong with yours, otherwise you won't be able to help them or yourself recover. Sage advice. I did so.
I liken the Cardinal organization to a similar situation. If Michael doesn't step out and take a hard look at it from the outside, he'll stay enmeshed in his own dysfunction indefinitely. You have to take a real hard uncompromising look in the mirror. You yourself won't recover if you don't allow others from outside your group to help you. You take what works and pitch the rest in the dumpster. You can't help others recover either, which is the whole point of life in my opinion. Dude, swallow your pride and ask for help from someone who has no stake in the outcome.
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