Unreliable Narrator
Summary
Megan O’Giblin discusses her memoir Will and Attention, exploring how losing fundamentalist faith triggered a decade-long alcohol addiction. She examines the psychological interplay between willpower and attention, arguing that self-deception often disguises destructive impulses as rational choices. O’Giblin reflects on the spiritual parallels between surrendering to substances and seeking religious transcendence, ultimately suggesting that sustained attention, rather than mere will, is essential for overcoming addiction and achieving inner harmony.
Topics discussed
Intro: Recognizing addiction in a friend
Guest intro: Megan O'Giblin's background
Growing up in fundamentalist faith
The problem of evil and leaving the church
Early drinking and loss of purpose
Normalizing drinking in Chicago bars
Using Adderall to manage blackouts
Justifications and the concept of akrasia
The disconnect between conscious and unconscious self
Rationalizing relapse and self-deception
Writing as a tool for truth and wholeness
The necessity of the 'second self'
Simone Weil on attention vs. will
Faith in spiritual practice and relapse
The barrier of ordering drinks aloud
The 'Pearl of Great Price' in sobriety
Surrender to God vs. surrender to substances
Boredom with sobriety and missing chaos
Proving freedom through bad choices
Book structure: Will and Attention
Managing the inner 'beast' and relapse pleasure
Attention as waiting, not grasping
Soul-building through daily attention
Book recommendations and show outro
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