People Collisions: The Spiritual Physics of Connection

People Collisions: The Spiritual Physics of Connection

Subtitle: Why You Can’t Grow Spiritually Alone

You will not grow spiritually if you sit in your lounge room with the curtains drawn and get Uber Eats delivered. You will just be a contained bunch of molecules and chemicals within skin.

Recovery is not a solo act. It’s a divine collaboration. And one of the most powerful accelerators of spiritual growth is what I call people collisions—the intentional, serendipitous, and sometimes awkward interactions with other human beings that shape your soul.

This idea first came to me in 2002, long before I entered AA. I wrote about it in my blog The Pursuit of Luck, and it became my most-read post. It even caught the attention of Giles Anderson, a literary agent in New York. But it wasn’t until I got sober that I truly understood its spiritual depth.

🔥 History Proves It

The Renaissance in Florence. The Industrial Revolution in Britain. Wall Street. Hollywood. Silicon Valley. These weren’t just places—they were collision zones. Densely packed environments where people with purpose bounced off each other, learned from each other, competed, collaborated, and created.

• Renaissance Florence: Artists, sculptors, and thinkers collided in pursuit of beauty and patronage.
• Industrial Britain: Engineers, entrepreneurs, and laborers collided to build the modern world.
• Wall Street: Financiers collided in pursuit of capital, innovation, and status.
• Hollywood: Creatives collided to tell stories that moved the world.
• Silicon Valley: Coders, investors, and dreamers collided to build the future.

These weren’t passive environments. They were kinetic. And that’s what recovery needs to be.

💡 Recovery Is a Contact Sport

In AA, we say “keep coming back.” But it’s not just about attendance. It’s about proximity. Go early. Stay late. Talk to the old-timer. Talk to the newcomer. Sit next to someone different. Ask questions. Share your story. Listen.

Spiritual growth is not passive. It’s relational. It’s kinetic. It’s messy. It’s divine.

🧠 Hang Around the Topic

If you want to grow in recovery, hang around the topic. Read the Big Book. Listen to AA tapes. Go to speaker meetings. Join service committees. Sponsor someone. Be sponsored. Collide.

If you want to grow spiritually, hang around spiritual people. Go to Mass. Go to Bible study. Go to meditation groups. Go to philosophy classes. Collide.

If you want to grow emotionally, hang around emotionally honest people. Go to therapy. Go to men’s groups. Go to grief circles. Collide.

✨ The Divine Works Through People

“Where two or more are gathered…” (Matthew 18:20)

The divine often works through people. Through randomness. Through proximity. You don’t need to control the outcome. You just need to show up.

🧭 Closing Reflection

I used to think spiritual growth was something that happened in silence. In solitude. In perfectly curated moments. But I was wrong.

Spiritual growth happens in the mess. In the bumping. In the awkward hello. In the unexpected conversation. In the shared coffee. In the AA room. In the church pew. In the dance class. In the fishing boat. In the kitchen. In the car ride. In the collision.

So get out there. Collide. Bounce off people. Interact differently. That’s where sanity begins. That’s where joy lives. That’s where God shows up.

PART V

A strong advocate for freedom, limited government, and enterprise-driven progress, Jason also draws deeply from his personal recovery journey—an experience that reshaped his life and fuels his commitment to growth, contribution, and principled living. Through writing, speaking, and service, he continues to learn, share, and speak with purpose.

I can be engaged (on a remunerated or volunteer basis) to sit on Boards, Committees, Advisory and Reference Group Panels, and to speak to Business, Community, and Youth groups. I’m also open to providing comment to media on topics where I have relevant experience or insight. Please feel free to make contact.