You don’t need to lose everything to learn to be responsible for what you have.
Pleasures seduce human beings by nature, but many of them have no benefit other than satisfying carnal passions and exciting our senses with mental surges of dopamine.
I start with this deduction to understand why our mental balance leans more towards pleasures rather than responsibilities.
This deduction does not mean that we have to tiptoe every time we relax or seek entertainment; mind and body need it, and we cannot remain paranoid by questioning every habit or inclination. The important thing is to pay attention to our thoughts and actions.
Much of what seems palatable and desirable, not all is good for the human being.
And I say it from my point of view and my experience — I must say catastrophic — because I would not be here writing my thoughts if I had not changed my ways. I should be six feet underground by now.
That fills me with joy, knowing that I can still do something good in life with the new opportunity that I gave myself. But in order not to be arrogant, I must mention that I did not achieve everything alone — there was always a good Samaritan who reached out to me.
Many of the problems that happen to us in life, we are the ones who attract them.
Either it started with a way of entertaining, looking cool, or just curiosity, and it turned out to make us slaves. Well, I have realized, based on my experience, that a life derailment begins just that way — acting innocently.
I could start with the habit of smoking.
In the beginning, I was just curious to see adults doing it, but by following my curiosity, I ended up hooked with an addiction to smoking. Almost whenever I felt bored or anxious, I ended up calming down with a cigarette.
I am now moving to something more robust.
I discovered that while legal and accepted in society, drinking also has many harmful addictive consequences. Many can stay at a level; we would say acceptable and functional. They drink with family members and friends at festive gatherings, while others make it a pleasant time after work.
For me, we provoke addiction when we constantly need alcohol to ignite joy. We replace the natural chemicals that our bodies produce with foreign substances that alter and create mental impairment. We become dependent over time.
That kind of dependency turns into a pit filled with water that fills up daily to the point of suffocating our basic functionalities.
To end with a more critical situation.
I took a walk around the city, and for God’s sake, I’ve never seen so many displaced people living on the streets. It has been like the pool of water that has risen slowly but in recent years has overflowed catastrophically.
Homelessness has dragged everyone who is a little off-balance in life.
I, who lived and came out of that situation, realize that the homeless population has grown exaggeratedly. You can no longer even go to the public bathroom without someone begging you. Those lost souls are found in train stations, at the door of cafes, even in front of churches. There is not a single day that one does not see a homeless person on the street.
Now, I realize that if you stray into any addiction, the chances are high that you will suffer homelessness.
Do not think that everyone you see living on the street has come from the same place, environment, or lifestyle.
Some have fallen into that situation because of bankruptcy and not because of addictions.
In summary:
Whatever it leads you to a depressing situation, study it in reverse, and you will find the root of the problem.
It may be a bad habit, a bad practice, or a misfortune of fate; whatever it is, don’t stop considering the damage you’re doing to yourself. Or take the preventive measures not to fall into the abyss, challenging to get out or escape.
Or, as Adele sings in her most recent song:
“To be loved and love at the highest count/Means to lose all the things I can’t live without,” “Let it be known that I will choose to lose/It’s a sacrifice, but I can’t live a lie/Let it be known, let it be known that I tried.”—Adele.
You don’t need to lose everything in life to learn to be responsible for what you have.
Your life is the most precious gift you have.
Thanks for reading.
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