There are all types of addicted people in society. Some are addicted to drugs. Drugs are one of the most difficult addictions to handle. The addicted person experiences extreme withdrawal symptoms in the form of extreme body aches and breathlessness, and therefore, it is very difficult to be free of this addiction. Similarly, many people are addicted to liquor, and similarly, they also become restless when they are deprived of liquor. Some people like me are addicted to sugar, and sugar also has withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, sugar addiction has the approval of society. Wherever we go, people offer sweets and since we are already addicted to that, we have to be quite mindful to say no to sweets because first of all, the mind is craving for the sensation of the sweets on the tongue and then by saying "no" we have to give a solid reason as well. The easiest option is to say "yes," and that is how the addiction continues. Since the side effects of sweets are not as acute as those of drugs, urgency is never felt unless we see the blood sugar parameters disturbed in our reports.
Is there any difference between the addiction to drugs and sugar addiction? No. The only difference is that one is socially acceptable and the other is not. However, the essential nature of both addictions is the same. We crave the same sensation in higher doses repeatedly. Until we keep getting that sensation, we are Ok, and the moment we are deprived of the sensation, we become restless. Basically, it is just a habit pattern of the mind. Is there any difference between sugar addiction and the addiction to money and power? Probably not. Except that sugar addiction has physical consequences in the form of diabetes, and addiction to money and power has consequences in terms of stress and other mental disorders, which also result in physical disorders sooner or later. What about addiction to the family and relationships? They are more widely accepted addictions, and they too have the consequences. Whenever we feel a strain in the relationship or a loss of a family member, we pass through acute phases of stress and depression.
Why do we get addicted? A child loves his freedom so much that even if parents want to confine him to a room, he rebels. He would love to explore the entire area and everything he encounters. Where does that "love" for "freedom" disappear as we grow older? Probably we do not know how to handle freedom. We get "bored" rather than examining the possibilities. For "freedom" to get converted into "creativity", there are two prerequisites. First, the focus needs to be on "action" rather than "result". We will focus on "results" if we are addicted to some outcome. That addiction will bring restlessness. For example, if we are addicted to social validation, we would like to get a degree from a college that is well recognised by society, and we can get the "tag" of being an "achiever". This is generally at the cost of compromising what we actually love to do. Since we get addicted to "social validation," we choose "social validation" over what we love to do. That's why our focus is on the result rather than the action. We end up wasting precious time in social interactions where the interactions are quite low standard, just to retain the tag of being "social" and then waste money by throwing these parties to get the tag of being a good "host".
Second, we need to understand our "swadharma", our nature. Our strengths and weaknesses. We need to be aware of our natural abilities. For that purpose, we need to explore different things in life. For example, I never played any sports by the time I reached NADT. However, after reaching NADT, I played badminton for almost 2-3 hours every day. I picked tennis after coming to Delhi. Before exploring these games, they looked quite impossible. However, as I started, I came to understand my natural flair for sports. Similarly, since I did my CA, I never read any book other than my syllabus. However, since November 2003, I started reading books on Psychology and Neurology, and later the books on Quantum Physics, Philosophy, Mysticism, and many more subjects. I realized that I have a natural flair for reading. I considered Astrology to be "fake" and then in 2012, I decided to give it an agnostic trial to prove that it does not make sense, and then fell in love with that. I feel that we have to keep exploring different possibilities, and in the process, we get to discover what our Swadharma is.
We always have two choices. First, we can focus on the result that provides us with the desired dose of sensation to which we are addicted. Second, we can be aware and recognize the futility of chasing repeated sensations that lead us nowhere, choosing instead to explore reality. The more we concentrate on repeated pleasure, the more our addiction grows and our freedom to explore diminishes. As we observe ourselves, we increasingly recognize the futility of these repeated pleasures. The deeper this realization sinks in, the more our addictions fade, freeing our energy for exploration. However, addiction at the level of the unconscious mind takes considerable time to diminish. Similar to drug addicts, we search for reasons to return to our vices. It becomes increasingly difficult to abandon these addictions because many of our so-called "well-wishers" want us to remain addicted to justify their dependency. The mind plays tricks on us; we develop hallucinations, making it challenging to distinguish between "truth" and "falsehood. " This is compounded by the fact that since childhood, our brains have been trained with the ‘false logic" that "the majority is always right," leading us to develop FOMO. Consequently, the second choice is quite rare. However, it is equally true that once a person makes the second choice, they find it nearly impossible to relinquish that "freedom. " They would rather sacrifice their life than surrender their freedom. The greatest dream of "Mogli" may be to become a powerful leader of the wolves, but once he realizes he is "human, " the first choice loses its significance.
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