by H. Williams on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 10:13pm
"Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains"
Jean Jacques Rousseau
If we define addiction as control, then by its very nature, the 'free' man has no room for addiction in his life. In fact, if we expand on the metaphore devised by Jean Jacques Rousseau, then the chains that bind could serve to depict our addictions.
Indeed, in a fiat economy commerce serves to spurn our addictions. The pursuit of happiness becoming nothing more than a quest to satisfy our latest addiction, rather than the pursuit of actual truth or growth. Spirituality, merely another avenue of the addicted man seeking answers by looking within, rather than learning from external stimuli.
In fact, it becomes clear that addiction serves to strip away any ounce of free-will necessary to make a truly objective choice and leaves us living a life of countless decisions without any actual will-power.
Do we find freedom by getting rid of all of the addictions we have accumulated during our life? To take back our humanity from those addictions that have served to poison our well-being and hold us back?
I do believe so. Maybe its a step towards developing a more progressive society. One not bound to weakness, but with the strength to utter the words: "Freedom from want".
© 2012 H Williams. All rights reserved