Is Freedom a Disease?
7 years ago in #disease by paulmozina (41)
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It's disappointing how much better our society could be if humans weren't so dumb.
Is it stupidity/dumbness or, as Mark Passio would say "IGNORE-ance". Some people respond to any hint of cognitive dissonance that new information might introduce with willful ignorance. It is the apathy that drives me crazy... see my intro blog https://steemd.com/steemit/@paulmozina/hi-i-m-paul-mozina
Blessings, peace out, Adam / O
Thanks for checking it out. I agree with you "the majority of people I know, that do use drugs, use them as a way to escape." I know that was the case for me. See my #introduceyourself post https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@paulmozina/hi-i-m-paul-mozina. I also agree with your comment: "the true purpose and potential of drugs is to bring us to the forefront of reality and to help us perceive teh true nature of things." that is definitely true for me as well and I know the feeling. That is what lead me to spend 17 years volunteering to do invasive species control work in the Kettle Moraine State Forest (see www.thebuckthornman.com I'm not escaping reality anymore and only use cannabis oil medicinally now.
To the question in your title, my Magic 8-Ball says:
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Very thoughtful and informative, Paul. Thanks for this.
You are welcome! Thanks for taking the time to check it out. These thoughts have been in my head for some time now and I finally set them down.
I really liked this post. I have a family member struggling with addiction.
I must say though, to take this a little deeper what do you think about the theory of connection being the opposite of addiction? Are we merely talking about a vice? Or are we talking about, well perhaps yes, dis-ease or maybe; social issues?
Sociology is a great study, with vast areas of study and philosophy.
See Johann Hari's TED talk
for more on this.I think the theory of connection is very important and relevant. Vice or virtue -- the determination of either is essentially subjective, but society, manifested in the form of organized governments, is applying arbitrary, normative criteria to individual behavior and criminalizing what they don't like.
Regarding disease, the point, made more eloquently by the authors in the articles I cited, is that it is an abuse of the word to apply it to substance abuse. If I have heart disease, diabetes or hepatitis C, it matters not what my social context is, I have a dysfunction. The cause and effect are clear. The articles refuting the brain disease model of addiction I linked to attempt to distinguish between addiction as disease and addiction as a set of behaviors arising in a social context. I was persuaded of the later approach...
So, yes, this is a social issue. I am no philosopher, but if we consider the necessity of human beings to live in society (see "Harmonies of Political Harmony" by Frédéric Bastiat https://archive.org/details/HarmoniesOfPoliticalEconomyBookOneFredericBastiat), we can see how governments have evolved. The point at which government asserts a right that no individual in society possesses i.e., the right to control what we possess and consume, then that government has gone astray and is abusive of the principles of society. It destroys the fundamental reasons that people collaborate in society for their mutual advantage.
The War on Drugs is definitely a social issue, one that the powers that be have latched onto and perverted to increase their "jurisdiction".
I love Free
I'm glad I made it in time to upvote you. This is a great article. I'm not even for decriminalizing, I want to see a total dissolve of any and all legislation regarding ones possession, distribution and use of substances.
Thanks for your upvote! and comment: "I want to see a total dissolve of any and all legislation regarding ones possession, distribution and use of substances." -- that is exactly what I am thinking of when I say decriminalization. How would you differentiate the two? Is there a word that summarizes what you expressed?
decriminalization requires legislation and allows control to remain in law enforcement. with decrim you still have legal boundaries such as limited quantities or age restrictions, which should all be left up to YOU
I see. Then I will stop using that expression in that context. Have you come up with a word that summarizes "I want to see a total dissolve of any and all legislation regarding ones possession, distribution and use of substances."? Needs a meme or word to communicate the intention. You know, like at the marches when they start a chant: "What Do We want?" --- ??? "When Do We Want It?" NOW!