Literal translation of an Urdu phrase goes something like this; Each Human being will has one defect/ aeb (عیب). This defect can be taken as a repeated behaviour that has grown in an individual. Some such defects that stop our progress are also referred to as addictions, that which help us escape the present for a little while.
Here is a list of some addictions that screw us in the long run (other aeb will follow after this list which might be better than these):
1. Gambling: Betting on probability has been in our genes for as long as intellect can discover. We bet on fire to be our ally instead if fearing it, we bet on discovering new land by going on risky adventures, we bet on overthrowing monarchy to bring new era of development. But the difference between an addictive bet and one that brings hope is the word ‘we’. We took the bet as a community or a nation, problem is when individuals start betting on things that might get them riches faster. By riches I mean not only money but fame or love maybe. Individual gambling has not just put them in harms way but also wrecked families and colonies. Take USA for example which losses $100 billion each year due to gambling, making people loose jobs, suffer health problems or even commit crimes. Online gambling has taken over many unsuspecting youth and even elderly by their wallets during pandemic, as a source of passing time initially. Beginners luck works for most but depending on that betting your fortune is a misdemeanour, one should remember how he got that fortune in the first place. Take it as a sport and play it once in a while, don’t let it get to you.
2. Prostitution/ new partners often/ paid online porn: that was a heavy title to write. Copulation when done with a loyal other brings more benefits than discovered. One can experience extreme sense of love and fulfilment. On the other hand doing things as mentioned in the title makes a hole in our feelings which we try to fill by doing more of the same things and therefore the hole gets deeper. It is more to do with impressing one another with money. The more you throw in as a buyer makes you feel fuller, though you are getting full with false ego. Not only does it result in financial losses but also prospers crimes like children trafficking and murder. Online fans and their community are also similarly defected and lose sense of love for the real people.
3. Coffee/Tea: They are cheap motivators and are easy to get your hands on. The corporates used it to keep the workers in office and ride them while they get a kick. They help the economy grow by getting more citizens on routine drugs of fluctuating blood pressure and cardiovascular problem to name a few. Posing as a drunk for royals or elite they certainly bring out the characteristic laziness in people. Some believe it boosts innovation and problem solving, though believing in oneself boosts it more.
4. Sugar/ artificial sweeteners: Again a great economy booster, helps the beverage industry and healthcare. The top of the list of human mistakes as a race is adding sugar to baby food, this has lead to huge percentage of urban adolescents to have liver problems and high blood sugars. Nations like Mexico where soda drinks are the only beverage they can think of are facing huge pandemic of early deaths due to organ failure. Most of anything that is packaged has it and if not then we are adding it and then consuming it. Decreasing average life expectancy and soaking our youth.
5. Illegal drugs/ Alcohol: The easiest way to loose time and your mind. Escaping reality as we perceive it is essential to keep the mind relaxed, but drugs develop dependence and not the freedom we seek. Out of body experiences and other psychedelic trips can be sometimes be achieved through them but one should know such things are better achieved without them. Cause depending on drugs to escape is temporary and one only gets to a certain high, then you more or harder drugs to feel higher. This is a pseudo effect, our body naturally contains receptors to get us to higher dimensions, they require practice to awaken. Try to focus on work at hand, that will give the best high when fulfilled to completion.
6. Social Networking Sites(SNS): Receiving Notifications are like micro dosing once you put out a post. Expecting those likes to come is like waiting for the sugar to melt in your mouth. Not getting the expected amount puts us in depression and think little about ourselves. Seeking approval of an invisible audience gives a fake high of fame. SNS have given a lot of jobs and commercial opportunities to people but has taken away a lot of humanity and kindness.
Lets discuss some beneficial aeb indescending order:
1. Work: not just job but any work that one is involved in, might be household work or business. Taking care of ones duties and giving ones 100% or more to it without worrying about the result. Then when one gets the results they are truly magical; as it might not always be what they wanted but what was needed. A very simple thing but not easy to follow in a world full of distractions.
2. Worship: being devoted to a cause, religious or otherwise. A cause that is either for self upliftment or the greater good. Devotion is one of the strongest characteristics that can change oneself and those around them.
3. Knowledge: seeking the truth comes third on the list. It is essential for societal development but some truths have their own timelines of when they wish to be revealed.
4. Novel experience: exploring new places or doing adventurous stuff comes last on this list. It is an indulgent pleasure and make one skip a heart beat.
Addictions are a way of life and we mould our environment around it. Although good or bad is relative term when it comes to individual, one should still consider the impact of ones aeb on society. It is not us that catch a particular aeb but it can be viewed as something that was meant for us. Probably to teach us something, but we just use it as a means to escape reality.