Seeing Our Addictions
Harmless indulgences easily turn into addictions that run our lives, chipping away at our freedom and clarity.
"We must give up many things to which we are addicted, considering them to be good. Otherwise, courage will vanish, which should continually test itself. Greatness of soul will be lost, which can't stand out unless it disdains as petty what the mob regards as most desirable." Seneca, Moral Letters, 74.12b-13
What we consider to be harmless indulgences can easily become full-blown addictions. We begin our day with coffee, which eventually becomes our only way to start the day. Our work duties require us to check email, but we soon experience phantom phone vibrations from our pockets every few seconds. The harmless habits we develop will eventually control every aspect of our existence.
The small urges which we experience together with our internal drives they remove our ability to make independent choices while they obscure our understanding. People believe they have control, but actual control remains uncertain. An addict described his condition when he said addiction functions as "the loss of our ability to stay away from substances". The freedom which we need to reclaim must be restored to us.
Your addiction to different things shows that you need help with your specific condition which includes drinking soda and using drugs and also complaining and gossiping and using the internet and biting your nails. The process of achieving self-control requires you to stop all forms of addictive behavior because your power to control yourself depends on your ability to stop.
Common Questions
How do harmless habits become a problem?
Indulgences like a morning coffee or checking emails for work can rapidly become full-blown addictions that dictate how we operate and run our lives.
What is the true danger of these compulsions?
Beyond taking up time, these drives chip away at our freedom, sovereignty, and mental clarity. They cause us to lose the "freedom to abstain" while falsely making us believe we are still in control.
Why must we give up things we are addicted to?
According to Seneca, failing to give up these addictions causes courage to vanish and greatness of soul to be lost. Greatness requires viewing as petty the things that the masses find most desirable.
Your Key Takeaway: True freedom isn't the ability to indulge in whatever you want; it is possessing the absolute "freedom to abstain". Reclaim this ability to protect your clarity and self-control.