Use and Abuse

No animal ever invented anything as bad as drunkenness or as good as a drink ~Lord Chesterton

Picture of sorry state of affairs and its paradoxical nature is displayed in the above statement, and if you apply an interdisciplinary approach in its analysis then soon enough you'll realize that such contradictory situations are all around and are more commonplace than we actually think.This intricate web of oddities exists at all levels. Be it psychological, physical, historical, political, cultural, social or biological, medical.

Book in which I read above quote was on Drugs: Use and Abuse. It emphasizes the idea that a drug's effects depend not only on its properties, but also on the biological and psychological characteristics of its user and if observed deep enough the same modus operandi manifests at all levels. 

Religion which is considered as the driving force of humanity. Not a single soul on this earth left unswayed by it. It acts an inspiration for good and a healthy life, gives us a reason to believe in something higher and divine. Defines the rules of good and evil, but this same notion of religion when twisted can take horrific and atrocious forms. It has the potential to manipulate psychosis of masses in gruesome ways. History is full of such instances where millions of lives are lost just in the name of religion and faith. 

Society defined as an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization. Its a mechanism which was forged with human existence. World in which we live enjoys its beingness because our ancestors learned and managed to live together. We behave and live our lives with some standards, we follow rules and protocols, maintain status and decorum, we have evolved many institutions, organizations and systems... Why ? Because we want to live in this society, but this same society raises and fosters criminals. Same standards, rules, regulations n laws when abused breeds insecurity, inequality, partiality and what not.

Love the most beautiful thing that can happen to a person. There's nothing in this world which love can't conquer. It's a gift to mankind. But, again love can make people do some awful things. Literature is full of love stories with tragic ends.

Power is the tool which can manipulate as well as dictate the direction and vividness of every physical and mental phenomenon known to men.Chronicles of past and Geography illustrates this creative and cataclysmic force of power at all levels. Following two statements depicts the two extremes possibilities of power-

 "With power comes responsibility" 

AND 

"Power corrupts."  

Drugs and Medicines are there to save lives and keep us healthy, but same are being ill treated and exhausted in the worst possible ways. Girls and boys going haywire. Things which were conceived and designed for fun, relaxation, enjoyment, well being and health are transformed into the most common agents of instability and restlessness. Individual tolerance level is dropping with every generation. Nobody wants to compromise, and no one is ready to adjust.

Youth, the most active and productive of all is the high risk victim of such Contradictions. Difference b/w RED and GREEN is turning smudgy and blurry. Vulnerability is at its maximum high and ambiguity is taking its toll. Everyone seems to thriving upon an unexplainable polysemantic sense of Right and Wrong and sometimes their gumption and the so called common sense gets too cryptic to comprehend. 

Unlike the ambiguity of language, ambiguity of life never reaches a limit therefore we need to find ways to deal with it Robert Havighurst rightly suggests that-

The modern world needs people with a complex identity who are intellectually autonomous and prepared to cope with uncertainty; who are able to tolerate ambiguity and not be driven by fear into a rigid, single-solution approach to problems, who are rational, foresightful and who look for facts; who can draw inferences and can control their behavior in the light of foreseen consequences, who are altruistic and enjoy doing for others, and who understand social forces and trends.