Friday, June 15, 2012

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.

20 comments:

  1. You always talk about social issues. I feel so proud to have known you because you sound so responsible while most of us are ignorant. At least we show off to be. I have never known anyone who use/d drugs.. It is one awful thing!

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  2. Remarkable post Jyoti! You well distinguished.. Like how everything has a plus and minus... and what one chooses is depend on individuals. I can’t more with u on drugs and youth.

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  3. Jyoti,

    It is not said without a reason that excess of anything is bad. Very well written with such a thought provoking conclusion.

    Take care

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  4. i agree with jack...moderation in most things is the path to go...be it religeon or any other drug...

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  5. A rhyming title
    And your words sure aren't idle.

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  6. Modern man has a lot going for him. Well said, Jyoti! Your treatment by way of a prose as you most often adopt is brilliant.

    Hank

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  7. Every thing has two sides to it and the path of moderation is perhapos the answer:)

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  8. you really are quite a thoughtful person. i add my support of moderation. drug use is historically a part of every culture. it's interesting how each culture views it's own drug use. i also like the havighurst quote that is a single sentence.

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  9. As the picture says, where there is use there is abuse. Nice article that gives a churn to thoughts.

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  10. Very thorough analysis..thought provoking article....

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  11. To complement what you've said, and in addition to it, I'd like to add a certain lines by Jesse Jackson

    “[Today’s students] can put dope in their veins or hope in their brains...If they can conceive it and believe it, they can achieve it. They must know it is not their aptitude but their attitude that will determine their altitude.”

    Well written article.

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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  12. "With power comes responsibility" AND "Power corrupts."

    Key point
    very powerful writing; analysis

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  13. true what u say

    but in our culture if we can get away with something we will always try to do it

    Bikram's

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  14. एक बहुत अच्छे निबंध जैसा राईट अप ...कहते हैं न अति सर्वत्र वर्जयेत .....और वो भी तो सुना होगा न मार्क्स ने कहा था कि धर्म लोगों के लिए अफीम है .हाँ हाँ ...पावर करप्ट करता है और 'अब्सोल्यूट पावर करप्ट्स अब्सोल्यूटली' यह भी कहा गया है ..आल्डुअस हक्सले ने नशाखोरी पर बहुत अच्छा लिखा है और उस विरोधाभास को भी इंगित किया है कि मानवता के लिए कैसे एक दिन यह एक आवशयक बुराई बनेगी .... यह मनुष्य पर है कि वह अमृत और विष किसका चयन करता है ! आपकी पोस्ट ने इन सारे विचार श्रृंखलाओं को जोड़ दिया .....अभिव्यक्ति ,शैली और शब्द संपदा पर आपका अधिकार प्रशंसनीय है (इस कमेन्ट को आप अंगरेजी में अनुवाद कर सकती हैं चाहें तो :)

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  15. I must applaud you Jyoti, you have written it brilliantly. You should take writing as a profession. :)

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  16. That’s a lot of stuff in it…
    Religion, philosophy, sociology, ethics…

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  17. Very insightful.When the use of a thing is not known,abuse is inevitable.

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