Decadence

By Reza Ganjavi

She checked into the hotel. The receptionist asked if she drinks. She said yes with easy laughter. He said there's a special tomorrow night where for 10 bucks you can have all the beer you can drink in an hour and the price includes a shot in a bar and entry into the club. "Do you smoke?" She laughed, "Yes..."

Later I told her about alcohol's negative impact on the brain and also we talked about smoking. She had a pink fuzzy cover around her cigarette pack. The drunk receptionist who admitted he was not supposed to drink at the job, and the other Brit guy (also drunk) prompted her to go for a cig. I asked her to pause and scan her body -- are you craving? etc. -- and what is the state of the psyche? Suggested her to take off the pink fuzzy cover of the cigarette pack because a) it hides the warnings b) it makes it look like a safe toy. You don't put a pink hat on a poisonous snake saying come on honey -- you don't mess with it.

I could guess she was young by her attitude towards smoking -- a young body is strong and still can handle getting poisoned and not start screaming from pain and suffering and misery of being an addict.

You have easy laughter, you feel joy, you're smart -- she's writing a Ph.D. level paper "for fun" as an undergrad -- you're happy. You should take care of your body and brain. Society is corrupted. It worships alcohol -- look at older people -- they are so unhappy and want alcohol to make them happy. A cigarette makes you unhealthy, unhappy, you get into conflict, wastes your money, makes you stink, messes with your DNA / if you ever want to have kids, poisons your blood... This joy you have is to be cherished and guarded by taking care of the body/brain.

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Feedback:

Yogi: Such a goodness, Reza!
Sima: God bless u Reza for trying to help younger people! :) I was wondering. U just talk to strangers? :). I loved the example of the snake with a pink hat!! Made me laugh in the morning!! anyways thanks for the interesting posts.
Reza Ganjavi: Thanks, Sima. I bet you don't ride the bus in California but I ride the bus and train all the time and notice how kids are so fearless. They talk to "strangers" -- they have no inhibitions or fears of reaching out to another child etc. -- but as we go grow older many tend to get more and more inhibited by fears instilled in their minds by society, via comparison etc. etc. -- and then they want to drink to have the inhibitions drop! So being a child inside, living a life without fear, one can talk to "strangers" who are after all just fellow humans.
Sima: Oh dear Reza, I admire u for reaching out to people. U have a beautiful heart.