Addiction, Consumerism and Personal Responsibility

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Hello Steemians,

All of the vlogs that I have done so far have been me giving commentary and pointing the finger outward. This time I wanted to do some inner reflection and at the same time talk about how the age of consumerism has absolved us of personal responsibility.

I’m going to be making some correlations that most probably won’t agree with. At the end of the day this is just my perspective. My goal is to get people to think about where their habits good or bad come from.

America’s Addiction to Tobacco

As with all plants bestowed on us by nature tobacco has been an integral part of western culture. I would go as far to say that it has been a part of its identity since it’s inception.

Source

Tobacco cultivation dominated the economies of Virginia, Maryland, and other states almost from their initial establishment as colonies of England and continuing well into the twentieth century. The vast acres of land needed to grow tobacco and meet an insatiable appetite on a global scale led to the establishment of plantations worked by enslaved laborers first brought over from Africa.

Tobacco was a powerful part of the Native American culture. It was used to declare war or broker peace as well as in trade, social/political decision-making. It makes one wonder why was it considered such an important plant?

Source

During his travels down the Mississippi River in 1673, Father Jacques Marquette documented the universal respect that the ceremonial pipe was shown among all Native peoples he encountered, even those at war with each other. He claimed that presenting the pipe during battle would halt the fighting. The Illinois people gave Marquette such a pipe as a gift to ensure his safe travel through the interior of the land.

I’ve never used Ayahuasca before but thoses that have feel the plant has a certain “spirit” behind it. I think the same can be said about Tobacco. Anyone who smokes can attest to the hold it can have over your life. You incorporate it into your daily ritual and if you miss a chance to smoke it can throw your whole day out of whack.

Tobacco and Consumerism

Cigarettes have always been associated with the bad boy image. Being an young and impressionable teen I guess I was searching and looked to the society at large to define what is “cool”.

Marketers have always known this and have played upon the american psyche for a long time now. I’m not sure if it was always intentional but anyone who has watched Mad Men can see how important a role marketing has played in modern society.

Americans have always longed for the “Good Ole Days” and imagery that is invoked by the spirit of the wild west has been a staple of early television programming. Cowboys were seen as free spirits, pioneers and simple men. In reality the violence of the wild west was fraught with killing, theft and prostitution. But if there is anything that these moden time have taught me is that reality doesn't always matter.

In the last century tobacco was big business and an equal opportunity exploiter. They appealed to women desires of the times to be equal to men . They had to change the imagery around the smokers and make them see more sophisticated and independent. It wasn't just for men anymore and no one was going to tell you you can’t smoke right?

Personal Responsibility

There come a point in one’s life where in order to move forward we have to stop blaming others for our problems. Now I’m not absolving the power at be for creating this insane world we live in. But once you rise to a certain level of understanding about the way the world operates then the responsibility has been passed on to you. When it comes to Tobacco the lobby in washington was strong and held out for the longest but the truth about its effects could not be spinned or slanted any longer.

As for me I think I’ve come to the point to where I have released my emotional dependence on tobacco. While quitting I was trying to not to replace one bad habit for another and it really is a power of wills. Just because you can’t quit doesn't make you weak. As long as you put forth the effort and realize that the battle is just as much physical as it is mental/emotional you can come out better than you started off.

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