“Religion
is the opium of the masses.”
Karl Marx
“In
America, it is sport that is the opiate of the masses.” Russell Baker
The term “opiate” suggests an addictive substance, behavior or engagement – something for which a not-so-fine line between discretion and indiscretion must be crossed, something to which we will default at the drop of a hat, and/or something with or by which we will become completely preoccupied without regard to time or responsibility.
The term “opiate” suggests an addictive substance, behavior or engagement – something for which a not-so-fine line between discretion and indiscretion must be crossed, something to which we will default at the drop of a hat, and/or something with or by which we will become completely preoccupied without regard to time or responsibility.
Pharmaceuticals (morphine, codeine, oxycodone, tobacco,
alcohol …) are most familiar as inducing “opioid-like” effects and dependencies. Different brain receptors may be involved,
but the induction of an overall sense of hedonic reward and/or avoidance of
discomfort – even at the risk of adverse circumstances – is common. As noted, Marx and Baker have expanded and
further generalized the field of consideration to include religion and sports.
In the midst of NCAA “March Madness
2012”, those living on State Street in Lexington, KY witnessed the sports
version of the opiate in living color – the color of overturned cars and
burning couches. While a momentary “madness”
may not, technically, reflect an addiction or dependency – mother would have called
it simply “getting carried away” – the tendency to get “carried away” on any account raises a flag of
susceptibility to crossing a line.
Many other “opiates” compete for our engagement,
including: Television, gambling, video
games (what’s your clock time on “Angry Birds?”), Twitter, YouTube, Facebook,
shopping, politics and comfort foods. Opiates might also include inclinations toward
tilting at sand castles, adoption of “cult” tenets and opinions (how are you voting in November and why?), or cultivation
of hostilities (everybody feels more exalted and self-justified when they can
identify or conjure a contemptible “enemy”).
The line beyond which one goes “off-road” from truest
Destiny to a point of distraction is a pivotal line of demarcation – but often a not-so-fine-line. It sometimes looks like “the real thing”.
The finest minds, greatest consciences and most disciplined
individuals hold themselves to a much tighter and finer line in the general
workings of the world. Most are not
Tweeting and Twittering but looking for truth, purpose and whatever workings
will provide sustainable/positively-translatable future-directed advancement.
What is YOUR “opiate”?
And have you already crossed the not-so-fine line from “familiarity” to
“fancy” to “fixation” to “dependency”?
What driving passion is occupying your time, consuming your
energy, draining your creativity and taking you down a road away from your
truest Destiny? Are you on leaning on “crutches”? What about habits? There are good ones and not-so-good
ones. Pick the good ones.
Let’s sober up, straighten
up, smell the coffee, read the handwriting on the wall, emerge from hibernating
in our “Comfort Zone”, get with the program and start “fine lining”. Reality awaits and LIFE is moving on! Quartermaster
