Over history, alcohol has frequently been one consideration when it comes to dealing with intoxication.
There have been various attempts to limit this through prohibitionism, even as far back as 1772 BCE with the Code of Hammurabi. During this time, if beer was “sold” for money instead of traded for barley, it was punishable:
“If a beer seller do not receive barley as the price for beer, but if she receive money or make the beer a measure smaller than the barley measure received, they shall throw her into the water.”
Pretty intense.
Of course, prohibition continued at one time or another in almost all countries, driven by moralism and other factors. Eventually, organised crime syndicates took over the distribution.
At times, alcohol consumption seemed to be a part of everyday life in many of these countries.
It was disrupting families, relationships and clearly distorting many people’s view and participation with reality and society.
Today, we have a different story.
As you walk through an airport, down the street, sit on a bus, or for many people, lie in bed, you will either be lit up directly or indirectly by a smartphone.
The increase in phone usage has gone well beyond the increase in productivity that they provide. The designers of these devices know this, the social media platforms know this, the media knows this, we know this.
Yet, there is an addiction – a move away from pain and a move towards short term pleasure.
The question then, is how does one navigate this and continue to benefit from the power that the connectivity can provide?
How does one deal with this when they have kids in today’s culture?
Where does the responsibility land?
Plenty of questions, and no clear answer. And of course, we must remember the amount of connectivity and learning that has opened up as a result of this technology.
One consideration perhaps is to at least spend some conscious effort understanding what is on the other side of this coin.
“Blocking,” or a complete removal of the conduit of distraction (intoxication) is one way we can do this. When we do this, such as in the one day retreat, it pays to remember to approach this from a place of inquiry and interest in how the mind is working, rather than a place of frustration.
What can we learn?
What can we see in ourselves?
From this awareness can we find a workable solution?
