"Mama I'm in love with a criminal
and this type of love isn't rational
it's physical"
- Britney Spears -
Singer Amy Winehouse died recently when she was only 27 years old because of her drug addiction. I got to know about her when the song "Rehab" became a popular hit in charts. "You know I'm no good" is another favorite of mine among her few popular songs. Amy was mostly known for her self-destructive acts that ultimately lead to her death. All the "good" people in media ridiculed these acts as stupid behavior. However, the question is that don't these "good" people display similar type of madness when they are not in front of the camera. Is self-destructive behavior limited only to a bunch of lunatics like Amy? Or is it a fundamental desire of every human being? I support the later.
Let's examine a common practice: social drinking. What are the popular claims on the reason for one to drink?
1. People drink to socialize.
2. People drink to get drunk which boosts the thrill of a moment.
3. People drink as a temporary escape from everyday problems.
Anti-alcoholics have easy counter arguments for all these reasons.
1. There are hundred and one better ways to get socialized than drinking.
2. Thrill of getting drunk is a myth created by alcoholics who do not know enjoying an occasion consciously
3. Temporary escape from problems with alcohol is similar to scratching a wound which only worsens the situation.
All these counter arguments are logical and are true. Let's add further to these.
1. Drinking empties your pocket.
2. Alcohol is not good for health at all
3. One destroys his / her social image with drunk acts
4. You put many lives in risk by drunk driving
Why do many drinkers go way beyond the limit of getting drunk for thrill, leading to hangover? Does it happen due to lack of self control? Or is it intentional?
All the rational answers given to justify drinking are falsified easily. They should be, because all of them are fake. If there is any honest explanation as to why people drink, I think it should be the self-destructive desire of every human being. Alcohol provides a nearly perfect way for one to hurt him / her self.
In his essay "A child is being beaten", Freud explains the connection between pleasure and suffering. Not only that one can make enjoyment through suffering, but also self-inflicted-suffering is a basic fantasy. If you look into this with an open mind I guess you can find enough supportive facts from the society and from your own life.
Nikos Kazantzakis, in his renowned novel "Zorba the Greek" says that one should dance into the very rhythms and moves of his body like no one is looking at him. Osho later adopted this concept to manifest ones inner soul which is followed by a lot of people around the world. They have created bars like "Zorba the Buddha" particularly for these acts. However, the question is that if you are dancing to the rhythms of your own body why do you always need spectators. Apparently this is another form of self-destructiveness because in doing this one ridicules him / her self in front of others. Awakening the inner soul is just a fake answer to hide this. Similar practices can be observed in places like Katharagama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kataragama_temple) where people engage in extremely hurtful rituals in the name of religious devotion. Everywhere self-destruction is practiced in public, it is masked with a colorful answer to hide the real (and mostly unknown) reason.
Though self-destruction is a basic human desire, not everyone has the courage to practice it alone to take individual responsibility. These self-destructive cowards have become the target consumers of a new type of market where "opportunities for collective stupidity" being sold. Most of them provide adults to engage in childish acts as a group where the act is tagged as normal. Fake reasons given are "Awake the child within you", "Manifest your suppressed, innocent soul", "Explore your hidden creativity", etc.
Self destructive acts can be thought of as an attempt to find an answer to the fundamental philosophical question of ones existence. By hurting himself, one tries to convince him of his existence. I think self-destruction is one of the purest forms of human emotions. As Britney Spears puts into words in her new song, this is not something that is rational; but it is physical.
