“Attachment and aversion are two short term strategies. There is a third. Some people reach for the bottle. It may be a bottle of alcohol or a bottle of pills, but the effect is much the same. Quite a large proportion of the population find it difficult to bear even one day without the effect of alcohol. Much of the agricultural land in the world is devoted exclusively to the production of alcohol — and this while others starve. Yet alcohol does much physical damage to our bodies and leads to socially destructive behaviour. Of course, oblivion is not sought solely through drinking. Many other drugs are used many of them nowadays prescribed by doctors. Oblivion is an accepted 'solution' for many people. The ultimate oblivion-seeking behaviour is suicide. Where hateful behaviour can do massive damage in a short time and greedy behaviour has a slow undermining effect upon our lives, behaviour based on the desire for oblivion does both. We suffer in the short run and we suffer in the long run. This is the most extreme form of escapism. The attempt to destroy suffering in this way, however, destroys us.” SufferingBuddhismAlcoholOblivionEscapism Book:The Feeling Buddha: A Buddhist Psychology of Character, Adversity and Passion Source: The Feeling Buddha: A Buddhist Psychology of Character, Adversity and Passion