Smoking Kills - But You Knew That Already
Smoking. This topic is a prickly one. It’s possibly more controversial than my last blog on God. With God you have theories and few facts. With smoking you have facts.
OK, lets not beat around the bush. Smoking. Fatal. Maybe. OK.
I could go on with statistics and estimates and symptoms and alternatives and la dee da! Bla! Bla! Bla! You’ve heard it all before. The message is everywhere, even on the side of cigarette packets themselves. So what I’ve never understood is why people do it. Why start? Why let all that money go towards something that IS making you more and more unfit and POSSIBLY could be killing you, shortening your life on this planet.
Why the bloody hell would anybody want to do that?
It’s something I don’t understand. But lets see if we can figure it out shall we.
OK, first to all the smokers I know reading this. Don’t worry. I will not reveal any of your names, or how much you smoke as I know that the information must be kept from people who are closest to you, mostly parents I find, and I will not reveal your names. Although on that thought why keep the facts from them? Are you embarrassed? Ashamed? I don’t know. I hope you have the reason handy.
THIS IS NOT A BLOG THAT IS GOING TO LECTURE AND TELL YOU TO STOP! YOUR LIFE. YOUR CHOISE. ALL I WANT TO DO IS UNDERSTAND THE CHOISE TO SMOKE.
I myself have never taken so much as a single draw. If I did maybe that would be my start but I don’t get the decision to start on the slippery slope.
Hm…random memory here. One of my friends of old, John Seater. First made friends with him during Swimming Club. We were the only guys there and in S2 it kind of explains why we went. Anyhow, we were friends for a few years. Then we started to drift apart, just naturally, no real incident springs to mind. Our friends became different, our personalities and lifestyles too. The last time we saw each other I was climbing on a bus. We were still people who were keeping the friendship alive but we both knew that our lives were a bit too different to do anything more than occasionally meet in a café and swap funny stories. He promised to phone about his house being free the next week, he said “See ya’ Man!” and I replied “Talk to you later.” Got on the coming bus and was away. He didn’t phone me. I didn’t phone him. Our lives parted ways pleasantly enough.
But there was a point, running up to our final parting when I realised he’d lost all respect for my views on things. In Hunter’s Square in Edinburgh, between 2 puffs of the cigarette, he said the throw away comment of “Wait till I get you addicted to these things.”
Why is this story relevant? This story is only relevant up to a point. It questions what kind of person feels that they need the artificial calming effects of smoking. Before coming to India I thought it must be people that were insecure and couldn’t deal with life’s realities on their own. Part of me, even in the face of the evidence, still believes this.
But then I had a look at some people I know and I am friends with some of them. Some are here in India with me, some are back in Scotland. I will not name anyone but each one is a person who I know.
Person 1. Male. He is inwardly insecure and immature. Possibly makes up stories in order to create a life he doesn’t have. He is an attention seeker. Smoker.
Person 2. Female. Irritating, very insecure and scared. If she misses a bus stop by one stop she will run up flapping her arms like it’s the end of the world. Won’t let people into her house unless you give her a week’s warning to tidy up (no joke, a week! You can’t even pop in to use the toilet if you happen to be in the neighbourhood). One of the most insecure, unsure, timid people I’ve ever known. Despite this she wants to be seen. It feels like she wants to prove to herself that she does have friends. Non-smoker.
Person 3. Female. She is another quiet, insecure person who walks around with her head down staring at the ground. She speaks in a very quiet voice and never repeats anything if you didn’t catch it the first time. She seems to view her own opinions on things as irrelevant and seems to be in a constant state of quiet fear and stress. Non-smoker
Person 4. Female. She is a highly religious Catholic. She is confident and is willing to tell me that I am talking rubbish if she thinks I am. Loves a good laugh as well as a good session about other people. Smoker
Person 5. Male. He is also highly religious. Loves to laugh and argue for God whenever the topic arises. He is confident around people and loves to make people laugh. Loves “Friends” to the point of silliness. Non-smoker.
Person 6. Female. She comes from a solid background. Her parents constantly try to get her to stop smoking using a lot of different methods. She herself has thought about quitting. Her boyfriend used to be against it. Despite this she still smokes. Smoker.
Person 7. Female. Comes from a family of smokers. Her parents encouraged her to smoke and she has 2 brothers both who are heavy smokers. She is also a talented actress and loves to be centre stage. Want to guess this one? Your wrong. Non-smoker.
Person 8. Male. He is secretive about his past and his plans for the future, except when he’s around the few people he seems to really trust. He was hit as a child and that messed him up a little bit. He is a heavy drinker and, scarily enough, claims to feel better after he has run so hard that he has to stop and throw up. In larger groups, when he’s not drunk, he laughs and jokes and manages to put everyone around him at ease. Non-smoker.
Lets compare these 8 people and see if we can figure out a pattern. I apologise if anybody think they recognised themselves and were offended in any way.
Here are some theories as to why people start to smoke.
What if people smoke because they are insecure and can’t deal with Life properly? This is not true. People 2 and 3 are both insecure but nether smoke. On the other hand people 4 and 6 are both confident and smoke. What if confidant people smoke? Person 1 isn’t confident and does smoke, while person 5 is confident and doesn’t smoke.
Maybe it’s background. Em…lets see. Person 6 is pushed away from smoking and does smoke. Person 7 is pushed towards smoking and doesn’t smoke. What if people go the opposite way from where they’re pushed? Again this doesn’t stand up as No. 7’s brothers smoke, having been pushed into it. Most of the non-smokers come from non-smoking families and don’t smoke, happy to keep to the family tradition. No. 7 came from a smoking family and doesn’t smoke. No 6 comes from a non-smoking family and does smoke. So its not background then
Take a minute to re-read that paragraph, as it’s a bit confusing.
Personality? No 4 is confident, religious, loves to laugh and is a smoker. No 5 is also confident, religious, loves to laugh and is a non-smoker. No. 3 is unsure of herself and is a non-smoker, while No. 1 is unsure of himself and is a smoker. Lets face it, all sorts of personalities smoke. So it’s not that ether.
Gender? OH PLEASE! No way. Now we’re getting silly! No.1 is a smoking male. No.8 is a non-smoking male. No.4 is a smoking female. No.7 is a non-smoking female. Lets think of possibilities that might achtely be a reason shall we?
To fit in? WITH WHO?! You have to leave the room and go outside to smoke. A smoker smells of smoke afterwards, a smell viewed as disgusting by the non-smoker community. Completely anti-social! Anyone who thinks that smoking helps them “fit in” is not only kidding themselves, but must have a major inferiority complex to think that they need to smoke in order to fit in.
Hm… No.8 drinks and is a non-smoker. No.2 does nether. No.6 does both. I do not, however have an example in my life of a tea-total smoker, but I’m sure they exist as well. So its not connected with drink.
OH! COME ON! IF I CAN FIGURE OUT IF GOD EXISTS SHURLY I CAN FIGURE OUT WHY PEOPLE SMOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You, know, I’m not sure I can. If I think of all the people who smoke I can’t pinpoint the reason. I’d say that Person 1 smokes to cover insecurities, but people 2 and 3 live with their insecurities smoke free and No. 3 is the most insecure of the 3 people. I’d understand if person 7, coming from the family of smokers, smoked but she doesn’t! It seems you can’t guess whether someone is a smoker or not. They continue when they get addicted but why does someone start?
Why? Why? Why?
There is one person that I would like to name and I hope that he will forgive me for naming him but as far as I can see he doesn’t hide his smoking habit from anyone. Hans
Hans smokes to deal with the “accumulated shit” as he himself puts it and the more I see what he does in his job, the more I understand why he feels the need to light up. He is confident and passionate about his beliefs on things but he has a hard job ahead of him and has had a hard job in the past. I respect what he does and how he does it and if he needs to calm down via a cigarette then that’s fine. I kind of understand why. But the rest of them, coming from Scotland with their varied lives, I don’t understand why they smoke.
It’ll just have to remain one of Life’s little mysteries.
Sorry folks, but there’s only one thing I have to say here.
Smoking Kills. But you knew that already. Sorry but there’s no new information in this blog.
David Lyon. Non-smoker.
OK, lets not beat around the bush. Smoking. Fatal. Maybe. OK.
I could go on with statistics and estimates and symptoms and alternatives and la dee da! Bla! Bla! Bla! You’ve heard it all before. The message is everywhere, even on the side of cigarette packets themselves. So what I’ve never understood is why people do it. Why start? Why let all that money go towards something that IS making you more and more unfit and POSSIBLY could be killing you, shortening your life on this planet.
Why the bloody hell would anybody want to do that?
It’s something I don’t understand. But lets see if we can figure it out shall we.
OK, first to all the smokers I know reading this. Don’t worry. I will not reveal any of your names, or how much you smoke as I know that the information must be kept from people who are closest to you, mostly parents I find, and I will not reveal your names. Although on that thought why keep the facts from them? Are you embarrassed? Ashamed? I don’t know. I hope you have the reason handy.
THIS IS NOT A BLOG THAT IS GOING TO LECTURE AND TELL YOU TO STOP! YOUR LIFE. YOUR CHOISE. ALL I WANT TO DO IS UNDERSTAND THE CHOISE TO SMOKE.
I myself have never taken so much as a single draw. If I did maybe that would be my start but I don’t get the decision to start on the slippery slope.
Hm…random memory here. One of my friends of old, John Seater. First made friends with him during Swimming Club. We were the only guys there and in S2 it kind of explains why we went. Anyhow, we were friends for a few years. Then we started to drift apart, just naturally, no real incident springs to mind. Our friends became different, our personalities and lifestyles too. The last time we saw each other I was climbing on a bus. We were still people who were keeping the friendship alive but we both knew that our lives were a bit too different to do anything more than occasionally meet in a café and swap funny stories. He promised to phone about his house being free the next week, he said “See ya’ Man!” and I replied “Talk to you later.” Got on the coming bus and was away. He didn’t phone me. I didn’t phone him. Our lives parted ways pleasantly enough.
But there was a point, running up to our final parting when I realised he’d lost all respect for my views on things. In Hunter’s Square in Edinburgh, between 2 puffs of the cigarette, he said the throw away comment of “Wait till I get you addicted to these things.”
Why is this story relevant? This story is only relevant up to a point. It questions what kind of person feels that they need the artificial calming effects of smoking. Before coming to India I thought it must be people that were insecure and couldn’t deal with life’s realities on their own. Part of me, even in the face of the evidence, still believes this.
But then I had a look at some people I know and I am friends with some of them. Some are here in India with me, some are back in Scotland. I will not name anyone but each one is a person who I know.
Person 1. Male. He is inwardly insecure and immature. Possibly makes up stories in order to create a life he doesn’t have. He is an attention seeker. Smoker.
Person 2. Female. Irritating, very insecure and scared. If she misses a bus stop by one stop she will run up flapping her arms like it’s the end of the world. Won’t let people into her house unless you give her a week’s warning to tidy up (no joke, a week! You can’t even pop in to use the toilet if you happen to be in the neighbourhood). One of the most insecure, unsure, timid people I’ve ever known. Despite this she wants to be seen. It feels like she wants to prove to herself that she does have friends. Non-smoker.
Person 3. Female. She is another quiet, insecure person who walks around with her head down staring at the ground. She speaks in a very quiet voice and never repeats anything if you didn’t catch it the first time. She seems to view her own opinions on things as irrelevant and seems to be in a constant state of quiet fear and stress. Non-smoker
Person 4. Female. She is a highly religious Catholic. She is confident and is willing to tell me that I am talking rubbish if she thinks I am. Loves a good laugh as well as a good session about other people. Smoker
Person 5. Male. He is also highly religious. Loves to laugh and argue for God whenever the topic arises. He is confident around people and loves to make people laugh. Loves “Friends” to the point of silliness. Non-smoker.
Person 6. Female. She comes from a solid background. Her parents constantly try to get her to stop smoking using a lot of different methods. She herself has thought about quitting. Her boyfriend used to be against it. Despite this she still smokes. Smoker.
Person 7. Female. Comes from a family of smokers. Her parents encouraged her to smoke and she has 2 brothers both who are heavy smokers. She is also a talented actress and loves to be centre stage. Want to guess this one? Your wrong. Non-smoker.
Person 8. Male. He is secretive about his past and his plans for the future, except when he’s around the few people he seems to really trust. He was hit as a child and that messed him up a little bit. He is a heavy drinker and, scarily enough, claims to feel better after he has run so hard that he has to stop and throw up. In larger groups, when he’s not drunk, he laughs and jokes and manages to put everyone around him at ease. Non-smoker.
Lets compare these 8 people and see if we can figure out a pattern. I apologise if anybody think they recognised themselves and were offended in any way.
Here are some theories as to why people start to smoke.
What if people smoke because they are insecure and can’t deal with Life properly? This is not true. People 2 and 3 are both insecure but nether smoke. On the other hand people 4 and 6 are both confident and smoke. What if confidant people smoke? Person 1 isn’t confident and does smoke, while person 5 is confident and doesn’t smoke.
Maybe it’s background. Em…lets see. Person 6 is pushed away from smoking and does smoke. Person 7 is pushed towards smoking and doesn’t smoke. What if people go the opposite way from where they’re pushed? Again this doesn’t stand up as No. 7’s brothers smoke, having been pushed into it. Most of the non-smokers come from non-smoking families and don’t smoke, happy to keep to the family tradition. No. 7 came from a smoking family and doesn’t smoke. No 6 comes from a non-smoking family and does smoke. So its not background then
Take a minute to re-read that paragraph, as it’s a bit confusing.
Personality? No 4 is confident, religious, loves to laugh and is a smoker. No 5 is also confident, religious, loves to laugh and is a non-smoker. No. 3 is unsure of herself and is a non-smoker, while No. 1 is unsure of himself and is a smoker. Lets face it, all sorts of personalities smoke. So it’s not that ether.
Gender? OH PLEASE! No way. Now we’re getting silly! No.1 is a smoking male. No.8 is a non-smoking male. No.4 is a smoking female. No.7 is a non-smoking female. Lets think of possibilities that might achtely be a reason shall we?
To fit in? WITH WHO?! You have to leave the room and go outside to smoke. A smoker smells of smoke afterwards, a smell viewed as disgusting by the non-smoker community. Completely anti-social! Anyone who thinks that smoking helps them “fit in” is not only kidding themselves, but must have a major inferiority complex to think that they need to smoke in order to fit in.
Hm… No.8 drinks and is a non-smoker. No.2 does nether. No.6 does both. I do not, however have an example in my life of a tea-total smoker, but I’m sure they exist as well. So its not connected with drink.
OH! COME ON! IF I CAN FIGURE OUT IF GOD EXISTS SHURLY I CAN FIGURE OUT WHY PEOPLE SMOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You, know, I’m not sure I can. If I think of all the people who smoke I can’t pinpoint the reason. I’d say that Person 1 smokes to cover insecurities, but people 2 and 3 live with their insecurities smoke free and No. 3 is the most insecure of the 3 people. I’d understand if person 7, coming from the family of smokers, smoked but she doesn’t! It seems you can’t guess whether someone is a smoker or not. They continue when they get addicted but why does someone start?
Why? Why? Why?
There is one person that I would like to name and I hope that he will forgive me for naming him but as far as I can see he doesn’t hide his smoking habit from anyone. Hans
Hans smokes to deal with the “accumulated shit” as he himself puts it and the more I see what he does in his job, the more I understand why he feels the need to light up. He is confident and passionate about his beliefs on things but he has a hard job ahead of him and has had a hard job in the past. I respect what he does and how he does it and if he needs to calm down via a cigarette then that’s fine. I kind of understand why. But the rest of them, coming from Scotland with their varied lives, I don’t understand why they smoke.
It’ll just have to remain one of Life’s little mysteries.
Sorry folks, but there’s only one thing I have to say here.
Smoking Kills. But you knew that already. Sorry but there’s no new information in this blog.
David Lyon. Non-smoker.
posted by Volunteer at 5:04 am
1 Comments:
Why do people do anything that's bad for them? Why limit this to only smoking?
Why do people drive cars, which kill; or drink coffee, or snort cocaine, or talk in the cinema, or fail to be considerate, or let their dogs crap on the sidewalk... It's just life. At least allow people some personal freedom over their bodies...
But I can answer your question about why people smoke. Because they're addicted. No different than than billion-plus people who are thoroughly addicted to coffee or tea or chocolate or McDonald's. Why people start smoking is a whole 'nother matter.
Here's something you might not have worked out yet... ready? Are you sure? Okay... Non-smokers die every day. HAAHAHAHAHA. No, really, they do. Since when did non-smokers have the key to immortality. And who wants to be old and decrepit, senile, crapping in your pants, barely living -- more like forgotten -- in a nursing home where no one truly cares about you.
Maybe smokers are smarter than you think. Or maybe smokers simply don't want to be whiny non-smokers.
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