Addiction/ pleasures/ Ego/ Freedom

youtube.com/watch?v=g75ki7YkLoQ&

But this video does make some valid points about feeling bad about ourselves that we have these urges. That there is something wrong. And therefore we are not free.

Does he mean we can have all the sex we want and play all the videogames we want ? :P

My view so far is;

OUR EGO is addicted to all sorts of stuff we call pleasure, our consciousness is not. And if we cannot control our impulses, we cannot truly control ourselves.

What do you think?

Link didn't work. Push the web link. The one with a picture of the world. Then paste it on that.

Link does work my friend.. just copy and paste youtube.com/watch?v=g75ki7YkLoQ&
in your browser =)

Or put a direct link to website.

I watched the video and it is false teachings. Addiction is a proven fact. Just the fact that an alcohol without alcohol gets DT's and physical withdrawal is proof. Drugs and alcohol addicts. It is in the genes. I used to be a drug and alcohol addict. I'm dover now and broke the additictive patterns. Through awareness and expanding my consciousness. Euphoria leads to using more and more. More frequently, eventually turning into a physical addiction. That preacher dude is ignorant to truth.

I think it's worth reading the fishy story here - http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...ad.php?t=20643

It's like being in an adventure park full of all these rides, but then adults aren't supposed to do that, right? It's not until you forget things like right and wrong and you go experience that ride that experience takes on a different perspective. Instead of standing there telling yourself it's wrong and feeling like you want to, you could be in there having fun. If you choose to have fun, that's cool. If you choose not to, that's cool too. But then, like the fishy story sex and drugs and rock and roll is part of the ocean. Being Spirit on a human Journey can be an awfully big adventure.

It depends on what you are using the sex and video games for. When someone is addicted, they use the thing or behavior that they are addicted to to avoid going through unpleasant feelings or doing any stuff that they don't like to do. It doesn't have to be a physical chemical dependency.

For example, someone who lives in his mother's basement might play video games to escape from the reality of his life and his own depression. He would have more fun in life overall if he got out to get a job and become able to support himself and gain enough freedom and self-esteem to overcome the depression. But that would require stepping away from the video game and doing unpleasant stuff and facing how depressed he really feels when he takes a look at what his life is. It would mean choosing to go through unpleasant things instead of staying in his virtual world where he feels no pain.

On the other hand, someone who can take an honest look at his life and genuinely like what he sees and plays video games for fun, not to avoid unpleasant realities, might be able to play all he wants to without getting trapped by addiction. And he probably would not want to spend as many hours playing as an addict would.

Originally Posted by reconhell

OUR EGO is addicted to all sorts of stuff we call pleasure, our consciousness is not. And if we cannot control our impulses, we cannot truly control ourselves.

What do you think?

Who is supposed to be in control?

(Please note: answering "my self" is not a real answer because we're talking about what controls the self, appetites and desires, or something else? What is that something else?)

What is the point of control?

Have you ever gotten tired of trying to control things?

Originally Posted by Topology

Who is supposed to be in control?

(Please note: answering "my self" is not a real answer because we're talking about what controls the self, appetites and desires, or something else? What is that something else?)

What is the point of control?

Have you ever gotten tired of trying to control things?

I was eagerly waiting for this......

[Emmalevine]

Denying ourselves anything is going to lead to problems. Addiction in itself is a sign that something deeper is going on - repression of painful emotions due to a difficult upbringing, for example. If someone is really addicted to something to the point it is controlling THEM rather than the other way around - that is not healthy and it's important to explore the reasons behind the behaviour. I once read a story in the paper about a guy who was so addicted to video games he would keep a bottle by his chair to pee in so he didnt have to leave to visit the toilet...that's addicted. On the other hand, some people just want to do pleasurable things like have sex, binge on sugar, get drunk....all in moderation. It's the attitude behind it that's the key. Telling ourselves that it's 'bad' for our ego to be addicted to pleasure is not, imo, going to be helpful.