'Letting Go' Explained With Interesting Examples (cont.)

An example of how the *pleasure* turns into *desire*, the desire into *need*,
the need into *habit*, habit into *dependence* and finally the dependence
into an *addiction* process (explained yesterday) takes place can be seen in
some smokers. The smoker, little by little, liked smoking, then desired to
smoke, then needed to smoke; he/she created the habit of smoking, it turned
into a dependence and finally into an addiction. It began because he liked
it but it ended up generating that addiction.

We live disconnected from ourselves, with a lot of unnecessary dependencies
and needs. When you think that you need to smoke, you believe something that
is not true. What does it mean that you need to smoke? The negative effects
of smoking on the body are well known; we already breathe in enough
pollution from cars and we do not need to breath in more unnecessary smoke.
However, the person who smokes believes that it is a need and, while they
believe it, they don't realize, or if they do realize, they don't want to
accept that it is an unnecessary dependence.

This process can happen in many other cases: emotional, mental and physical
dependencies and addictions towards people, objects and ideas. When we are
hooked we lose emotional, mental and intellectual control over our inner
selves and in our awareness. The solution is in knowing how to let go.