My thoughts on addictions have evolved; perhaps this article is better than the previous one or perhaps it is worse.

1.  Thinking About Thinking

Overcoming addictions requires taking consciousness higher. At lower levels of consciousness, we mainly react to and slavishly obey what our bodies tell us we desire or fear. At higher levels, we start thinking introspectively about what we want our bodies to want, realize that sometimes things our bodies want are still bad, wish our bodies were different, and start strategizing on how to change our bodies preferences [*don’t mistake this as me saying genetics don’t matter].

The main reason addictions are bad is: Humans are better off experiencing complexity, rather than simplicity. If our greatest pleasures come from simplicity and the short term, then this eclipses pleasure from complex activities and the long term, causing a devolution of our character. Thus, even when we desire to give in, we shouldn’t with perspective to our long-term character development and wellbeing.

Thus, addictions are the pretty face of evilness – addictions are subversive because they seem and feel good even when they are evil.

As Aristotle notes, only two things lead humans down bad paths: messed up sources/reactions to pain and messed up sources/reactions to pleasure. If your mind revels in excess and feels pain at moderation, then something is wrong. Luckily, we have the ability to change our nature via the simple method of: if you pretend and act out a new mindset, eventually this can become imprinted in yourself.

Giving up control / freedom in return for pleasure is Satan’s plan for us. The primary avenues by which Satan turns us into monsters are, in my opinion, pornography, drugs, and alcohol.

“wickedness never was happiness” – Alma 41:10

2.  Consolations – addictions won’t make you happy:

1. Addictions are definitionally only addictive because they leave you unsatisfied and wanting more.
2. Addictions which involve increasingly high highs and extreme extremes are by nature not satisfying – the purpose of the further extremes is to leave you unsatisfied after all.
3. Addictions take away our free agency, thus taking away our only true source of lasting happiness.

3.  Addictions bring darkness

1. Addictions lead to a contradiction: your higher self wants one thing and your lower self another thing. Happiness cannot arise when your brain is divided.
2. There is something dark and creepy and messed up about gaining your highest pleasure from the one thing that ruins you – spiritually how can you feel holiness in such a state?
3. It’s not healthy to let your mind be hypnotized and lose free agency, and the fact that you want it so much is evidence that it hypnotizes you.
4. Often addictions take something that is good and twist it into something that is bad (hello pornography). A subversion.
5. This is all reminiscent to bugs like Redback spiders and Black Widows, in which males willingly offer their bodies to females to be consumed in order to prolong sex; these bugs sacrifice their long term well being for weird short term highs.
6. Addictions contradict your true personality, a thing which only brings darkness.

4.  Distorted Mindset

Beware, addictions distort how we see the world, just as colored lenses distort what we see. They distort:

1. How we see the external world – what is good and what is bad.
2. How we see ourselves – distorting what we think makes us happy, and what we think our inherent goals are.
3. Our perception of how much we care about the future
4. Our reasoning – making us forget the reasons why addictions are bad.
5. Satan wants us to think it isn’t a big deal.

5.  Satan using negativity to make us addicted:

1. Ignorance – he makes us forget. So wake up oh ye sleeper!
2. Depression / meaninglessness – but of course the addiction won’t cure your depression, it will make it worse.
3. Autism / OCD – but of course giving in to one OCD fantasy will only lead to more extreme and unpleasant fantasies.
4. Hypnosis – giving up for no reason – so learn to recognize when you are hypnotized and are doing things irrationally.
5. Doubt – the beginning of all evil.
6. Dishonesty/Delusion – lying to yourself – the next step in evil
7. Procrastination.
8. Apathy – giving up for no reason.
9. Despair – makes us think negative feelings from abstinence will last forever, even though they will not.
10. This is the “last time”, lol.

6.  Going halfway

1. Satan tempts us to go halfway towards the sin – falsely promising that going halfway can cure urges. But of course the opposite true: going halfway only increases intrusive thoughts.
   1. Or he tells us that we aren’t actually going halfway and nothing is happening, so beware and recognize early.
   1. Or he tells us that addictions are “natural” LOL. As if there is anything natural about having sex with computer screens, drinking rotting juice which gives headaches, breathing in smoke from genetically altered plants, or sneaking around to purchase highly synthetic powders.
   1. Remember, Satan manipulates us by altering our thoughts, which then leads to small baby steps – of which action then crowds out other thoughts in the brain, thus leading to hypnosis and an inability to choose. He then plays waiting games – where he gets us to not do anything (because if we distracted ourselves with useful tasks we would not be tempted) until we give in.
   1. Exceptions usually aren’t as special as you think.
   1. Whenever you are tempted to go halfway, realize there is no point unless you want to go all the way, which of course you don’t want to do.
   1. Going halfway leads to feelings of lust, which empty us of our normal inhibitions and interests and personality. So, when people wonder how they could have allowed themselves to give in, the answer is: they went halfway into an addiction and that completely changed their mindset.
   1. Going halfway usually also creates so much noise in the brain that it crowds out normal thoughts and rational thinking. Thus, if you aren’t able to resist the initial step of going halfway, you probably also won’t be able to resist the step of going from halfway to all the way (even if the subconscious tries to trick you into thinking this).
   1. It can sometimes be useful to let feelings of tiredness of combatting temptation leave us resolved to just stop going halfway in the first place.
   1. The big lie is that you will finally be satisfied by giving in one more time. How many more times will you fall for this?

7.  Overcoming intrusive thoughts

Respond to temptation with increased spiritual warfare generally, rather than by going halfway.

1. Thinking introspectively about what your body is experiencing – making observations – and strategizing how to bring your body into alignment with your spirit.
   1. Music – drowns out thought.
   1. Sleep – ends thought.
   1. Listening to books by Aristotle like Nicomachean ethics.
   1. Mantras.
   1. Prayer – especially for the atonement to lift our burdens and give us spiritual power, and to banish intrusive thoughts in the name of Christ.
   1. Scripture study.
   1. Rereading this essay.
   1. Learn to accept that you are feeling pain, and that is OK, you don’t need to react to it.
   1. Focusing on the good.
   1. Go running / go outside / take cold showers / etc.
   1. Replace bad thoughts with good ones. I think an uplifting alternative is the YouTube channel Shiloh & Bros.
   1. Learn to have disgust towards sin.
   1. Internalize the fact that addictions are emasculating.
   1. How many addictions come from people unwilling to wait out urges that only last for a mere 10 minutes? Sad.
   1. Obeying intrusive thoughts is the spirit of insanity. Escape this before you truly are taken captive and are no longer able to escape. Be grateful that for now you are still free.
   1. Giving in is the reason why people like Epstein have so many clients.
   1. Realize: all things must be forgotten. Learn to stop and forget.
   1. Instead of dreaming on completing intrusive thoughts, dream of being in a mental state where you no longer have such thoughts.
   1. I think these mental ruts are sometimes like clogged pipes: the way to unclog a pipe is sometimes via overwhelming pressure to push the clog out, and then the pipe flows normally. Similarly, with addictions, sometimes the mental pressure of turning off a thought and starting to do an uplifting activity – while momentarily difficult – is actually brief and once you start the uplifting alternate activity you are fine.
   1. Stop being hypnotized and remember that you are free!

2 Nephi 2:27
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

[further scriptures: 2 Nephi 10:23, Helaman 14:30–31]

8.  Remembering God

Everything in this scripture can be seen as a tool against addiction:
5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen. (D&C 4)

1. Do Not Compromise with Sin!!!
   1. We should occasionally be grateful for temptations in that they help us progress.
   1. The spirit and the flesh war against each other, the spirit pulling us towards righteousness and the flesh pulling towards sin; thus a primary purpose of our lives is to put the spirit above the flesh (Galatians 5:16-25, Romans 7:14–23, Romans 8:5–13, Romans 13:14, 1 Corinthians 9:27, 1 Peter 2:11, 1 John 2:16, Mosiah 3:19, 2 Nephi 10:23-24, Matthew 26:41, John 3:5-6, John 6:63). In other words, our hearts naturally desire that which is harmful (because of the flesh), and to become saints we must amputate and circumcise our hearts; (Colossians 2:11, Philippians 3:3, Deuteronomy 10:16, Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, Romans 2:28–29).
   1. Holiness is not cheap. That is the point.
   1. A true saint always seeks the Lord as their first recourse when experiencing adversity.
   1. A true saint goes to God first for happiness and satisfaction and after that to uplifting activities.
   1. A true saint overcomes temptation.
   1. Part of religion involves being humble enough to admit that we have a dark side, but still following the light regardless.
   1. Paradise will not come from sin, completely not at all, rather it will just get worse with sin – that is the divine order.
   1. Faith can lead to overcoming hypnosis: I believe I have the strength to overcome this, so I do have the strength to overcome this.
   1. Disgusting and ugly things don’t belong in paradise, even if they briefly give pleasure. Addictions are disgusting and ugly.

Purity versus Works

(In my opinion), the world’s perspective of morality often revolves around actions: if you are doing good, then you are moral; thus, bad actions can be “balanced out” by good actions, and the word “purity” is somewhat pointless. However, in perspective of the eternities, (again in my opinion), true morality more has to do with states of existence: it is a positive good for God’s kingdom to exist and for people to be saints, and a bad for things that are filthy and disgusting to exist or at least exist in the same sphere as the saints.

This is where “purity” starts to truly matter: from a certain perspective, morally pure things are the most *good* things to exist, because they are entirely devoid of bad. Thus, it should be our goal to maintain our own purity for its own right. And part of this involves purifying ourselves from our vices, which includes addictions.

First versus Second Order Effects

Much of the difference in morality between the gospel and that taught by the world is that the world only teaches that things which are directly harmful are bad. The gospel adds to this the things which have second order effects are also bad. Hence, pornography, drug use, and sexual relationships outside of marriage are also bad, since they all have consequences further down the road which are very harmful even if they don’t immediately cause harm. Conversely, reading the scriptures, praying, and fasting are good, since they eventually lead to great benefit.

The above graphic, while originally used in the Shoggoth AI Meme, I think is also a good picture of addictions: they are super evil, but have a smiley face in the front that makes them seem good. You only truly comprehend the full extent of their harm when you consider higher order consequences to them.

The Kingdom of Satan

(In my view), when we indulge in addictions to some extent that represents our having a spiritual experience with Satan and represents the degenerate pleasures with which the kingdom of Satan tempts us. Thus, we should try to avoid these things of Satan for the same reason why we would avoid the mark of the beast.

If we cannot conquer our addictions, eventually Satan will use our addictions to control us – which is sadly all too common. In other words, stop the addiction while you still are free to do so, because eventually your addiction will entirely take away your freedom.

9.  Addictions are selfish

1. Addictions are selfish since they make a mockery of and damage both our body and our soul – the most sacred things we will ever possess (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:1, 1 John 2:15-16). Ignoring this is prideful because it puts your will above that which is sacred.
2. Addictions subvert our character, thus hurting our future selves for the eternities.
3. Addictions make our future self significantly less happy to make the present self have a momentary burst of pleasure (see the section “Things that are not healthy”).
4. As addictive urges occupy a greater amount of time in our lives, they crowd out desires to connect to the world and help others, thus turning us inwards, rather than outwards. This all eventually greatly harms those closest to us.
5. Pride leads people to continue in addiction because they are unwilling to admit that what they have done is wrong.
6. Care about the commandments. As said, don’t put your will above that which is sacred.

10.       Wishing to be holy and aiming higher

1. You have to care. This is the hardest and easiest part of this essay. Paradise starts in the heart.
   1. Giving in to an addiction is low IQ and is a low IQ way to live. You are smarter than this!
   1. When you put pleasure ahead of your goals, you have already lost. Have a high enough intelligence to make sacrifices to accomplish goals!
   1. Basically, addictions arise from the 15 minute mindset – only caring about the future 15 minutes from now. So don’t be like that. The Victorians understood accounting and long term thinking, so emulate them.
   1. Here is the thing about addictive compulsions: either A) the compulsion was temporary and soon goes away – meaning that the addiction is entirely artificial and not part of you, or B) the compulsion stays just the same (for a time) – meaning you likely will overdose, and also, the addiction is useless because it can never bring satisfaction.
   1. Try to reach a mindset where you realize that it would be better to just not exist than to give into an addiction (hence the strategy of drowning out addictions with music and sleep) – in the same way that some societies are so degenerate that it would be better for them to not exist and there to just be forest and wilderness where they once were.
   1. The dark side of yourself doesn’t deserve to be rewarded.
   1. In my view, hell is most accurately seen as a carnival.

11.       Pornography

How Pornography Changes Us

As men have 90% greater upper body strength than women (source), sex often becomes about power differences between men and women, which subverts the true relationship – which should be of lifting each other up mutually. It is said that there are two evolutionary pathways for men: have monogamous relations with women or go adventuring around, pillaging and raping women. Consequently, there are also two pathways for women: monogamous relations or enjoying being a sex slave. Thus, the subconscious of people obsessed with kink really thinks that they actually are some sort of wandering raider or sex slave. Hence, pornography often ends up roleplaying dominance, submission, and control. If they were to change their situation, the subconscious would reorient to thinking that they are something else, and they would no longer be attracted to such dark things.

In other words, pornography desensitizes people, leading them to need increasingly extreme things to be stimulated – until you get to weird places, like people actually wanting to be physically / emotionally / financially abused, or people wanting to strangle / humiliate / control others. Eventually, they view others as purely sexual objects – and what they view as “sexually appealing” degenerates into absurdity and luciferianism. Thus, it’s important to remember that if you are in this downward spiral, any intrusive thoughts regarding extreme sex acts are not natural, and not part of you, and will rise to become more uplifting as you leave this addiction behind. On the other hand, you will also never be able to satisfy sexual addictions, as your fantasies will always move to become more extreme and obsessive than what they were.

Thus, we see many serial killers appear to be motivated by some sort of deviant sexuality which they developed through pornography and of which they eventually lost control. This certainly seemed to be the case for Ted Bundy, who blamed pornography as being the pathway which led him to lose control of himself and deviate from his otherwise normal, Christian life and values (interview here). Here is an interesting quote from the interview: “I’ve lived in prison for a long time now, and I’ve met a lot of men who were motivated to commit violence. Without exception, every one of them was deeply involved in pornography – deeply consumed by the addiction. The F.B.I’s own study on serial homicide shows that the most common interest among serial killers is pornographers.”

Seeing that addictions to sex can lead a person into increasingly extreme and unnatural territory, the addict’s perception of “beauty” becomes distorted, extreme, wrong, and unnatural. This perception almost certainly contradicts the tendencies of people born into societies that don’t tolerate the distribution of pornography. In a good world, partners don’t obsessively view each other as purely sexual objects to be exploited in some weird way, but instead truly view each other as equal partners to lift each other up and pursue an uplifting life together.

Hence, instead of dreaming on sexual fantasies, we should dream of a day where we have forgotten and no longer have such degeneracy in our minds. And we should try to stop before it is too late.

More On Addiction to Reproduction

1. Learning to have compassion and empathy for the other gender perhaps can help.
   1. It seems like hypocrisy for people to become super morally outraged by people who watch child pornography or who have legal relations with women who are much younger than they, if they themselves are consumers of pornography.
   1. Some pornography seems to be so degenerate as to specifically be about degrading our souls and making a mockery of our bodies and families – in my opinion this is where the desires of demonic entities creeps into our own thinking as we allow dark forces greater influence over ourselves.
   1. As discussed here, there really is a group of people who hate Christianity, the west, the nuclear family, and Christian values. Some of these deliberately produce pornography because they revel in destroying and making a mockery of all this and in subverting and demeaning White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
   1. Another problem with pornography is that beyond releasing dopamine into the brain, it also releases oxytocin, which is said to promote social bonding, trust, and empathy while reducing stress and anxiety. Thus, these chemicals tell your brain that everything is OK and you shouldn’t stress, when the reality is the opposite.
   1. According, try using other activities that bring oxytocin as a replacement, such as listening to music, meditation, giving gifts, petting dogs, or (in my opinion) reading the scriptures.
   1. It might also be helpful to try to internalize how disgusting the sex act is. Men’s bodies are covered in hair and are sort of monstrous, while the thing that makes women’s bodies curvy is just fat, and that’s just getting started.
   1. Part of believing that the family is ordained of God is to believe that sexual relations in the Godly fashion – that is only with your spouse after marriage – really is the best avenue to happiness.
   1. As seen in the fairy tales of old, our fantasies should be of saving our partners, not degenerate fantasies about power hierarchies or the unbridled Dionysian spirit.

Romans 1:21-28
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Closing

Put simply, surely somewhere there exists avenues of pleasure which are still bad / disgusting. Thus, internalize that just because something feels good doesn’t mean that it is good, and learn to differentiate between pleasure and true happiness. Our spirit should be the compass of our body, not vice versa. Letting our body control our spirit is subversion.

Never allow yourself to do something that you wouldn’t recommend someone else to do. There is something sort of awesome about people who practice what they preach, and if you don’t intend to do that, at least be honest with yourself that you are a loser. You should feel sorry for people who think they gain pleasure from addictions – as outlined in this essay, they are wrong and will never truly be happy. Be mature, have compassion and care for your future self, and don’t give into the Dionysian spirit or tolerate yourself becoming hypnotized. Seek purpose rather than seeking to numb the pain through sensation.

Anointed one, you have chosen and covenanted to flee from these things. As an elect, you realize that just because something gives you pleasure doesn’t mean you like it. You know that the commandments matter, so you follow them, put spirit over flesh, and choose uplifting things over dark things. Deep in your heart you know addictions are wrong, even if you don’t exactly know why, and only bring feelings of darkness and emptiness while cutting us off from the spirit of God. Therefore, yes, you may still suffer temptations and heartbreak, but unlike your former self you no longer act on such desires and can control yourself.

I invite the reader to make a commitment that – before opening the door to addiction – you will set a time and wait 15 minutes, during which you will reread this essay, read the below scriptures, and say a prayer.

True change requires sacrifice, but the increased purpose and light makes it so worth it. Don’t fall for the temptation that it “doesn’t matter very much”, learn to do hard things, and grow tired of sin. Do not labor for that which does not satisfy (2 Nephi 9:51, Isaiah 55:2), and do not compromise with sin. Doing iniquity can never bring happiness (Helaman 13:38, Alma 41:10). Don’t doubt in darkness what you know in light but wait until after the trial of your faith.

Isaiah 9:2
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Alma 41:10 – “wickedness never was happiness.”

John 9:4
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

2 Nephi 1:13, 23
O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound
…Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.
(Romans 13:11-12, Jacob 3:11)

1 Corinthians 10:12-13
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Ezekiel 36:26
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Ether 12:4
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Helaman 5:12
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Philippians 4:6-8
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Disorganized Notes on Aristotle

“Moral virtue comes about as a result of habit… we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book II)

“The incontinent man knows that what he does is bad, but does it because of passion.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII)

Aristotle distinguishes:

• Enkrateia (self-control) – You feel the urge but resist.
• Akrasia (weakness of will) – You know better but give in.
• Akolasia (self-indulgence) – You no longer even think it wrong.

“It is pleasures that make us do bad things, and pains that prevent us from doing noble ones.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book II)

“The self-indulgent man craves for all pleasant things or those that are most pleasant, and is led by his appetite to choose these at the cost of everything else.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book III)

“The self-indulgent man is such as he is because he is persuaded that he ought to pursue the pleasures he does.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII)

From Book II:
“We must take as a sign of states of character the pleasure or pain that ensues on acts.” – If someone feels pleasure at excess and pain at moderation, their character is disordered.

The temperate man desires the things he ought, as he ought, and when he ought.
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book III)

“Firstly, then, in the matter of our natural or common desires but few err, and that only on one side, viz. on the side of excess; e.g. to eat or drink of whatever is set before you till you can hold no more is to exceed what is natural in point of quantity, for natural desire or appetite is for the filling of our want simply. And so such people are called “belly-mad,” implying that they fill their bellies too full.
It is only utterly slavish natures that acquire this vice.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book III)

“Temperance and profligacy, then, have to do with those kinds of pleasure which are common to the lower animals, for which reason they seem to be slavish and brutal; I mean the pleasures of touch and taste.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book III)

“The mass of mankind are evidently quite slavish in their tastes, preferring a life suitable to beasts.”
(Nicomachean Ethics, Book I Chapter 5)

Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI:
“The virtues of thought are two: the intellectual virtues of theoretical wisdom, which contemplate truth, and the practical virtues, which direct action… Those who have the first but not the second are like persons who carry instruments but never use them.”

Book II, Ch. 1
“It is the mark of an educated man to be able to deliberate well about what is good and expedient for himself… But mere knowledge does not make one good; for it is action and habituation that form virtue.”

Closing Notes: Civilization Decline

In 2026, our world is continually inundated with media promoting various vices, to the point where addictions almost start to seem to be normal and natural. Thus, it is important to remember that in the eternal perspective, none of these addictions would ever really happen nor would anybody want them, and they definitely would not be considered “normal”. This is particularly true for hard drugs and smoking: in a society organized per the principles of God, these wouldn’t even be sold, and people wouldn’t be trying to smuggle them because nobody would ever have been exposed to them or want them.

But it is also true for things like pornography: in a perfect world where sex before marriage is uncommon and pornography is inaccessible, there wouldn’t be huge populations of addicts simply because nobody would ever have had the initial exposure necessary for the addiction.

So, whenever people talk about addictions as if you are the weird one for not having them, just remember that in the eternal perspective, they are the weird and unnatural ones.

Which side of history do you want to be on: the camp of people who serve Satan’s agenda – those who brought all these societal ills upon us, or the camp of the saints – who are overcomers of the world. You choose, via either overcoming or not overcoming an addiction. But how can you truly condemn the world for bringing this vice upon you, if you don’t care enough to overcome said vice? Isn’t that after all the main reason why people stay addicted – they might know the addiction is bad, but don’t really care enough to try to stop it?

In this dark world, the path forward that I see is to double down on philosophy, introspection, thinking about thinking, empathy, virtue, and God. I have made a lot of mistakes and have hurt a lot of people, so I hope that from now on I can start making everything right.