Good/bad seems to be about altruistic/selfish both in the original Dickens and in this new version? Except maybe in the new version, and your analysis, good also means good for oneself/and loved ones in the long term, whereas bad means good in the short term/bad in the long term, which is one aspect of addiction?
And is this just up to the individual? Both aspects are also dependent on the social environment. Capitalism has so far encouraged some selfishness and exploitation of others, not necessarily always in a conscious way, but sometimes in a what gets selected for, what has a competitive advantage in the marketplace kind of thing.
Native americans before contact with Europeans did not have much addiction, even though they knew about alcohol (though less strong than distilled forms), hallucinogens and tobacco, because their culture had healthier ways to get pleasure and connection.
Similarly, I think many addictions (I'll include pets in that, not because of negative long term consequences, but because they are a substitute for real human connection, substitution for a real need being another aspect of addiction) in present society would go away, if we still had functional villages/tribes/families/integrated individuals
This version definitely complicates the whole good/bad altruistic/selfish dichotomies. It points out that most people are somewhere in between "good" and "bad", and being "good" to your relations requires a lot more than just financial generosity. One of my issues with the original Christmas Carol is that someone like my Dad loves Scrooge, because his takeaway from that story is that you can be a workaholic dick who neglects everyone around him for most of your life, but it'll all work out in the end for you if you're rich and decide to be generous in your old age.
Spirited isn't about addiction, I just brought that in because it's part of my story and my husband's story with mushrooms and I spent this whole year trying and failing to quit smoking by using magic mushrooms and it didn't work. And yeah, I agree with you. I kind of got it into my head that my husband got over his addiction because he hero-dosed mushrooms, but he keeps clarifying -- it was the combination of mushrooms and me. I wish it were as simple as the original "Christmas Carol" made it out to be, but "Spirited" is much more realistic.
Other than a mild addiction to tobacco (we're talking like 5 organic cigarettes per day), I've never actually been physically addicted to anything other than sugar (which psilocybin kicked in 2020)! My substance use has always been an extensive of my childhood coping mechanisms of dissociation and maladaptive daydreaming. I have a psychological issue with substances, not a physical one (except nicotine, God, that one is a BITCH). Anyway, gonna mostly try to stay sober over the holidays, except maybe for a bit of kratom to rally me through the drunken holiday parties.
I suppose sometimes a spectrum is better (more accurate) than a dichotomy.
Yes, there are lots of asshole philanthropists and savior-type activists who are afraid of real intimacy.
Your husband could probably cure you of your tobacco addiction by offering something even better (both short and long term) every time you have the urge to toke?
I wonder what it would be like to live in a culture where people don't have to get drunk or wasted to enjoy each others' company.
Haha, I love my husband, flaws and all, but he actually got Christmas Carolled pretty hard by some mushrooms recently and one of the reasons was his tendency to tell me that the amount I smoke isn't that big of a deal, instead of helping me quit. We've talked about it, and he's going to try to be better. Daily practice, though. Right now he's helping me taper down to one or two per day, and I'm going to try to quit when we go to Mexico in January (sunlight makes it easier).
Good/bad seems to be about altruistic/selfish both in the original Dickens and in this new version? Except maybe in the new version, and your analysis, good also means good for oneself/and loved ones in the long term, whereas bad means good in the short term/bad in the long term, which is one aspect of addiction?
And is this just up to the individual? Both aspects are also dependent on the social environment. Capitalism has so far encouraged some selfishness and exploitation of others, not necessarily always in a conscious way, but sometimes in a what gets selected for, what has a competitive advantage in the marketplace kind of thing.
Native americans before contact with Europeans did not have much addiction, even though they knew about alcohol (though less strong than distilled forms), hallucinogens and tobacco, because their culture had healthier ways to get pleasure and connection.
Similarly, I think many addictions (I'll include pets in that, not because of negative long term consequences, but because they are a substitute for real human connection, substitution for a real need being another aspect of addiction) in present society would go away, if we still had functional villages/tribes/families/integrated individuals
This version definitely complicates the whole good/bad altruistic/selfish dichotomies. It points out that most people are somewhere in between "good" and "bad", and being "good" to your relations requires a lot more than just financial generosity. One of my issues with the original Christmas Carol is that someone like my Dad loves Scrooge, because his takeaway from that story is that you can be a workaholic dick who neglects everyone around him for most of your life, but it'll all work out in the end for you if you're rich and decide to be generous in your old age.
Spirited isn't about addiction, I just brought that in because it's part of my story and my husband's story with mushrooms and I spent this whole year trying and failing to quit smoking by using magic mushrooms and it didn't work. And yeah, I agree with you. I kind of got it into my head that my husband got over his addiction because he hero-dosed mushrooms, but he keeps clarifying -- it was the combination of mushrooms and me. I wish it were as simple as the original "Christmas Carol" made it out to be, but "Spirited" is much more realistic.
Other than a mild addiction to tobacco (we're talking like 5 organic cigarettes per day), I've never actually been physically addicted to anything other than sugar (which psilocybin kicked in 2020)! My substance use has always been an extensive of my childhood coping mechanisms of dissociation and maladaptive daydreaming. I have a psychological issue with substances, not a physical one (except nicotine, God, that one is a BITCH). Anyway, gonna mostly try to stay sober over the holidays, except maybe for a bit of kratom to rally me through the drunken holiday parties.
I suppose sometimes a spectrum is better (more accurate) than a dichotomy.
Yes, there are lots of asshole philanthropists and savior-type activists who are afraid of real intimacy.
Your husband could probably cure you of your tobacco addiction by offering something even better (both short and long term) every time you have the urge to toke?
I wonder what it would be like to live in a culture where people don't have to get drunk or wasted to enjoy each others' company.
Haha, I love my husband, flaws and all, but he actually got Christmas Carolled pretty hard by some mushrooms recently and one of the reasons was his tendency to tell me that the amount I smoke isn't that big of a deal, instead of helping me quit. We've talked about it, and he's going to try to be better. Daily practice, though. Right now he's helping me taper down to one or two per day, and I'm going to try to quit when we go to Mexico in January (sunlight makes it easier).