I wrote enough in my response to Maren that I figured I'd post it here.
"Rob,
This Maren from London. I want to ask you a question. Please know that this comes with no judgment passed, it is just something I have always wanted to ask someone but never felt comfortable enough to do so.
Why do you smoke? I know your parents did not so there was no pre-exciting tendency. I always wonder why when we know how bad it is for you do people start. I get why they don't stop, that it is very addicting. I just don't get it, why start?
Thanks Maren"
Hey Maren,
It's good to hear from you (randomly, out of the blue) like this! I don't have time to give the sort of answer I wish I could give (which would be an essay, not a couple paragraphs), but I'll give it a whirl.
With all we know about it, making the choice to smoke is making a choice to damage your body. In fact, it's a choice to damage your body in ways that may be irreparable, and to subscribe to a product that builds compulsion - addictive properties in people.
The problem with saying that this is sufficient that no one should/would/could do it is that it ignores much of the other things that meet these same qualifications, which we already do. For example, how can we drive our own cars instead of carpooling or taking public transit when we know we're destroying the earth, increasing pollution in the area, increasing our own costs, etc., etc.?
Or, for a more parallel example, how can we eat Big Macs? They absolutely can cause heart disease when had too much. They can cause morbid obesity. They can cause a huge list of things - just like cigarettes. And just like cigarettes, they contain all sorts of disgusting ingredients that do nothing but damage our bodies. In addition, they are made in a way that is meant to increase addictive qualities (ranging from the taste, texture, content, advertising, and accessibility). Yet people eat them, and we as a country have accepted that it's okay to eat them. This to me, as a vegan, is also far worse because it doesn't merely require that people damage themselves - but also that we take life en mass, and beyond that, waste a lot of that life. So much meat is thrown away at McDonalds and Burger King each year, it's absolutely disgusting.
I know this sounds like I'm trying to simply knock your question aside, but it's meant as a riposte - a parry and a strike - that illustrates something about human nature.
We damage ourselves knowingly all the time. Cigarettes are not worse than many things out there. They are arguably better than some. Are they addictive? Yes. So are sugars and fats and the all kinds of other things that we indulge in. They give us something - in this case, a quick fix that alleviates stress.
It may not be ideal, but it's not the worst case scenario. For me, smoking is a substitute for much worse habits (which for the sake of completeness, I'll mention in passing - they include not eating, binge eating, and cutting). I smoke because it's better than alternatives that are readily accessible within the time and resources I have available. Within resources, I include my own will power to do things that are far better for me, and accomplish the same purpose (relief of stress), such as yoga, reading a fine novel, or going swimming.
So, my point is this: Your statement that it doesn't make sense that we'd knowingly damage our bodies when we know full well how terrible the things are makes perfect sense. Humans, however, don't. We do things that don't make any sense, all the time, because we have a limited ability to cope with existence, handle our lives, and as a result we will take the paths out that are available to us. For some that's cigarettes, for others it's anorexia, for others it's cutting, for others it's Big Macs. All of these are forms of self-destruction.
A little bit of self destruction, now and then, is okay in my book - so long as it's kept under control. It's better than letting your life spiral out of control. One may argue that we know cigarettes are addictive, and can't be kept under control. Keep in mind, I have a cigarette per month. My last cigarette was something like 3 weeks ago, and it was finishing the last 1/3 of one I'd smoked previously. So I would argue that cigarettes are not addictive if approached correctly.
The best movie to watch on this subject is "Thank You for Smoking." It makes some very solid points.
Anyway, looks like you got the essay anyway! Sorry about that.
Hope all is great with you and yours,
Rob
