There are some things in this world that I will never understand. One of them is smoking. I seriously cannot comprehend the motivation behind it. Inhaling the poison into your own lungs is bad enough...so why is it okay to pollute the air everyone else breathes? I've heard it said so many times that if I'm walking down the street and walk passed a smoker it's my responsibility to cross the road to avoid the smoke if I don't want to breathe it. However, that doesn't really work. The distance that smoke travels is very vast. When someone at the opposite end of our block steps out for a cigarette, we have to close all the windows in the house because it truly travels far enough to bother us. Besides, smokers carry the smoke everywhere. In their hair, clothes, cars, homes...everywhere! So even when you aren't carrying around a lit cigarette, it's not like the remnants just disappear.
I think the absolute worst thing to see is parents smoking right by their children. Even infants! It's not like anyone can be ignorant to the harmful effects of smoke. So how can you seriously not even hesitate to put your kids in a position to constantly have to breathe that in to their tiny lungs? But what really gets to me is when people decide it's an okay idea to smoke (and ever drink, but that's a whole different blog) at the playground. It's one thing to decide to put your child at risk...It's a completely different game when you decide to do the same to other people's children. When I take my daughter to the park with the intent to have a nice, healthy play time, it horrifies me that she has to be subjected to something I so greatly try to avoid. Honestly, what is the deal with some people thinking this is okay?
I understand that cigarettes are so extremely addictive it is sometimes seemingly impossible to quit. But I also know that with the right kind of motivation anything is possible. I think it's amazing when I see people struggling to make it day by day. They can't even put food on the table. Yet they somehow manage to afford to keep their cigarette stash filled. That's just one example of what motivation can do. Now if you reverse that mindset imagine what you can accomplish! Where is the motivation to live a healthier, happier life?! When you're stressed, wouldn't it be so much nicer to be able to cope and work through the stress without having to rely on some external factor that may not always be an option in the moment? I know smokers often say they need to smoke to deal with stress, but it appears to me that smokers get stressed out so much easier and more intensely because of their cravings for nicotine. I've seen nonsmokers begin smoking and smokers quit smoking. Whichever direction they go, they always seem to follow this pattern.
Like I said, I will never understand this mindset. And to be quite frank I'm not sure I even want to. However, I hate to pass judgement on others. There are many people in my life that I love dearly who smoke and the last thing I want them to feel is antagonized. My sincere desire is to see those that I care about be happy and healthy. I know for a fact that being nicotine-free is a giant step in that direction. Yes, there are worse evils in the world, but that's no excuse to accept any kind of negative habit as a way of life.
And that, my dear friends, is my rant for the day.
http://smokefree.gov/
No comments:
Post a Comment