Drug Trade Accounts for Forty Percent of Afghan Economy

The voice on the radio suddenly forced its way into my conscious awareness. Absolutely staggering, I felt it with no uncertainty. Forty Percent of the Afghan economy is made of illegal drug production and trafficking. Worse, the US has nothing that can replace that for Afghan entrepreneurs. As I contemplated these hard hitting statements, I found myself imagining how different our world could be if we just stuck to some basic tenants of common decency. Yet , what does it say about our world where such an obscene industry could exist? Plenty, because it is not just the growers and traffickers of these drugs that are contributing to the problems, it is also the users of the end product. Those users ultimately feed the entire industry with cash flow. Considering the Afghan issues along with the drug trade around the world, there HAS to be an incredible amount of drug users to support the global market for drugs. Why? Is it really about the high, or is it about escaping the sober realities and pain of human life. It seems that we never hear anyone talking about this. Life is painful, it is a fact. Whether you are rich or poor, there are all kinds of problems and challenges that we human beings face. How appealing a drug addiction and the escape it provides must be to the end users. In some ways, it may even be understandable. Life and facing life's challenges head on is NOT for the timid, but we are all faced with life nonetheless. And there is no escaping that for the rational and sober minded person. Sure, there are moments of pleasure that provide temporary relief but how long do those moments last. How long is it before the next problem rears up to get in our way? For some, the moments of pleasure and happiness last longer and not so long for others. That may be related to a whole host of factors and not necessarily socio-economic ones. So what can we do? Essentially, not much and that is for a reason. It is a fact of human life that free will exists. Nothing can change that and regardless of any law, people will still make their own choices, that cannot be changed. So what is the solution, more laws? No, I don't think so. We have plenty of those now. Will greater happiness and contentment make a difference? How does one achieve a larger degree of happiness in this incredibly complex and problem ridden world and in the lives that we live? I remember a sort of true saying from way back, "history repeats itself". But why does history repeat itself? Perhaps the human condition doesn't really change that much, only the scenery of the times change. So if similar conditions existed in the past for humanity, someone must have had some ideas on how to deal with it. One of the western world's most revered philosopher's was Socrates. And what did he talk about? Virtue. He also discussed things like Truth, Beauty and Goodness.In modern times, Master Li Hongzhi has been discussing Truth, Compassion and Endurance. Perhaps contemplation of these things can bring one closer to a lasting happiness that doesn't require drugs to fuel. And keeping with the truth of mankind's freewill, it can only be up to the individual to decide.