Smoking Cigarettes

by Nathan Bailey

Okay, so smoking is getting pretty unpopular these days. But lots of people still do it -- especially young people, teenagers caught in the trap of peer pressure.

Despite having been to Japan before writing the above, I thought they were an anomoly, and that the strong understanding of health issues was otherwise a world-wide phenomonen (or at least Western-world-wide).

I've recently returned from a trip to Europe, where I endured smoking in many restaurants, in many public places and in some forms of transport. So it appears that universal understanding of the foolishness of smoking isn't as universal as I thought...

Smoking is, as I understand it, a crutch. It's a system of escape, a habit about temporarily leaving the stress of life to have a break from life, with a nicotine hit. Presumably that's why giving it up is so difficult -- not only are you battling chemical addiction, but also psychological addiction to a support mechanism.

Perhaps if our culture was more like others, where people religiously took time out to pray, if it was our culture to regularly seek God throughout the day, I am certain that not only would the workplace be a better place, but also a healthier place. And, of course, God would inspire further creativity and encouragement enabling us to address our problems and work through them.

So why not giving smoking a break, and try God? :-)