We are all addicts

We never seem to be satisfied. We all look for more, but realize that it’s all just so simple. We live so we can do something, whether for others or for ourselves. If other people don’t agree with us, then let’s do something for them. Tell them to go stand in the corner, because we don’t need people like them.

Everyone seems to be trying to commit suicide. I learned that in biology, when we studied the second law of thermodynamics: Every change or transfer of energy leads to entropy.

Entropy is disorder/measurement of disorder/disarrangement/etc. I completely agree with that law, which answers how humanity is trying to commit suicide.

Remember the time we decided to change potential energy into the most addictive and destructive energy in the world? When we turned that harmless potential, but peaceful and resting, energy to this hole-drilling, climate-changing chemical which is called fossil fuel? It seemed only an estimation of 200 years ago when humankind first figured out how to do this, and now we have managed to shorten the life span of our only planet.

Therefore, we are all committing suicide.

And yet the powerful people are still hungry and fighting over this substance, because it is equal to power, or, in other words, money. Another addictive substance, money is worse than drugs or alcohol; it can buy drugs and alcohol! All of us live for it, because money buys our happiness. At least these days it does.

People killing people—war. People selling their body or body parts—prostitution or mutilation. People bowing down to other people—politicians. People creating poison and making other people fall in love with it—drug lords and pushers. We do all of this for money; everyone is hungry for it. The media do everything to please their audience and get higher ratings, thus getting more money. I, as part of the audience, help them do this. Even scientists/professors or anyone else with a job do it for money. Even I study so I can later find a good job and have money.

But it isn’t all bad. Money creates order amid chaos, but it is also the root cause of the chaos. What I mean is: Life gets complicated when we have too much, and addiction is wanting too much. This is a wrong way to spend life. We must live life not so we can have more, but so we can be more.

It’s OK to want money, but not to the point where we will take a course that we don’t want just because we intend to earn more. I know many people who do this, and they don’t look happy.

We must remember: “We make money to live,” not “we live to make money.” Because if we live for money, then we are wasting life, committing suicide.

Hazel Marie Bien, 17, is a journalism sophomore at Bicol University.