Firstly, we need to comprehend what “personal growth” entails. If there’s something we currently struggle with, such as falling asleep while sober, dealing with uncertainty or stress, identifying our interests, and so on, but in two weeks, a month, or a year, we find these tasks no longer difficult, that indicates growth.
However, the question arises when someone suggests that cannabis is impeding this progress, which can be confusing because at times, it feels as though cannabis is actually facilitating it. Indeed, during stressful periods, cannabis often helps manage the strain and instill calmness.
So, does cannabis aid or hinder development? Let’s delve in.
Development necessitates two key steps:
Firstly, we must confront our difficulties. If I find it hard to deal with uncertainty, like during a period when I’m unsure about renewing a lease or selecting a study course, and it amplifies my stress, I need to endure this discomfort rather than resorting to smoking cannabis.
Secondly, we must learn to handle our issues, which can be challenging. How does one cope with uncertainty? Some people may benefit from weathering the storm and finding that everything ultimately worked out. Others might find solace in seeking advice and support from friends and family. Everyone eventually discovers their own coping strategies, which equips us for similar future situations.
However, if there’s cannabis at hand, as soon as we encounter a hurdle, we might smoke, effectively circumventing the difficulty.
So what’s the actual outcome? We delegate our task of coping to cannabis. Rather than navigating our hardships and realizing our resilience, we float through with artificial ease and learn nothing about our inherent coping abilities. Instead of leaning on friends and family for support, we let cannabis pacify us.
Ultimately, we fail to learn how to manage the situation, leading to a vicious cycle. This cycle involves turning to cannabis whenever life gets tough, making life perpetually difficult as we continually rely on cannabis for relief without learning to cope ourselves. This is how dependency originates.
Why is this so confusing? Because while cannabis does alleviate things, it also entraps us. To truly make our lives easier, we must endure and navigate our hardships to learn how to overcome them.
But wait, what’s the difference between friends helping me and cannabis helping me? The difference lies in the fact that friends don’t eradicate the difficulty but help bear it. I remain the one bearing the burden; they just lend a hand, which is vital for the learning process.
Cannabis, on the other hand, takes away the difficulty entirely, effectively delaying the learning process and fostering dependency.
When things get difficult, it doesn’t imply wrongdoing; in fact, it might mean we’re on the right path.
May the coming difficulties of our lives will bring us growth, resilience, and learning, setting the stage for an even brighter future.
