Remember we’ve made a ‘master decision’ to pursue pleasure and to avoid pain. This ‘master decision’ is embedded within the depth of our psyche, deep-rooted in our mind and classified as the most important decision; the basis of all operations, hence the term ‘master decision’.

How tragic it is that it’s the wrong decision, as pain is unavoidable and pleasure comes and goes. We’ve made this decision at a time when we were absolutely unqualified to make any decision at all, let alone a ‘master decision’. It takes place at a very young age, so early in our lives that we do not have any recollection of it. We were babies when we took this fatal decision or more accurately, the first time we took this decision we were not even a day old. We made this decision at the moment of our birth!

Generally speaking life in the womb is as good as it gets. For the fetus there is no stress or pain; needs are met before they even arise. It is calm and quiet inside and as spacious as drifting in space, the temperature perfect and the umbilical connection provides all required nourishment with a sense of complete satisfaction, unity and eternal tranquility.

Yet, like everything else, this stage too is temporary and when the time ripens, the peace of the uterine world is disturbed: stress and pain come rushing in. First the space narrows and supplies of blood and oxygen are sparse, resulting in a lack of warmth and nourishment. Constrictions lead the baby into the birth canal as it’s pushed & pressed by strong pelvic muscles. At its peak the pressure amounts to a hundred pounds and the agony and toll experienced by the fragile baby surmount to disastrous proportions.

When Adam was expelled from Eden what do you think he wanted most? You probably guessed right – he wanted to return there.

All of us as babies at this point, when expelled from the bliss of cloud nine want exactly the same – we want to return to where we naturally think we rightly belong. So at this very moment we make the fatal ‘master decision’, we decide we want to go back, and we make the judgment that comfort is good/desirable and pain is bad/undesirable.

That’s how we all make the ‘master decision’. Obviously we cannot return to the womb. Our need is replaced with a constant attempt to pursue anything we perceive as the closest to that initial experience long for. We desire pleasure and attempt to avoid pain.

Ironically and tragically by following that double-edged sward strategy one achieves the opposite than the desired results.

Whatever we classify as pleasure is always scarce and there is never enough. When it passes, we feel betrayed and may complain. When pain arises, it never feels deserved and we may again resort to complaining and feeling like a victim.

Unaware of it, we are following the ‘master decision’ and the judgments we made when we were babies.

It is perhaps time to revisit this place, reassess our core decision and transform it into a more realistic one. This work has to be done by each individual. Let us suggest here though, that a better strategy may be not to judge such things as pleasure and pain in terms of good and bad. Rather, we can experience them for what they are and acknowledge that they are passing notions. When pleasure comes one can welcome it and enjoy it but not develop greed and attachment to it; just experience it for what it is and allow it to pass. It’s the same with pain: if we cannot welcome it at least we can expect it, as it is an inevitable part of life. We can acknowledge it, experience it with dignity and allow it to pass without adding extra pain to our suffering and allowing ourselves to feel victimized.

In an ironic and marvelous way this strategy is guaranteed to produce less stress and more joy in one’s life.

Smoking cigarettes is also part of that desire to return to the womb, to keep sucking on maternal nipple, to be protected and to belong.

In particular, chemical addictions such as nicotine, are part of the crisis we feel when employing the ‘master decision’ of chasing pleasure and avoiding pain.

Be aware of it and see the wider scope of your attachment to smoking. Seeing this will help you not only to rid yourself of the addiction as you adopt a better strategy, but will also bring other positive changes in your life.

You will have to deal with some pain in the interim. Make this pain meaningful, don’t judge it as bad but acknowledge it for what it is and more importantly, as a passing phenomenon. You will gain meaningful and lasting joy in the process.

Please be open to this information even if it sounds somewhat peculiar to you. Remember, the master decision to avoid pain and gain pleasure, was taken by us as infants; we did not know any better. Now as adults, we can re-evaluate the decision and try to utilize a different strategy; please experiment with the suggested strategy and see what results it may bring.