Cornel West & Cigarettes

#1. Watch this and share it with all your friends. It really is Cornel West speaking about the 40th Anniversary of the Attica uprising and the political situation at present.

#2. Today is day 2 of my personal non-smoking campaign. I know, what with my amazing parenting skills as outlined in this blog, you're probably shocked that someone as liberally-minded and conscious as I am actually smokes, but it's true. People who know better sometimes smoke and even if they are tied in knots about the guilt of smoking because of what it does to their bodies, the corporations that own the tobacco companies... it's not logical. I don't think addiction ever is. (Are humans ever very logical?)

I started a long time ago. Longer than I want to mention. I quit when I decided to have my son and stayed quit until the winter of the nasty divorce. Seemed a good excuse, if ever there was one. I knew the cigarette I was bumming was playing with fire, but I did it anyway. It was a conscious choice. It made all those uncomfortable feelings I was having not matter so much. Then it was on. Natural cigarettes, of course. And light ones at that, but still. That's how I became a smoker again.

And that continued because nicotine is the prefect drug. It becomes whatever you need, stimulation if you're groggy, relaxation if you're hyped up. About 3 months ago I decided I needed to stop this nonsense of smoking and hating that I smoked and just cease. I put my birthday down as the commemorative date. And yesterday was my first day without. Like I said, today is day 2.

There are smoking cessation packets, drugs and other recommended protocols. In the past, I have tried it all. Patches, gum, weaning down, meditation, acupuncture, and of course, ice cream therapy. I prefer Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, but it is a personal choice, I totally understand the importance to find your own way with this.

Before bed on the night of my birthday, I threw my cigarette pack away. I threw them out and told myself I would not smoke no matter what, a day at a time. I bought a huge bag of Dum Dums lollipops and frankly am pretty edgy, but I anticipate survival. Speaking of survival, as nice as it is to be able to change your emotional state as easy as smoking a cigarette, it's not worth it in the long term. See below.