I smoked cigarettes for years. I quit twice. Restarted twice.

The third time I hit upon a new strategy. I bought a pack—when I didn't need a pack—opened it right away, and let it sit.

It took a month or so. But a day came when I hadn’t had a cigarette in about a week and I needed one. I lit one up, took one puff and threw it away. It was the last puff I ever had on a cigarette, now 18 years ago.

Stale cigarettes taste like crap.

The point?

I didn’t have to start loathing my addiction (and thus myself for being what I was, a cigarette smoker), as a way of quitting. I didn’t even have to loathe the industry that profited off tobacco addiction. I didn’t have to hate or loath anything, not even cigarettes. I just had to learn to dislike one tiny quality. The taste!

All of us are addicted to life. To living. Reading your stuff, and maybe this is your style, your schtick, your hook to get readers, but I sense loathing. You seem to loath humans for being who we are.

Personally, I dislike aspects of humanity. But I don’t loath humans, human aspirations, human foibles, human failures.

I see us as children finding our way without parents to guide us.

But we are learning.

Take care!

(and oh yeah! Thanks for reading, and the response!)