The pleasures of our world as seen by society can be divided into several types: status symbols (wealth, fame), natural (family), criminal (pleasures experienced at the expense of others’ lives), illegal (pleasures experienced at the expense of others’ property), amorous (romantic pleasures), and more. All of these are understood by society, even though some of them are condemned and punished.
But there is a certain type of pleasure, unacceptable in any type of society, that always evokes protest. It causes enormous funds to be spent on attempts to combat it, even though the damage it causes society is, perhaps, the least significant.
For example, drug addicts are, as a rule, unpretentious people who are deeply absorbed in their inner sensations. Why, then, do we not allow our fellow human beings to engage in pleasures that pose only a small threat to society? Why not just give them a chance to enjoy their unassuming, peaceful pleasures, which don’t harm others, unlike criminal, illegal and other pleasures?
The answer is that false pleasures divert us from our true goals. They cause us to forget ourselves, and propel us to spend all our lives chasing them as if we were dazed.
Is it then true that all objects that attract us are false pleasures? Instead of seeking true pleasure and turning to spiritual things, we seek satisfaction in forever changing fashions, in improving our lifestyles, and in manufacturing new articles.
It is as if we were in a race to perpetuate attractive bearers of new pleasures, lest we feel life will not give us sufficient enjoyment.
As soon as we attain what we have been striving for, we must immediately set the next goal, because what we have attained soon loses its attraction.
Yet, without hope for new pleasures, without seeking and chasing them, we seemingly have no incentive to live. Therefore, can’t it be said that all of our fashions and our lifestyles, all that we constantly pursue, are but another kind of drug?
What is the difference between a drug addict’s pleasure and the pleasure derived from the mundane and the material? Why does the Creator, the Divine Supervisor, oppose the pleasures derived from drugs? Why does He cause us to pass anti-drug legislation in this world? Why do we not extend the same approach to all other material pleasures derived from the common objects of this world?
Drugs are prohibited in our world precisely because they allow us to escape reality. They make us incapable of facing the blows and beauty of life, which are caused by the absence of egoistic pleasures. These blows are, in fact, a means of reforming us, since only a small part of the population turns to religion and to Kabbalah in order to change.
Paradoxically, we turn to the Creator in times of hardship, when we are shaken by grief. It is odd that we do not turn away from the Creator during the hard times, since it was He Who sent us our suffering.
Drugs are a source of false pleasure and are therefore prohibited. Those who fall under the influence of drugs are under an illusion of pleasure that bars them from finding the path to true spiritual pleasure. For this reason, drugs are subconsciously seen by society as the most dangerous addiction, although they present no immediate hazard to other people.