Driven to Distraction

“People will happily pay to be distracted.”
The Chemical Buddha noticed how people would pay a lot to not have to think about things. The movies, sporting events, self-help books and retreats, and on and on. People would shell out big bucks to to pretend life is better than it is. And none of this includes the billions of dollars people spent using drugs to check out of their lives. TCB couldn’t figure out what people thought was wrong with their life. Why did it bother them so much they didn’t want to think about? For The Chemical Buddha's whole life was a distraction from his distractions which somehow made sense to him. And he would tell you that, if you could have held his attention long enough to ask.
What do you use to distract yourself?
What are you trying to distract yourself from?
What would happen if you didn’t distract yourself and just felt/paid attention to your life?

Numb all Over

“Drugs prevent you from feeling your life.”
Other than helping him achieve enlightenment, one of the things The Chemical Buddha liked about taking drugs was how it took any anger, fear or sadness and changed it into an even mellow. Of course, alcohol did sometimes bring out the anger and tears. And coke and meth made him a little manic but it was usually better than what he was feeling. The Chemical Buddha believed this was the reason people took drugs. TCB also thought we all take things as a way of preventing ourselves from truly experiencing what it means to be human and alive. But it beat the hell out of feeling the pain of the past and the possibility of healing it. (Of course, none of this applied to The Chemical Buddha because he was an enlightened spiritual leader.)
How do you keep from feeling your feelings?
How do you justify doing things you know are hurtful to yourself or others?