Bradley was ill and I was busy, which should explain why this piece comes so late. But as Bradley’s health improves, so do the chances of seeing another article next week.
My head aches. Terribly. It feels like I have tiny, infinitely sharp glass splinters working their way into my brain. I am ill, and have to stay in bed most of the time. But I have to sweat out an article, as I promised, and although I am shamelessly late, I hope you will like it.
Many people, are familiar with a similar sensation, which in some cases is self-induced. Yes, I’m talking about a hangover. I am not an uptight conservative and will not lecture anyone about the evils of drinking. Drinking alcohol is a personal choice, and as long as these choices do not have an adverse effects (for example: drinking and driving) on the society, I cannot condemn them. But why do people drink?
Let’s be completely honest and frank. Booze isn’t even that tasty. It’s either too sour (wine), too bitter (beer) or too ‘hot’ (tequila). In time many people find their preference and stick with it, but nobody, unless this person is a total addict, will drink only booze. The point is that most people drink only occasionally (Friday nights), while some people don’t drink at all. The people who don’t drink are usually considered nerds, at least, that’s how our generation sees it (somehow, I don’t want to belong to this generation).
OK, so after establishing that alcoholic drinks are quite nasty and that people don’t need them for survival. But whenever a group of students decides to go out, they always end up drinking. They claim it’s for fun, but I think we all know better. The Ancient Romans used to say: ‘In Vino Veritas’ (truth in wine). I suppose we could apply this formula to any type of booze. In order to reveal the human nature, one must rid oneself of society-imposed boundaries. Some people can do this without mind altering substances. They just sit down and spill their hearts out, because as another Ancient Roman pointed out, ‘nothing human is alien to them’. Everything is human, there is no shame, no fear, no abnormality.
And unless all people become ’shame-less’ wine is probably one of the ways to seek the truth. Unfortunately, those who seek truth in this manner too intensively, find them selves in rehab. That’s easy, anyone can do that. As for me, I hope to find the truth without wine.
BSJ
The author is not encouraging excessive consumption of spirits for recreational purposes.
