Disclaimer. The writer used lesser humans figuratively and believes no one is a lesser human. The writer is exploring and by no means endorsing.
Growing up, there are some things we learned in school. It was in the syllabus. Some of us even witnessed what we read at home or just in our environment. I don’t want to drag my cryptic ways any more. We formed opinions and ideas about these things I am talking about. And that’s drugs.
Everyone thinks of, perceives drugs in their own way. This perception is influenced by a myriad of information or situations from our social, educational, political, business, moral and or religious environment.
The effects are either magnified or belittled. And the surprising or not so surprising fact, is the number of people who engage in alcohol, drugs and substances. The effects may be covert or overt. As in seen or unseen. Many a times, it is a societal problem. You may find that the user is not concerned. At least not more than the people around. It is a personal, yet shared ‘problem’. The lines are blurred. More than Thicke’s video of that song.
The definition is pretty simple, a chemical substance that alters the normal functioning of the body. Medicated, non-medicated, prescribed, non-prescribed, recreational, beverage or otherwise understood in diverse ways. I am not going to dwell on all these ways. I’ll just try to explore what sits on my title. Please let right and wrong leave this narrative. And let all non-prescribed drugs join us.
“It is cool to abstain from drugs. Discipline is equated with drug abstinence. Keep the body pure. I am not controlled by any substance. I care about my life therefore I abstain. Drugs are dangerous. Drugs can ruin one’s life”. Just some of the comments and narratives surrounding alcohol and substance use. Please allow me to use the term substance to refer to alcohol, cigarettes, joints, ecstasy, heroin, cocaine, MDMA and the whole shebang.
Those who happen to use, also win some perceptions. They don’t care about their life. They lack discipline. Anajiharibia maisha, (they are ruining their life). They are so cool! Wasting life away. They can still function while under influence? It might be a cry for help. I think she’s coping using alcohol. He just loves to enjoy and have fun. And sooo many more. The above may result in someone being perceived as a lesser being.
Factor all that to what they personally think about themselves and other users. The fear, shame, paranoia, secrecy… I’ve really dragged this storo.
Is there a better or worse substance? Are psychoactives more dangerous than cigarettes? Not gonna go there. Are people who use pills different humans from those who smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol?
There are human beings and then below them, there seem to lie those who use substances.
Worse still (yeah, a worst case scenario exists) is if they happen to sell these same substances. Substances are evil and by extension, so are the users and handlers. Keep away from them! Don’t be seen around them, watakuharibu! He must be uneducated and foolish. She must be carefree. It is a crime to use substances (not legally correct for all substances). He is arrested for smoking weed because he is a criminal! They deserve not to be around other humans. Because they are, lesser beings.
No effort is made to know people who use. I know what they use and therefore, I know who they are (rolls eyes so hard they fall off their sockets).
Identity reduced to the mere substance they use. Not so mere when it is magnified to encompass their total being. Never seen as a human. Only seen through the prism of what they use. Every decision, comment, thought, is taken in with a whole lot of ideas on what substance is used. When a mistake is made, must be because of what she uses. You know, it causes impaired judgement. All humans can make mistakes. But our dear lesser humans do not make mistakes because they are human only because of what they use. It is not only laughable but also disheartening.
As if all these outside beliefs are not enough, our dears end up internalizing the lesser human narrative. They believe that they sure are lesser humans. From here on, it is downhill.
But we were never, have never, will never be lesser humans. Have always been humans from the moment we were born, to our first puff, seventh shot, sixteenth injection all through to the point we ODs or become addicted.
Humans through and through.
Kness
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