The Addictive Power of Context: How to Overcome It

[HMD]

Here is something I have observed directly: our minds get accustomed to (and even dependent on) contexts. Give it some time, and you can get used to any context. For example, someone who grew up in a chaotic or unstable home environment may become addicted to this particular context, which they can become aware of in their direct experience and change. On the surface, it may look like they are addicted to the drama and excitement. Here are some other examples to reinforce this concept:

• Someone who grew up in a highly competitive environment may seem addicted to the pressure and adrenaline of constantly striving for success, even at the expense of their health and well-being. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has experienced trauma or abuse may seem addicted to the rush of adrenaline that comes with danger or risky situations, even if it puts them in harm's way. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has always been in a position of authority or power may seem addicted to the control and influence they have over others, even if it leads to abusive or manipulative behaviors. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has always been surrounded by people who reinforce their beliefs and opinions may seem addicted to the validation and affirmation of their worldview, even if it is narrow-minded or exclusionary. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has always been in a position of privilege or advantage may seem addicted to the perks and benefits that come with their status, even if it blinds them to the struggles and injustices faced by others. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.

Here is the key insight: it's not the particular environment or feeling that we remember. Rather, we subconsciously remember the context and associate the positive feelings we are experiencing with that context. Why is this important? Because you can become aware of the context and realize that it is illusory, allowing you to be more present in the moment, which will bring you more joy because you will be closer to the Truth. You will also be able to drop your addictions and become more productive and flexible in your life.

Let me explain this with the example of social media.

When we are in the context of the social matrix through social media platforms, we feel comfortable, at home, and safe (granted that some people are instantly able to intuit the toxicity of such platforms, but remember that the majority of society is addicted to it). It feels as if you are where you belong, which gets us highly dependent on this context of being on social media.

There are many factors contributing to the manifestation of this feeling. But the most pernicious one is the ability of the social media platforms to exploit our need for novelty. Jordan Peterson explains this point eloquently. Humans crave order, but too much of it can be mind-numbing, and too much chaos on the other hand can be paralyzing. So naturally, we want to be in the middle of these two. The structure of the social media platform provides the order, and the constant chaos or novelty - in the form of unlimited content - provides this feeling of being in the middle of order and chaos.

You can argue from a neurophysiological perspective that if we do something that is good for survival, we get our dopamine hit, we remember the behavior we were doing as we were getting this dopamine hit, and this is how behaviors are formed. Which is not wrong. But this way of thinking is too simplistic and abstract because it is not something you can observe in your direct experience. Yes, you can use this information conceptually to understand and justify your behaviors, but you cannot directly observe it.

As I mentioned earlier, our minds do not simply remember the action or behavior we engaged in when we experienced this heightened state. We become accustomed to, comfortable with, and eventually addicted to the context. So, when we decide to do other things like reading a book, the context changes. The context of reading a book has a different feel to it, generally less chaotic, stimulating, and calmer. Suddenly, you feel the need to change the context to one that is more familiar and comfortable. While you can read a book in different contexts, some more pleasing than others, they generally do not compete with the power of the social matrix (or watching porn, smoking weed, and even experiencing mystical states), which is substantially more addictive. Perhaps you are a bookworm who is more comfortable with reading books, but you get the idea.

So, what can we do to improve? Simply become more mindful and start seeing the context of the major activity we spend most of our time in. From there, start noticing how each context feels, which ones are your favorite, which ones repel you or bore you. Finally, realize that all of these contexts are illusory. This way, you will start living more in the present moment. Eventually, you may also decide to drop the context of the present moment and go beyond, but that comes later. At first, all of this will be difficult because you are so accustomed to living with various contexts, and there are various internal and external incentives for you to live that way. But with practice and awareness, you will become better at it.

Edited April 11, 2023 by HMD

[Manusia]

This is interesting.. and make sense. Thank you for sharing. 

[HMD]

5 hours ago, Manusia said:

This is interesting.. and make sense

Thanks for the feedback!

 

5 hours ago, Manusia said:

Thank you for sharing.

You are welcome. 

[Israfil]

8 hours ago, HMD said:

Simply become more mindful and start seeing the context of the major activity we spend most of our time in. From there, start noticing how each context feels, which ones are your favorite, which ones repel you or bore you. Finally, realize that all of these contexts are illusory. This way, you will start living more in the present moment. Eventually, you may also decide to drop the context of the present moment and go beyond, but that comes later.

This is some insight I needed. Been struggling with alcohol for some time. It's starting to affect my larger goals. Thank you for sharing 

[HMD]

@Israfil I hope you realign with your goals again soon!

[Danioover9000]

@HMD

On 2023-04-11 at 5:01 AM, HMD said:

Here is something I have observed directly: our minds get accustomed to (and even dependent on) contexts. Give it some time, and you can get used to any context. For example, someone who grew up in a chaotic or unstable home environment may become addicted to this particular context, which they can become aware of in their direct experience and change. On the surface, it may look like they are addicted to the drama and excitement. Here are some other examples to reinforce this concept:

• Someone who grew up in a highly competitive environment may seem addicted to the pressure and adrenaline of constantly striving for success, even at the expense of their health and well-being. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has experienced trauma or abuse may seem addicted to the rush of adrenaline that comes with danger or risky situations, even if it puts them in harm's way. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has always been in a position of authority or power may seem addicted to the control and influence they have over others, even if it leads to abusive or manipulative behaviors. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has always been surrounded by people who reinforce their beliefs and opinions may seem addicted to the validation and affirmation of their worldview, even if it is narrow-minded or exclusionary. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.
• Someone who has always been in a position of privilege or advantage may seem addicted to the perks and benefits that come with their status, even if it blinds them to the struggles and injustices faced by others. But that's just a portion of the broader context, which is more elaborate and experiential.

Here is the key insight: it's not the particular environment or feeling that we remember. Rather, we subconsciously remember the context and associate the positive feelings we are experiencing with that context. Why is this important? Because you can become aware of the context and realize that it is illusory, allowing you to be more present in the moment, which will bring you more joy because you will be closer to the Truth. You will also be able to drop your addictions and become more productive and flexible in your life.

Let me explain this with the example of social media.

When we are in the context of the social matrix through social media platforms, we feel comfortable, at home, and safe (granted that some people are instantly able to intuit the toxicity of such platforms, but remember that the majority of society is addicted to it). It feels as if you are where you belong, which gets us highly dependent on this context of being on social media.

There are many factors contributing to the manifestation of this feeling. But the most pernicious one is the ability of the social media platforms to exploit our need for novelty. Jordan Peterson explains this point eloquently. Humans crave order, but too much of it can be mind-numbing, and too much chaos on the other hand can be paralyzing. So naturally, we want to be in the middle of these two. The structure of the social media platform provides the order, and the constant chaos or novelty - in the form of unlimited content - provides this feeling of being in the middle of order and chaos.

You can argue from a neurophysiological perspective that if we do something that is good for survival, we get our dopamine hit, we remember the behavior we were doing as we were getting this dopamine hit, and this is how behaviors are formed. Which is not wrong. But this way of thinking is too simplistic and abstract because it is not something you can observe in your direct experience. Yes, you can use this information conceptually to understand and justify your behaviors, but you cannot directly observe it.

As I mentioned earlier, our minds do not simply remember the action or behavior we engaged in when we experienced this heightened state. We become accustomed to, comfortable with, and eventually addicted to the context. So, when we decide to do other things like reading a book, the context changes. The context of reading a book has a different feel to it, generally less chaotic, stimulating, and calmer. Suddenly, you feel the need to change the context to one that is more familiar and comfortable. While you can read a book in different contexts, some more pleasing than others, they generally do not compete with the power of the social matrix (or watching porn, smoking weed, and even experiencing mystical states), which is substantially more addictive. Perhaps you are a bookworm who is more comfortable with reading books, but you get the idea.

So, what can we do to improve? Simply become more mindful and start seeing the context of the major activity we spend most of our time in. From there, start noticing how each context feels, which ones are your favorite, which ones repel you or bore you. Finally, realize that all of these contexts are illusory. This way, you will start living more in the present moment. Eventually, you may also decide to drop the context of the present moment and go beyond, but that comes later. At first, all of this will be difficult because you are so accustomed to living with various contexts, and there are various internal and external incentives for you to live that way. But with practice and awareness, you will become better at it.

   This is interesting, but I've always felt that the content and the details tend to be far more stickier than the context, as most people look up to the science community nowadays due to the human brain and big bang theory replacing Jesus Christ and God as our narrative mythology story. Due to the differences in stages of development, cognitive and moral development, personality types and traits, states of consciousness, life experiences and other lines of development in domains of life, as well as ideological indoctrination from upbringing and culture.

   How I like to think and make sense of what I said, and parse the addictive context, is to think of it like a 3d modeling system, or a digital drawing program dealing with layers. If we look at the Shinzen Young modal for mindfulness with labelling, and we see the following categories of SIGHT/SOUND/FEELINGS with their INNER/OUTER distinctions followed by BEHAVIOR/SITUATIONS, we can apply more mindfulness towards these contexts by being more observant with each element of that context, by noting, labeling and savoring the raw sensory data of that context, layer by layer.

   Or we go with the contemplation method and start rom scratch, and either contemplate that context, or target the assumptions behind the contexts first, contemplate using a journal and using the mind much more. 

[HMD]

21 hours ago, Danioover9000 said:

I've always felt that the content and the details tend to be far more stickier than the context

@Danioover9000 You are right, the content and details are what make the behaviour stick. For instance, smokers are addicted to the nicotine, mainly.

However, it's not just the nicotine. Nicotine is part of the larger context of being a smoker, which they are addicted to, including the specific internal images they see during smoking, beliefs about smoking (smoking makes me look cool or smoking helps me deal with stress), the specific feelings it creates, and so on ... And all of this sums up and creates the overarching context in their direct experience. 

But your response got me to think about people who think more analytically than holistically or intuitively ( I am an ENFJ, so a lot of intuition there). They may not be able to see the larger context and go on to associate the positive feelings with specific elements instead the context, like I said in the post. This makes thing harder for them as they would first have to see the broader context and then break it down from there. 

21 hours ago, Danioover9000 said:

How I like to think and make sense of what I said, and parse the addictive context, is to think of it like a 3d modeling system, or a digital drawing program dealing with layers. If we look at the Shinzen Young modal for mindfulness with labelling, and we see the following categories of SIGHT/SOUND/FEELINGS with their INNER/OUTER distinctions followed by BEHAVIOR/SITUATIONS, we can apply more mindfulness towards these contexts by being more observant with each element of that context, by noting, labeling and savoring the raw sensory data of that context, layer by layer.

Exactly. Perhaps, this model  works best for the Holistic and Intuitive types to work with context, something I do daily. 

21 hours ago, Danioover9000 said:

 Or we go with the contemplation method and start rom scratch, and either contemplate that context, or target the assumptions behind the contexts first, contemplate using a journal and using the mind much more.

And this method is great for the Analytical types.

21 hours ago, Danioover9000 said:

as most people look up to the science community nowadays due to the human brain and big bang theory replacing Jesus Christ and God as our narrative mythology story. Due to the differences in stages of development, cognitive and moral development, personality types and traits, states of consciousness, life experiences and other lines of development in domains of life, as well as ideological indoctrination from upbringing and culture.

Yeah, that's the seductive lure of materialism. Many of these people have replaced one belief system for another and are masterbating each other for their heroic achievement. 

 

Anyways, I appreciate your thoughtful answer. Also, what is your MBTI type? 

Edited April 13, 2023 by HMD
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