To open up the door that leads to the path towards freedom, you must start with understanding what is. Striving aimlessly towards a desired result or an ideal only creates more conflict, more misery and confusion within. If you have a drinking problem (and I do and will discuss more in future posts), you must understand why you drink or why you think you have a drinking problem. This requires you to be brutally honest with yourself. Suppression or discipline will ultimately fail if the source of the problem is not discerned. It all starts with awareness and understanding.
But instead of looking at the source of the problem, we often immediately apply "duct tape" to our problems. Alcohol, drugs, food, sex or any other vice or temporary escape serve as the duct tape in people's lives. It may seem to fix the problem on the surface but deep down the structure can't be mended until you fully understand how it functions. The easiest and yet hardest thing, though, is taking the time to learn about the structure. We are all too impatient and like quick fixes and instant gratification so we continue to pile on the duct tape.