It is quite a miserable sight to see dogs regurgitate and get back to consume it again

Likewise, I have also frequently gone back to the same vomit time and time again knowing very well that it is futile and destructive.

My perspective of life was arrogant, disobedient and shortsighted, therefore, it constantly led me to drive back to the vomit of heroin and sexual immorality.

Many opportunities arose before me so that I could bounce back, yet none of it was taken into consideration or even given a glimpse at as I was incessantly after my cravings for the temporary pleasures of life. The day I realised that I have lost a countless number of the precious moments and precious people in my life as a result of running after those temporary pleasures, I was already behind hand. The train has already left with many wonderful moments that I could have lived in complete bliss. Unfortunately, most of us focus only on taking the easiest route towards happiness.

The narrow path always seems more difficult as it is full of obstacles and it clearly depicts no happiness in it. We always train our minds to seek the shortcut towards pleasure as we are reluctant to go through the process of moulding ourselves amidst sheer challenges.

If you want to become a bodybuilding champion, then there is no other way than practicing to lift heavy weights. Nevertheless, if you are reluctant to lift weights, then you must surely forgo your aspiration to become a bodybuilder.

Likewise, if you intend to become a champion in life by constructing a strong mind then you have no alternatives other than allowing your mind to bear the pressures and challenges in life. I have repeatedly mentioned the fact that you cannot jump over a 6 feet hurdle if you fail to jump over a 5 feet hurdle.

Similarly, if your mind is to endure a significant challenge then you must obviously have the capacity to endure the milder challenges prior to that. The education system will not allow you to do your GCE Advanced Level examination if you have failed your GCE Ordinary Level examination. This fundamental theory promptly applies to the mind battle as well. If you list out the things that you are in love with, you will come to realise that most of them are long term joy killers and short-term joy bringers.

Most of us embrace short term joy bringers clearly unknowing of the fact that one day they are going to kill our long-term joy and leave us in misery. These temporary comforters have deep seated within us to the extent of persuading our inner minds to never be trained to prioritise the long-term joys over the shortterm gratifications. Living the moment to its fullest should definitely be our goal but we must be more precise in defining what the fullest means to us. Ultimate bliss should definitely be sustainable, regardless of its circumstances.

If the happiness you attain by being at the bar for 3 hours continuously for 3 years, puts an end to your life at a hospital bed, dying of cirrhosis at the age of 45, you cannot define it as joy, as it is not sustainable.

This is what I call ‘Mind Blindness’, it is much more detrimental than physical blindness. This syndrome takes place the moment you train your mind to become short sighted, you can discern only the pleasures of the vicinity. The outcome of mind blindness are tears, pain, agony, stress and misery. After smacking heroin for a considerable time and losing everything I possessed, I realised that it is not going to do any good to me, but my mind was so addicted to it that it kept yearning for it even after knowing that it was detrimental.

The issue lies within those who do not see vomit as it is, instead they see them as pleasures.

That is the main reason people go back and forth towards short term pleasures which are seriously damaging to them in the long run. There are things you must keep with you but then there are things that you must throw up and get rid of as they are unsuitable to be kept with you. Unfortunately, what many do is that they hold on to things that they should throw away.

Another reason why they do not see vomit as vomit is because their close acquaintances are also blind towards it, hence they are also unable to see vomit as vomit. This is the very reason why it is very important to associate people who can differentiate black as black and white as white. When you are influenced by people who see black as white, your mind also tends to be blinded, then together you will continue to go back to the same old vomit seeking short term pleasures, unaware that it would destroy their lives one fine day.

Why not make a list of the people you associate with, evaluate if they actually help you to throw the vomit away or do they push you towards the vomit? If you have discarded what should not be in your life, even though the situation may seem tough there is no need to go back to them.

Unless you are fully equipped with a strong vision about life, all these temporary pleasures or what I addressed as vomit will easily encapsulate your mind towards a short- sighted view of life. Bodybuilders are restrained to have certain types of food and liquids for a period of time before the contest, it is a huge challenge according to them. Yet, they adapt to that discipline and vehemently avoid the unnecessary food and liquids to achieve their long-term goal of becoming a champion, the aspiration is s t ronger than any shor t - t e rm requirements.

Likewise, we should have a broader vision, over and above all the little temporary pleasures such as over sleeping, consuming junk food, carbonated drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, gambling, illicit relationships, immoral sexual activities including adultery and pornography.

These destructive pleasures impel you to become short sighted and drag you towards narrow desires.

Once you train your mind to endure narrow desires it never strives to notice the broader meaning of life. That will keep you happy at 2.15pm but extremely sad at 2.30pm. I do agree that life is consistently challenging but if you are fully equipped with a broader vision amidst the challenges, you will feel free as you are not a puppet or slave of your own negative thoughts. Think for a moment, even though you say you have freedom, do you actually have freedom?

Or are you being controlled by the desires within you, that you have permitted to take root in your life at one point. At that moment those pleasures seeked your approval to be with you, but today you are suffering as you are not you; you are controlled by the thoughts of detrimental pleasures that are gradually leading you towards futility, towards a life without sustainable joy.

For comments: e-mail: philipnehri@

chandanalepa.lk / TP: 0779526496

Then, we have the Bachelor of Law programme which can be used to be a lawyer in both Sri Lanka and the UK. But in Sri Lanka, of course, you have to sit for the Law College examination but in the UK, you can automatically become a barrister.