October 16, 2025

Rat park

Decades ago, an interesting finding came out on the nature of addiction.

Rats were isolated, put in cages and given two water bottles — one plain water, and one laced with cocaine. The rats consistently chose the drug-laced water, often to the point of overdose and death.

The conclusion: when given easy access to addictive substances, animals will develop compulsive consumption patterns.

This finding led to broader cultural interpretations about human addiction — that it’s the drugs themselves that cause an addiction.

But then a new set of researchers had an idea: what if we take environment into account?

They then created "Rat Park" — a large, enriched environment with plenty of space, things to explore, other rats to socialize with, and opportunities for natural rat behaviors.

These engaged rats were then given the same choice between plain water and cocaine water.

The result? None of the rats in Rat Park became addicted to the cocaine-laced water. Zero.

The new conclusion: addiction is less about the pharmacological properties of drugs or individual weakness, and more about environmental factors — isolation, lack of meaningful connection, absence of purpose, and impoverished living conditions.

Practice
​Step-by-step instructions to turn theory into healing.

The Rat Park research reveals that addiction often stems from environmental deprivation rather than moral weakness. This week, conduct a thorough assessment of both your potential dependencies and the environmental factors that may be driving them.

Part 1: Honest Dependency Inventory

Create a private list examining your relationship with various substances and behaviors. For each item, rate your level of control (1-10, with 10 being complete control):

• Caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, prescription medications
• Digital devices, social media, news consumption, streaming
• Shopping, gambling, work, exercise
• Food patterns (sugar, processed foods, specific triggers)

Ask yourself: "If I tried to eliminate this for one week, how difficult would that be?" Items rated below 7 deserve closer examination.

Part 2: Environmental Assessment

Evaluate the quality of your "habitat" across key domains:

Social Connection: How many meaningful conversations do you have weekly? Do you have people you can call during difficult moments? Rate your sense of belonging in various communities (work, neighborhood, family, friends).

Physical Touch: When did you last experience non-sexual affectionate touch? Humans need approximately 8-12 instances of physical contact daily for optimal wellbeing.

Purpose and Engagement: What activities make you lose track of time? How much of your week involves tasks that feel meaningful versus merely obligatory? Boredom and lack of purpose create vulnerability to addictive behaviors.

Sensory Richness: How much time do you spend in natural environments? Do you regularly engage your senses beyond screens — music, textures, scents, varied foods?

Part 3: Strategic Environmental Design

Based on your self-assessment, identify one concrete change to enrich your environment: joining a group, scheduling regular social contact, creating a more stimulating living space, or establishing new routines that provide natural reward and connection.

Remember: This isn't about judgment but about understanding the relationship between your environment and behaviors. If this assessment reveals concerning patterns, consider speaking with a counselor or trusted friend for support.

Fake spirituality

A surprising number of “spiritual” folk are just acting, cosplaying. Talking the talk without walking the walk.

The dead giveaway is when someone uses all the right words - “presence,” "quantum healing," "5D consciousness," "divine masculine," “Yeshua” — but doesn’t have a daily meditation or devotional practice. It’s all tarot pulls, sageing, and parroting spiritual tropes.

Of course, the biggest culprits are unaware that they’re doing it. They think they are going somewhere. So here’s a question for all of us to introspect on. Be honest with yourself:

Do you think about manifestation more than you think about God?

Your answer reveals the layers of shadow within your own mind.

Remember, real spiritual growth has nothing to do with "raising your vibration" — that’s a byproduct of the real inner work. Spiritual progress makes you quiet. More peaceful, less defensive, increasingly free from thinking about yourself. It makes you risk everything for the promise of salvation.

And lest anyone feel superior, remember that we all go through this phase. It’s a part of the evolution of consciousness. We trade old masks for new ones until we are willing to completely let go of them all.

Meditate
​Bite-sized audios to help you become the master of your mind.

“Even if our homes burn down, we can rebuild. But the things we got for nothing, we can never replace.” — Earl Nightingale

That which is Real is freely distributed. That which is Fake has a price tag.

Forgiveness. Truth. Unity.

These are not commodities sold, or achievements earned. They are natural law—the mechanism through which you are returned back to Source. You get them for nothing.

Journal
​Contemplative questions on the nature of inner freedom.