It seems as though Shankar Vedantam of Slate is first discovering that which Buddha warned about long ago. Parents are junkies - just like all other non-enlightened beings.Define junkie? Vedantam does: We have a name for people who pursue rare moments of bliss at the expense of their wallets and their social and professional relationships: addicts.
Buddha’s definition was a bit more verbose. What is commonly referred to as Buddha’s Four Noble Truths goes something like this: There is almost universal suffering; it arises from clinging, craving (attachment); it abates with letting-go (the liberation of non-attachment); liberation is accompanied by rightful living (which includes understanding of the first three Noble Truths, mindfulness, meditation, plus an ethical lifestyle).
It’s no wonder that what began as just AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) - has now proliferated into NA(Narcotics Anonymous), OA (Overeaters Anonymous), WA (Workaholics Anonymous), and a host of other such groups. Perhaps soon, thanks to Vedantam, the already-existing PA (Parents Anonymous) will need to broaden its scope to include not just some parents, but all parents.
Truth be told (which was one of Buddha’s favorite pastimes), humans seem hard-wired for addictions of all kinds. Check the media. Check the schools. Check the mini-marts. Check the maxi-marts. And yes, check the all-too-often “opiate of the masses” worship centers.
Buddha’s “cure” is summarized within his Eightfold Path. According to Religioustolerance.org, this Path consists of right understanding, right thinking, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation.
Seems a bit more encompassing than birth control…
Resources
http://www.slate.com/id/2274721/#return
http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism1.htmPa
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