With the advent of summer, it is finally time to embrace the warmth of sunlight and escape from a typically long and dreary Canadian winter. Unfortunately, the growing fear of West Nile virus puts a little quiver into our thousand-watt smiles. Who else is there to blame but those vexatious little critters we all know as mosquitoes? Putting it mildly, mosquitoes have never been “man’s best friend”, and it’s not even due to their expeditious ability to spread diseases. Instead, we merely cannot stand their irritable, tingling, and sometimes even burning bite, which always leads to an irresistible and often crazed itch. Of course, the instinctive reaction would be to scratch the bite, which without a doubt would relieve the swell of discomfort and provide a temporary, but nevertheless soothing satisfaction. What many people don’t consider is that while relieving the itch may end one problem, it can also be the inception of many others. On a surface level, scratching a physical itch seems harmless enough. However, those who give in to an itch usually experience the unanticipated consequence, which ironically, is an intensified itch. Naturally, more force will be applied to relieve each increased itch, but at the end, the only result would be a red arm with a bleeding mosquito bite that will now take twice the recovery time. Eerily, this closely resembles the addictions often sparked by itches that some people experience in their daily lives, which might explain why quitting smoking and substance abuse, such as alcohol or drugs, can be so difficult. Often, the most challenging impediment, also the hallmark characteristic of any addiction, is the frenetic and aching itch for “more”, which swallows all other priorities in one’s life. However, gratifying this itch for a calming and even indulging alleviation will only escalate the addiction. Particularly, each time smokers cave in to a nicotine itch, their subsequent itches will spurt at the same sickening pace as the long-term health damages they’ve garnered. The conundrum is worse when drugs are involved: once hooked, addicts’ needs for drugs becomes so controlling that it can engulf any trace of self-worth and sanity during their frantic hunt to assuage this overwhelming itch. Each time a battle is lost to the itch, they fall one step further down towards their demise, until health impairment creates a permanent scar rather than just a red arm. Of course, not all itches are as harmful as smoking or abusing drugs. In fact, the itches most people experience are simply a case of bad habits. Typical examples in the daily life for some people may be the undeniable itch to bite their nails or the undying itch to have just one more piece of chocolate cake (at the same time ignoring their stomach’s wild protests to stop). Although these itches can be laughed off as being innocuous, they still possess some negative characteristics, such as their insidious ability to desolate one’s self-control. Just from one’s failure to control their itches for such small habits, it’s easy to infer how well they can deal with the larger impediments of their lives. If our psychological itches can be comparable with the bumps (pardon the pun) and obstacles in the journey to success, then resistance to these itches plays a key role in gaining the endurance, strength, and determination required for achievement. In life, there are many times when we are faced with this conflict, especially after working long hours on compulsory, but wearisome tasks. For instance, it’s easy for students to surrender to their itches for pleasure and relaxation by sitting on the sofa watching the season finale of “Friends” rather than studying much less captivating exam topics. However, if these itches can be conquered, then there would be a greater chance of following a more auspicious path. Everyone will come across temptations, and human nature will urge them to succumb for these momentary satisfactions, but only the strongest people, those who can look beyond the present enticements and see the sacrifice necessary for a prosperous future, will flourish in their lives. Certainly, it would be ideal if everyone could resist all itches that cross their path, but being human means that no one is perfect; therefore, this is impossible. At times, even the strongest people will need to take a break from pursuits in life and instead, find a shortcut that will satisfy their itches for pleasure. Sometimes, the most valuable trait to possess may not be the ability to ignore an itch, but the wisdom to differentiate between a harmless itch and a deleterious one. More importantly, it is essential to gain the ability to never lose sight of your self-control and always keep a clear head when faced with life’s tempting itches.
