Sunday, September 09, 2012

Thoughts on gambling addiction

I think there is a reason why gambling is so addictive. Not that I gamble, just that it got me thinking when I was on my way home from pushing hands.

Human nature is inherently competitive. We want to win. We don't like losing. It manifests itself in taiji, when people are afraid to lose and so obsessed with losing that they tense up and instead end up being pushed. Maybe gambling is the same. People want to win. After winning a few times, they gain some confidence and want to continue to win. And when they lose, they don't like losing, they try to win back. This competitive nature, the need to win, drives them to continue gambling even when the odds are against them, even when they continue to lose. Or so I think.

For me, I guess it will take some drastic life change for me to take up gambling. It is a vice that I stay far far away from.

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