"Addicted to what?" I hear you ask.

We are addicted to unconsciously listening to a voice which is constantly babbling away in our mind.

A voice which directs our actions, thoughts, feelings, emotions and decisions. A voice which is torturing us and talking us into a lifetime of self-abuse. Every moment of our life.

It is like we are all sitting in a horror movie.

Everyone is wearing invisible virtual reality headsets and we are all listening and reacting to everything that we hear, completely unconscious of it most of the time. The vision is blinkered, so only the straight ahead view is visible.

As the headset sends a verbal and sensory message into our body a knife appears in our hand and we thrust it into our own guts. Then, with the blinkered view, the head moves around to see who has stabbed us. There must be someone to blame, it can’t be our own fault. We would never do that to ourselves.

A face is found and blame is given to that One.

We thrust the knife again, as if we can cause pain to another, but again the knife is thrust into our own guts. This time it is a conscious thrust, but the unconscious kicks in as the knife goes in. As that One is just another aspect of ourselves, and is in reality the same One, all blame is instantly reflected back to us in personal pain and suffering.

We look pleased with ourselves and thrust the knife in again, seemingly oblivious to the self-inflicted nightmare which is being acted out. As if we are being clever or something.

There is blood everywhere. It is ugly, ugly, ugly but we have no idea what we are doing to ourselves.

We meet someone who is free of the headset. Their compassion wells up for us and they suggest that we take the awful virtual reality headset off.

They are able to show us how to easily take this awful headset off. Their wish is to help, and with ease for a moment we are free from the pain and see the insanity of our actions. We also see the beauty of life in all of its glory and simplicity.

In the next moment, like addicts who need a fix, the headset is snatched back up. The knife appears in the hand again and the thrusting into our own guts continues.

That One is now to blame for the pain and the withdrawal symptoms.

Jokes are made and life goes on and on in the self-inflicted hell which is ‘normal’ daily living. There is always another excuse to put the headset back on again and get another hit of this drug.

To begin with the drug of the chattering mind feels as if it soothes the pain. It promises glory, happiness and love. It is only after a lifetime of failing to deliver that on our deathbed we will see the lie and at that point regret and remorse floods in.

What a wasted life. This drug has sucked the marrow out of the bones of our life and has left us tormented and in agony, with a smile on the top for everyone to see.

Will you let it get away with it? Will you carry on pretending that everything is OK?

This drug of the chattering mind is ruining our lives and we are so intoxicated by it that we don’t even seem to notice. There are moments when the light of truth shines through and hope glistens on the horizon, and then those blinkered headsets are back on, trying to fill the gap and numb the pain that they are causing, once more.

Like any addict, it is not until we 'really' want to stop that we will do what it takes to actually kick the habit.

We can know and understand all of the theory of how it is our choice and our creation for an eternity, but the real moves can only be made when all parts of ourselves have a definite and definitive, committed YES to stop.

Half assed yes, will never work.

Half assed yes, will never get through the tough times without another hit of the drug to help it through.

Half assed yes, will have us back at the beginning over and over again until the big, core deep YES is finally chosen.

It appears to take a lot of pain to inspire that big YES, that commitment to fight until the finish and be free of the drug.

In truth the pain is not necessary, but the drug of the chattering mind has us under its spell.

The headset tells you that "it’s really hard if not impossible, especially for me", "the finish is a long way away" and "maybe tomorrow will be soon enough to start" or "I don’t know what she’s talking about, there’s nothing wrong with me".

Please take off the headset and kick the habit. It is a lie.

You can. Now.