Killing One Softly With Each Puff

Yesterday, my parents and I went to visit one of dad's old neighbour whose father has just passed away. Apparently, he had been sick for quite some time and even required an oxygen tank to help him breathe. A day or two before he moved on, he told his son to put one of his pot of roses to the side of the garden. And miraculously, on the day that he died, a rose bloomed.

He was a smoker. One side of his lungs failed long ago and the other one only had 30% left. Once, his heartbeat even stopped. He was brought back to life, and then decided to quit smoking for good. Alas, the change did not come soon enough because his health continued to deteriorate, finally succumbing to death a week ago.

It is a pity when i see people falling victim to the cancer stick. While i don't hate smokers, i certainly don't agree with that lifestyle. Plus, don't they know that it makes them smell? A dear person once experimented with smoking and it pissed me off. I remember telling him/her "Why pay for cigarettes to kill yourself slowly? Might as well take a knife and stab yourself. It's free."

I don't know if that was a little too harsh but that is exactly how i feel to this date. I hate it when people tell me that they smoke because it helps them to release stress. What a whole load of bullshit. I have my own issues to deal with but i don't smoke.

Some smokers will say, "Hey, at least i'm not doing drugs." Hello, if you compare yourself to someone who is worse than yourself, of course you're going to look like an angel. Why not compare yourself to a non-smoker?"

And don't get me started about social smokers. That's like a 'sophisticated' title for those who smoke because they want to belong. Because they think it's cool. I reckon a social smoker is more disgusting than the usual smoker.

If you smoke and are offended by this, well, i don't care. I'm not forcing you to quit smoking so please don't force your habit on me.