Empathy not judgment needed to help fight drugs addiction

In our fast-paced, consumerist world, everything even a human being - is often judged by their perceived utility and ability to serve the needs of the collective. Those who dutifully participate in the relentless "rat race" are celebrated and rewarded, their worth validated by their output and success. But for the vulnerable and the weak, the story is all too different..

- SUPREET GILL

When individuals succumb to the grip of addiction and hit rock bottom, instead of extending a hand to lift them up, society is all too quick to push them further down.

This sadly is the mentality of conditional worth, where the very people who need our empathy the most are cast aside, their struggles dismissed as self-inflicted and unworthy of redemption. It is a cruel irony that in our world obsessed with usefulness and efficiency, the most human among us the broken, the wounded, the afflicted - are so utterly dehumanized. In a world quick to judge and even quicker to discard, the story of addiction is often oversimplified and misunderstood. Society's tendency to label and dismiss those struggling with addiction not only perpetuates stigma but also ignores the complex human stories behind each struggle.