Nature of Logic and Perception

Nature of Logic and Perception

To the average person in this world, the subject of cigarette smoking does not call for much thought. It is bad. This is pretty much known to be common sense. With all of the advertisements, written articles and horrible stories out there about the risks and problems associated with cigarette smoking, it is a well-known fact there are some very bad health issues associated with cigarette smoking. Some of these health risks include lung, mouth, throat and gum cancer. Smoking causes skin problems such as pigment loss and loose skin. It causes lung disease such as Ephazima. Some other problems associated with smoking are bad breath, and a general bad smell of smoke on the body and clothes. The cost of cigarette smoking can be very high to smokers. At five dollars per pack, a pack a day habit could cost a smoker almost $2,000 a year. In addition to all of these risks, smokers also cause the problem of second hand smoke ingestion to non-smokers. More and more these days, smokers are not being socially accepted because of these issues.

You may be wondering why a paper about logic and perception would begin with a quick lesson about the downfalls of cigarette smoking. Well to a former cigarette smoker, I will be able to explain this is detail. It is wonderful to say that today I haven't had a cigarette in about three years. Unfortunately, I did smoke for about ten years before quitting. And for me to quit smoking, I had to change my thinking and I need to continue to be observant of my thinking in order to not smoke, even until this day.

I had never tried a cigarette until I was around 20 years old. The reason for this was because I knew all the harms it could cause and did not see any reason to change my feelings on the subject. Somewhere along the line though, my thinking began to change on the subject. I believe this was due to the social culture I was living in. Many of my friends were smokers and the majority of my life at that time was spent going to bars and clubs at night where it seemed like everyone smoked. Before I knew it, I would be having a cigarette when I was out now and then. Next, my roommate and best friend began smoking. It was getting to the point to where everyone I associated with was a smoker and before I knew it, I too was a smoker. What was interesting here is that although everyone was aware of the dangers of smoking, these topics would absolutely never come up in conversation. If nothing else, I believe we would purposely associate ourselves with other smokers. Somehow, my thinking had changed from being dead set against cigarette smoking to thinking it as acceptable because of the environment around me.

Just how my environment and culture changed my perception of cigarette smoking to become a smoker, ten years later it assisted in changing my perception