Hi Lama la, I was alarmed to read that around 70% of young people in the world are fervent gamblers or even gambling addicts. With such a high number heavily engaged in the gaming industry, I despair for the future of our society. How did so many people lose their way and what can be done to restore people’s morals.

Master – This is not so much a moral issue, but a social one, and to address the problem, we need to investigate the causes. Why are so many people finding gambling attractive? These are the common reasons:

Thrill and Excitement: The excitement of taking risks and the possibility of winning big can be very appealing. The rush of adrenaline can be similar to other thrill-seeking activities.
Escape from Reality: Gambling can provide a temporary escape from stress, boredom, or personal problems. The focus on the game can distract from everyday concerns.
Social Interaction: For some, gambling is a social activity. It can be a way to spend time with friends or meet new people.
Entertainment: Many people view gambling as a form of entertainment, similar to going to a movie.
Hope for Quick Financial Gain: The potential to win money can be a strong motivator. Some might gamble in hopes of changing their financial situation or achieving a dream.

Of course, the reasons behind someone buying a lottery ticket once in a while and another who is addicted to online gaming or playing parala are totally different.

For the casual lottery ticket-buyer, the reason for the purchase could be just a bit of fun or maybe they felt lucky on one day. There would be no negative social repercussions from this kind of activity.

As mentioned above, the desire to gain quick and easy money or to alleviate boredom are other common reasons for people to become compulsive gamblers.

In contrast, there is nearly always some kind of childhood trauma at the root of any addictive behavior, not only to gambling, but also to shopping, drugs, alcohol, pornography, or sex. Why is this the case? Well, trauma leads to mental pain, and drugs, gambling and other compulsive behaviors help block it out.

Drugs and alcohol obviously have the strongest effect as the substances totally change the thinking pattern of the abuser. However, all kinds of addiction have a negative effect on the individual and society as a whole as they result in debt and loss of control, which leads to monetary crime and violence.

How do we address these issues when addiction is involved? Banning the activities is a common approach, but unless the root causes are addressed, they will merely manifest in other harmful ways.

As an example, even if drugs are totally contained, a person with mental pain who abuses drugs will not turn to bird-watching, but will likely shift his addiction to alcohol, which although legal has been shown to be the psychoactive substance with the most negative social impact due to its capacity to engender violence.

Instead of using rehab to treat a person’s addiction and education to address the underlying social issues, however, many countries have blindly followed the Western punitive model of dealing with drug abuse, which is to treat abusers as criminals and incarcerate them. This method has not only totally failed to curb the number of people using drugs, but has trapped many young people in an endless cycle of jail and relapse.

Yet, despite the fact that this method has not only failed to stem epidemic drug abuse, but exacerbated it, many countries continue with the same failed strategy. Why has it been unsuccessful? Because the approach has not only neglected to address the underlying causes of the problem, but further damages already fragile minds. Dr. Gabor Mate offers a clear explanation on the causes of addiction in this short Youtube video uploaded by ‘FightMediocrity’: “The Best Explanation of Addiction I’ve Ever Heard – Dr. Gabor Maté.”

As an addiction, gambling is similar, and cannot just be stopped at will, but requires counseling to address the underlying causes and support to stay away from the cards or dice.

Otherwise, gambling can be the result of social pressure to succeed financially. This can occur when society does not respect people who are honest, hard-working, and who take care of others, but instead misguidedly only admires and idolizes those with big cars, lavish life-styles, and hefty bank accounts.

How do we deal with these issues? Well, education is the most effective way to transform social problems as it reaches almost every household and community. Sadly, however, many countries have naively adopted modified versions of education curriculums introduced to the world by the British during the colonial era, and then sustained by post-war US foreign policy.

These systems were devised to create material wealth and power. They did not have the goal to turn out disciplined, well-adjusted human beings who are creative and caring.

As drug abuse and anti-social behaviour, not to mention suicide and depression, has increased drastically around the world, it should be obvious that these education systems need to be adapted, but few countries have done so, and national curriculums continue to primarily focus on math and science, while art, music, poetry etc are totally ignored.

Even important issues like life skills, such as how to raise children in a modern environment or how to take care of our health and mental wellbeing have been totally overlooked in favor of academic subjects.

Then, when countries suddenly realize that they have social and health issues, they are surprised and blame the youth, who are merely a product of the society and environment in which they were raised. When youth go off track, we can only point the finger at ourselves.

If society and education had no influence on a child’s development, then teens and young adults would be similar in every liberal democracy, but they are not. As an example, violent crime and drug abuse is very low in Taiwan and Japan, whereas it is high in the US and UK, with the US being home to some of the most dangerous cities on the planet.

However, babies in the two East Asian countries and those in the two Western ones are the same, and it is not that those born in the US have a higher propensity to engage in criminal activity than those in Taiwan. It is the difference in social and education systems that produce either well-adjusted and caring adults or disturbed juvenile delinquents, not genes.

Put in agricultural terms, if rice that comes from the same sack flourishes in certain areas where it is planted but fails in others, do we look at the rice or the soil and environment?

Finally, in addition to education, youth also need facilities that keep them engaged in healthy activities. In this respect, authorities should not merely look at providing free or subsidized skateboard parks, futsal and basketball grounds, and dance studios from a short-term budget perspective, but see it as an investment in the future of the youth and the nation.

Fortunately, His Majesty’s visionary Gyalsung initiative has been launched, and this should go a long way in addressing the current social issues and help turn out disciplined, compassionate, creative, independent thinkers who are capable of serving their families, communities, and the nation. So, don’t despair. Timely incentives that will produce positive results are already up and running.