“Junk turns the user into a plant. Plants do not feel pain since pain has no function in a stationary organism. Junk is a pain killer. A plant has no libido in the human or animal sense. Junk replaces the sex drive. Seeding is the sex of the plant and the function of opium is to delay seeding.Perhaps the intense discomfort of withdrawal is the transition from plant back to animal, from a painless, sexless, timeless state back to sex and pain and time, from death back to life.”
— William S. Burroughs
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"Junk turns the user into a plant. Plants do not feel pain since pain has no function in a stationary organism. Junk is a pain killer. A plant has no libido in the human or animal sense. Junk replaces the sex drive. Seeding is the sex of the plant and the function of opium is to delay seeding. Perhaps the intense discomfort of withdrawal is the transition from plant back to animal, from a painless, sexless, timeless state back to sex and pain and time, from death back to life." — William S. Burroughs. Choosing to heal and feel again can be terrifying, but feeling pain is the ultimate proof that you are awake, alive, and human. What is one uncomfortable emotion you have learned to embrace rather than numb?
About this quote
In our deepest moments of struggle, the instinct to escape suffering is profoundly human. We build walls, indulge in numbing habits, and seek quiet refuges that dull the sharp edges of existence. William S. Burroughs captures this paradox with piercing clarity: when we eliminate all discomfort, we don't merely quiet our suffering—we forfeit our vitality. To exist in a painless, stationary state is not genuine peace; it is a slow surrender of everything that makes us human. Healing is rarely gentle. The return of feeling after a long period of emotional dormancy or detachment can feel agonizing, disorienting, and heavy. Yet that sharp return to reality—the raw sting of vulnerability, the pull of longing, the awareness of time passing—is the undeniable proof of your awakening. Pain and joy share the very same doorway; you cannot seal yourself off from sorrow without also locking out love, passion, and purpose. Choosing to live fully means accepting the entire human spectrum. Do not fear the discomfort of stepping out of the shadows. Embrace the ache as a sign that you are moving, growing, and reclaiming your place in the world. You were never meant to live as a stationary spectator—you were made to feel, to desire, and to courageously come back to life.
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