Drunk in this world

Recently I read the following from the Tricycle Magazine

So long as the mind feels pleasure and pain, it’s drunk. Even while practicing the dhamma, it’s drunk, you know. People can get drunk eating rice—there’s no need to drink alcohol. If you eat a lot of rice, you can get drunk—drunk on rice. The same with the dhamma: Don’t get drunk on it. When people are drunk on the dhamma, they don’t stop. They keep on talking. If they see anybody coming, they want to grab him by the arm and give him a sermon on the dhamma. That’s a sign that they’re drunk on dhamma. They go after everybody: “I want to teach that person; I want to do this person a favor by teaching him the dhamma”—and so they do a favor to the entire country by teaching the dhamma. That’s a sign of drunkenness. Being drunk on the dhamma is no different from being drunk on alcohol. They’re really similar. Don’t go there. You have to look carefully, again and again, for sometimes something is dhamma, but it’s drunk. That’s not right.
From Still, Flowing Water, by Venerable Ajahn Chah, trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu © 2013. Reprinted with permission.

And I have been reflecting on it for the past two days. The more I reflect, the more I feel that this phrase is so true! As our minds get "taken over", drawn totally into the story of things, it becomes like when one is drunk. One just simply follows without discernment. One becomes unclear of what is happening and one's heart just goes off tangent. As such, the training is to be constantly mindful. When mindfulness is strong, and one already is educated on Right View, then it is difficult for 'distractions'/defilements to grow. It's like it loses fuel to burn, no oxygen to burn and it dies of natural death.

However, in a society like Singapore, with too many things to do and too little time, our minds are pulled in all directions and it is tough to practice in this manner. However, if we keep the thought of practicing in our minds, whenever there is an opportunity, likw when we are walking from place to place and especially if we are alone, we will clarify our minds, meaning to make it clear and see things clearly. Slowly, this will grow and then we will be able to do it better and better and slowly it will start to break into other parts of our lives. I think this is how we can practice in Singapore....without going anywhere else.So, I hope everyone can always keep the heart to practice at the back of their head and clarify their minds :) Then the world will then be a better place with less 'drunkards' :)