The Fifth Stage of Desensitization: Gluttony

What I write about here today I hope you will never know from experience. This is a hard level. A dangerous level. A deadly level. Here, in this fifth and final stage, all discernment is destroyed. Gone are rationalization and justification. Complacency and even snobbery are now past. All that is left is a hollow shell of what was, a craving of insatiable proportions. You no longer care about labels: Evil has become an addiction.

When we think of addictions, we often think of drugs or alcohol or gambling. But an addiction can come from anything, because all good things have a dark side. Therefore, you can exchange the good and evil (snobbery) before descending to this last level. Protectiveness can turn into stalking (addiction to a person). Confidence grows into pride (addiction to power—to being the leader everyone looks to). Even religious activities can become an addiction.

So if the craving dictates what you do, if the only thing that matters is finding the next fix or a greater high, then you have most likely broken into this final level and are in need of serious help.