Anxiety and Psychedelics, or: "Why you think humanity is fucked"

[fractal fountain]

In my trips, I've gotten anxious about many things, but a recurring theme that keeps popping up in my head lately is about how the human species is on the teeter-totter to self-annhiliation.

I use this anxious energy to attempt to think of ways in which humanity can improve itself, ways in which our society can be restructured so there is less environmental impact from our species but...

We're anxious scared hyper-evolved primates, our behavior and biological impulses mainly come from our DNA makeup. We've evolved to this point where we control everything... but a search must be made for ways of balancing our priorities with the priorities of the earth. I don't get humans sometimes, it's like that 'drive for wealth' is an unstoppable biological instinctive impulse that every human being has to some extent as a result of selective evolution over our tribal societies.

I get anxious even though I bearly trip, this anxiety is highly reminiscent of psychedelic anxiety, like on the come up. Sometimes I'm able to mentally control this anxiety a little, but it drives obsessions into religion and humanity and structure and creative focus until... I feel too tired from it all.

 

[skinwalker]

Your insight is right on the money! My last intense mushroom trip revealed just that too me as well. We as a species ARE in an insane race to destroy ourselves, fueled primary by greed. Unfortunately, there are groups of people that are here to try and help that process move along as quickly as possible, through both terrorism and environmental destruction.
However, there are some really brilliant people who are working to help prevent this as well. The one solution to our problem imo is the "green" movement.
But what it really comes down to is ourselves, we as a whole cannot help without concentrating on what we do as individuals. I feel the answers lie in science, we just need to work harder, quicklier to unlock these secrets.
I dont blame you for feeling this burden as it is in our dna to survive and evolve.

 

[t.ska]

the way i look at is, everything needs a new fresh start sometimes.

 

[Legerity]

It seems to be an accurate assessment of our current situation. Anxiety seems to be a common sense reaction to what is going on. The majority of the species is acting like unconscious sheep that are only able to think the thoughts that our culture tells them to. Most people are so caught up in their own little stories that they ignore the big picture.

I'm pretty confident that things will turn around. I'm just not sure how bad things will get before the change happens, but I'm pretty sure something major will happen soon.

I think peace comes from not ignoring the issue but acknowledging it and accepting it. If you want to do your part to making a difference then go for it. I think closing our eyes is the biggest mistake we can make.

 

[allium]

"The planet is fine, the people are fucked"

I am sure there is a tendency to self-destruction in humans. Personally, after having some experience with psychedelics, I am no longer afraid of death, moreover - I would like to experience it.

But I belive that the earth is very viable and enduring, and I doubt something will destroy it. Humankind have enough strength to hurt itself and the Earth, but even total annihilation of every human far beyond its abilities.

 

[Tunnelfission]

My post was rated "R" for restricted!

Be fearless, find ways to be as such.

 

[abore]

How interesting will life be, as a human after some sort of cataclysmic event? A sort of return to our roots, a more natural existence, possibly. I wouldn't mind seeing it. I'd prefer my comfortable life with the luxury to explore myself and the world around me... but if all that was taken away and I was one of the survivors: I wouldn't have the time to dwell on those things. I'd be too busy surviving.

I don't worry too much, but I do think you're spot on about humanity self-destructiveness and us being on a path to major loss.

In biology we learned about a study where rabbits were put on an island and for a long time they kept a stable population.. until one year it rained a whole bunch and they had a ton of extra vegetation so they started making a ton of baby rabbits. Until the rain went away and the island couldn't sustain all those rabbits anymore. In a struggle to survive the rabbits completely rooted up the island eating all the grass and destroying its ability to grow new grass for a while and they all died. Smell the metaphor?

 

[artic]

Don't give in to the darkness. What do you have to fear? Death? The destruction of all things? I've found that anxiety during a psychedelic experience comes from a reluctance to let go of the petty little things that seem so important to us. Bank accounts, credit cards, the latest and greatest gadgets. Military technology adapted for the home kitchen. Stop trying to control the world. Everyone you know, and everything you build and achieve in your existence will crumble into dust. In the end, everything will dissolve into entropy and recrystallize in new beautiful and terrifying ways. When everything seems completely fucked, that's when you need to fight to survive, and have faith that things happen the way they do for a reason.

 

[fractal fountain]

One of my main beliefs is that religion has to be redefined in objective terms so we can understand how the 'religious' experience plays a role in human society and craft a new religion which dispenses with much of the bullshit doctrine we've been hearing from the christian church.

If we want to move forward and progress the proper way in society then we must build a sort of architecture which is all-encompassing in the understandings of humanity's ways.

 

[ColtDan]

"The planet is fine, the people are fucked"

correct. gotta love george carlin

all you've gotta do is let go. humanity is fucked. fuck the human race. we're greedy, destructive hurtful self important pricks who are going to destroy ourselves and innocent creatures along with us. we're just human beings, we think we're so special but we're nothing. we know nothing. i put it into perspective of theres billions of galaxys that contain billions of stars, we sit here like a grain of sand floating around without a clue. however im intrigued about why

 

[MyExcuse]

Just throwing this out there:

There is no 'reset' button for Earth. All the easily harvested resources have been harvested, all the fuels of industrialization and expansion, expended and depleted. Even if the human race were wiped off of this planet, no other intelligent race originating from Earth would be capable of meeting or exceeding the level of humanity within an appreciable timeline.

The planet is raped, our morals plundered and our potential marred with ineptitude, Homo sapiens sapiens is the alpha and omega.

 

[fractal fountain]

^ I don't know, maybe if 2-3 million years pass and we're gone and some other intelligent species comes along, a lot of the natural resources might be back to the 'natural balance'. However, that's more than I can say about stuff like raw metals, minerals, and petroleum.

I wonder if we'll ever reach a point where we run out of petroleum and won't be able to synthesize all the beneficial medicines we have.

Are we in our natural environment? Were we ever supposed to live like this?

 

[The Hebrew Hammer]

Just thought I should mention the book "The Coming Insurrection"

It talks about alot of what this thread is discussing, about how "society" as a mechanism is no longer an efficient mechanism to sustain ourselves....

Sort of how we are reaching the tipping point....

It sort of explains how to accept and prepare for when society fails.

At least, thats what i have gotten out of it so far, Im about half way through. Its a really tough read, I dont know if its because of the translation from French to english, or if its just written very difficult, or if im just a fucking idiot. Nonetheless its a great read to those who are sensing this and want to be as prepared to survive as possible....

 

[MyExcuse]

Everything is a recursive fractal. Our biology mimics our actions which dictates our cities and creations which further mimic the organization of the universe which must logically mimic whatever exists beyond our universe. Because technology is the micro to our macro cities (if you look at the layout of a city, it looks very similar to a circuit board), it would logically follow that eventually technology will supersede humanity as the next step in evolution.

It would be best if this was through a non-violent resolution between the two "species", but would you object if technology surpassed humanity as the dominant intelligent existence in our knowable universe in such a forcible way that rendered humanity extinct?

Would you willingly accept a permanent removal (with or without continued consciousness) from our material world if it meant that something superior would continue to exist as a testament to our greatness with none of the continued harm to our planet or ourselves?

If humans are to be selfish, shouldn't we be ultimately and perfectly selfish?

Humanity is a transitional evolution, neither good nor bad, but a path to greater complexity.