washingtonbound
Bluelighter
I guess this is more of an illustration of concepts I articulated while under the influence of LSD more than anything. Nevertheless, I would appreciate it if you would let me know if it was intriguing and informative to read. Note that I was certainly in the comedown phase (10+ hours after using), but I enjoyed writing at this time because my thoughts were more coherent, yet I was still thinking in a more abstract manner. Please provide feedback, regardless if you think it sucks or not.
One aspect of psychedelic culture that really gets a bad rap is the tendency certain users have to conduct themselves as "elite and awakened" intellectuals. This pretentious persona solidifies the divide between users and non users and defers people from wanting to try it, based on their desire to not be around those kind of people. This is a shame, because it leads to people missing out on potentially spiritually and/or intellectually stimulating experiences for no just cause.
That reason alone is why I've decided to share some of my insights on LSD in an entirely unpretentious manner. I do hope that you find this piece informative, or at least intriguing.
Man's character is directly outlined by his intentions, which became exponentially more clear to me today. Those that tell you their biggest priorities in life are to pay the bills or climb the corporate ladder have not put much thought to their contribution at large. Given the fact that we're all going to be food for worms in the end anyway; it is those that make a conscious effort to make the world a more desirable and inhabitable place that set themselves apart. Simply put, it is the underlying draw to altruism that distinguishes good character.
I know that's not an especially deep, enthralling, or game changing concept; but nevertheless I've taken solace in the fact that at the end of the day I know I'm always in it for the people.
When I see people my age in a similar situation, I can only hope their head is in the right place. With all the debt that is being racked up to send kids to college nowadays, it would be foolish to think that all those hundreds of thousands of young adults know what they want to do with their lives. In fact, it would be downright ignorant to assume so; which is why one can only hope that these altruistic values are engraved in the majority of Generation Y members.
Sadly, I believe it would be overtly optimistic to assume this is the case. There are a variety of environmental factors that go into this, but I believe it is primarily the result of the following chain of events: Members of The Greatest Generation (those who fought in World War II, lived through the great depression, and faced many other hardships that would seem insurmountable today), were so accustomed to having to deal with the runt of the litter that they advised their children (The Baby Boomer Generation), to seek security over all else. Those baby boomers listened and struck an economic gold mine as a result as a result of simultaneously seeking this value. Since the boomers lived through a more prosperous period, they naively taught their children that they could do anything they wanted. Unfortunately, simply telling someone they can do anything without indoctrinating them into the mindset it takes to do so does nothing but breed the entitlement mentality. Too many young people expect that their environment should do something for them, rather than the other way around.
That is why I have found myself disengaged from my age group (generally speaking). The entitlement mentality has brought out other demons in young people, such as the alpha male dynamic, and the overall contrived culture of trying to exceed your peers by being on top of the "latest and greatest" way of experiencing reality. While this mentality is not the sole cause of this, it greatly perpetuates it with the help of current technology. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc, are all very superficial and somewhat malicious mediums. There's always that underlying feeling of worry that you are not experiencing life as fully as possible, based on the constant projection of experiences you are bombarded with. At the end of the day, social media is virtually a rat race to the top of the social pyramid.
To play devils advocate, this contrived culture could also stem from the underlying feeling of insecurity many young people have for not achieving their aspirations. This is a direct result of excessive coddling by the Baby Boomer generation, causing their children to have distorted expectations. A good formula to illustrate this concept is that happiness is often equivalent to reality minus expectations. That means if you have an especially inflated idea of what's set out for you in life; you're bound to bite the dust pretty hard.
I have always stuck by the golden rule to remember to seek fulfillment in your career as well as security. Whenever you are in the midst of making a questionable ethical decision; ask yourself if you are abiding by this quote: "Ask not what my country can do for me, but what I can do for my country."
But as I said, one can only hope these altruistic values are engraved in at least the majority of Generation Y members, even if it's only by a fraction of a percent.
I'm going to wrap things up by explaining the basic functionality of LSD the best I can. If you intend on trying it sometime in the future (which I am not pushing, everyone should make up his or her own mind on whether or not LSD is a substance for them), this should give you a basic idea of what to expect and will hopefully help prevent potentially difficult experiences.
In a nutshell, LSD serves to make you experience reality as a separate entity. In other words, rather than seeing things through your five senses, you see the mind and the external environment separately. This is why abstract and philosophical thinking is often reported, because it tends to be easier to see patterns as an onlooker rather than a participator. That's not to say it's necessary to use LSD to achieve more deep and enthralling revelations; it is just a tool to perceive things through a different lens. One user reported that time is a product of logic, a barrier constructed by humans trying to make sense of the process of aging. He said that LSD was helpful in taking down that barrier to help him see reality in a more raw, authentic way, free from human formalities. This illustrates how achieving that degree of separation can assist one with drawing these conclusions.
Contrary to popular belief, LSD typically does not make you full on hallucinate. You will obviously notice a lot of sensory distortion, which may appear like hallucinations, but in reality it is just embellishing things that are already there. In other words, you will not arbitrarily see a three legged unicorn walking down the street with a leprechaun on it's back. Those reports are simply a result of people exaggeration their trip and pulling things from their imagination.
If you ever intend to take LSD, be sure to make necessary precautions. Having at least one friend that is not under the influence (aka a sitter) is always a plus. Having benzodiazepines on hand in case a trip goes south is also a precaution people take although I do not encourage it, due to how habit forming it can become. A good rule of thumb is to always ask yourself what factors in a specific environment could potentially pose an issue, and plan accordingly. Truthfully, it all comes down to common sense and an open mindset. If you truly have a lot of inner demons that you are worried about unmasking, it would probably not be a good idea to dive in headfirst. However, using LSD for introspective purposes (for better or worse) is certainly a valid concept. Just remember to keep a handle on your inhibitions and things should go fine.
As I said, everyone should conduct research to decide whether or not they are open to a psychedelic experience. To each their own, and I don't intend to push my philosophy on others in any way. I'm a firm believer that life's journey is predominately in the hands of the individual.
I hope you have gained some insight from reading this piece, and if not, I hope you are able to at some point. Good luck to you in whatever endeavors in life you choose to partake, and remember that when the shadow passes, light remains.
One aspect of psychedelic culture that really gets a bad rap is the tendency certain users have to conduct themselves as "elite and awakened" intellectuals. This pretentious persona solidifies the divide between users and non users and defers people from wanting to try it, based on their desire to not be around those kind of people. This is a shame, because it leads to people missing out on potentially spiritually and/or intellectually stimulating experiences for no just cause.
That reason alone is why I've decided to share some of my insights on LSD in an entirely unpretentious manner. I do hope that you find this piece informative, or at least intriguing.
Man's character is directly outlined by his intentions, which became exponentially more clear to me today. Those that tell you their biggest priorities in life are to pay the bills or climb the corporate ladder have not put much thought to their contribution at large. Given the fact that we're all going to be food for worms in the end anyway; it is those that make a conscious effort to make the world a more desirable and inhabitable place that set themselves apart. Simply put, it is the underlying draw to altruism that distinguishes good character.
I know that's not an especially deep, enthralling, or game changing concept; but nevertheless I've taken solace in the fact that at the end of the day I know I'm always in it for the people.
When I see people my age in a similar situation, I can only hope their head is in the right place. With all the debt that is being racked up to send kids to college nowadays, it would be foolish to think that all those hundreds of thousands of young adults know what they want to do with their lives. In fact, it would be downright ignorant to assume so; which is why one can only hope that these altruistic values are engraved in the majority of Generation Y members.
Sadly, I believe it would be overtly optimistic to assume this is the case. There are a variety of environmental factors that go into this, but I believe it is primarily the result of the following chain of events: Members of The Greatest Generation (those who fought in World War II, lived through the great depression, and faced many other hardships that would seem insurmountable today), were so accustomed to having to deal with the runt of the litter that they advised their children (The Baby Boomer Generation), to seek security over all else. Those baby boomers listened and struck an economic gold mine as a result as a result of simultaneously seeking this value. Since the boomers lived through a more prosperous period, they naively taught their children that they could do anything they wanted. Unfortunately, simply telling someone they can do anything without indoctrinating them into the mindset it takes to do so does nothing but breed the entitlement mentality. Too many young people expect that their environment should do something for them, rather than the other way around.
That is why I have found myself disengaged from my age group (generally speaking). The entitlement mentality has brought out other demons in young people, such as the alpha male dynamic, and the overall contrived culture of trying to exceed your peers by being on top of the "latest and greatest" way of experiencing reality. While this mentality is not the sole cause of this, it greatly perpetuates it with the help of current technology. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc, are all very superficial and somewhat malicious mediums. There's always that underlying feeling of worry that you are not experiencing life as fully as possible, based on the constant projection of experiences you are bombarded with. At the end of the day, social media is virtually a rat race to the top of the social pyramid.
To play devils advocate, this contrived culture could also stem from the underlying feeling of insecurity many young people have for not achieving their aspirations. This is a direct result of excessive coddling by the Baby Boomer generation, causing their children to have distorted expectations. A good formula to illustrate this concept is that happiness is often equivalent to reality minus expectations. That means if you have an especially inflated idea of what's set out for you in life; you're bound to bite the dust pretty hard.
I have always stuck by the golden rule to remember to seek fulfillment in your career as well as security. Whenever you are in the midst of making a questionable ethical decision; ask yourself if you are abiding by this quote: "Ask not what my country can do for me, but what I can do for my country."
But as I said, one can only hope these altruistic values are engraved in at least the majority of Generation Y members, even if it's only by a fraction of a percent.
I'm going to wrap things up by explaining the basic functionality of LSD the best I can. If you intend on trying it sometime in the future (which I am not pushing, everyone should make up his or her own mind on whether or not LSD is a substance for them), this should give you a basic idea of what to expect and will hopefully help prevent potentially difficult experiences.
In a nutshell, LSD serves to make you experience reality as a separate entity. In other words, rather than seeing things through your five senses, you see the mind and the external environment separately. This is why abstract and philosophical thinking is often reported, because it tends to be easier to see patterns as an onlooker rather than a participator. That's not to say it's necessary to use LSD to achieve more deep and enthralling revelations; it is just a tool to perceive things through a different lens. One user reported that time is a product of logic, a barrier constructed by humans trying to make sense of the process of aging. He said that LSD was helpful in taking down that barrier to help him see reality in a more raw, authentic way, free from human formalities. This illustrates how achieving that degree of separation can assist one with drawing these conclusions.
Contrary to popular belief, LSD typically does not make you full on hallucinate. You will obviously notice a lot of sensory distortion, which may appear like hallucinations, but in reality it is just embellishing things that are already there. In other words, you will not arbitrarily see a three legged unicorn walking down the street with a leprechaun on it's back. Those reports are simply a result of people exaggeration their trip and pulling things from their imagination.
If you ever intend to take LSD, be sure to make necessary precautions. Having at least one friend that is not under the influence (aka a sitter) is always a plus. Having benzodiazepines on hand in case a trip goes south is also a precaution people take although I do not encourage it, due to how habit forming it can become. A good rule of thumb is to always ask yourself what factors in a specific environment could potentially pose an issue, and plan accordingly. Truthfully, it all comes down to common sense and an open mindset. If you truly have a lot of inner demons that you are worried about unmasking, it would probably not be a good idea to dive in headfirst. However, using LSD for introspective purposes (for better or worse) is certainly a valid concept. Just remember to keep a handle on your inhibitions and things should go fine.
As I said, everyone should conduct research to decide whether or not they are open to a psychedelic experience. To each their own, and I don't intend to push my philosophy on others in any way. I'm a firm believer that life's journey is predominately in the hands of the individual.
I hope you have gained some insight from reading this piece, and if not, I hope you are able to at some point. Good luck to you in whatever endeavors in life you choose to partake, and remember that when the shadow passes, light remains.
