JUST SAY N²O
Greenlighter
For my Effective Writing class at uni, we had to write a personal essay about a significant life experience. This is what I submitted...
Wearing Goggles Underwater
A Personal Essay - 16.04.2007
Writing a personal essay beckoned for me to deliberate over my personal experience. Reflecting on my two year career into adulthood, I determined that at least one thing I’ve developed is an awareness that there are realms of experience, modes of self and states of consciousness that exist beyond our habitual days. Achieving these new states of consciousness usually comes about in two ways; transcendental meditation or psychedelic drugs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a vacant summer’s day and I decided to consume some LSD. After about 35 minutes, I noticed the changes in my senses. Between consumption and onset, I occupied myself by surfing Wikipedia. I had about 10 different articles open ranging from Ted Bundy to Anton LaVey to Sylvia Plath. I also was skimming through an article on the Caspian Sea but I found most enjoyment from reading about the eccentrics of our world. “To await pleasure is pleasure itself” I thought as I page-hopped and when I looked up to my wall clock I noticed a change; a new vitality in it. The red Rolling Stones tongue and lips design that decorated the clock face had evolved from being ‘just red’ to ‘fire engine red’. Within the past hour it had gained such flamboyance that to describe it as merely red seemed so unjust. I sat amazed that I’d never noticed how awesome this design was. The lips were so plump and round and regions smeared with whiteness made it look shiny. It was a delayed reaction before I clued in and realised that my new appreciation for my wall clock was most likely due to the substance I’d ingested. Walking outside, I looked at the grass on my front lawn. I could see every green glimmering blade moving as if it were alive. Then I looked up and I saw that all the plants were alive and I saw the veins on their leaves for what they were; veins. I don’t know if you could tell I was on high on psychotropic drugs or if I just looked like I was in a sweet mood, but I definitely knew that my blinking rate had decreased significantly since my newfound appreciation of the world. Looking at the world on acid is like being underwater with goggles on. Without them, you see what you need to and your vision is functional for all intents and purposes. But with goggles on, you take control and see life as nature never equipped you to. I know for me at least, every time I submerge my head with goggles on I always experience half a second of awe at the sudden clarity and ascension of bubbles before I can carry on swimming.
The goggles analogy on the LSD experience is one that I’m happy to say I came up with myself but after reading a 1954 personal essay written by Aldous Huxley, I was taken back by how well he articulated some ideas that echoed my own. He starts off his book with a quote from William Blake.
"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to
man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things
through narrow chinks of his cavern."
Huxley explores the notion of the mind not as a productive organ but as an eliminative organ; a filter on reality. Psychoactive drugs gain their power by shutting down these filters and what we are left with are eyes that see the world as they would as if for the first time. I feel there is much truth in this and it perfectly explains why colours and plants I’ve seen every day of my life suddenly seem so much more vibrant and real when I‘ve taken LSD.
Our brains evolved with this desensitising function so that in our day-to-day lives, we can become a more productive species. A thousand thoughts enter a head every minute and our brain’s role is to disengage what isn’t useful.
I believe that after seeing the world unfiltered, one gains a new appreciation for so much in life that would have otherwise gone completely unnoticed. Have you ever thought about the fact that that the reason you’re here today is because however many years ago, you won a competition against 200 million other sperm cells? Sure, it wasn’t a fair competition and it was mostly luck that got you into that egg but nonetheless, those are phenomenal odds to have beaten and you did it. There is so much to be truly amazed over and by learning this I’ve gained an immeasurable sense of value in performing the most ordinary of every day activities.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today the 16th of April, commences Week 7 of Effective Writing. This week brings with it the submission of our first written submission piece. What a jubilant day in our academic careers it is for us to be submitting our first literary creations. For me, the stigma attached to admitting consumption of LSD is usually so potent I would have steered well away from even considering it as an essay topic. But like all writers, there comes a point where fate seems to leave enough clues for one to think again, and to abandon the apprehension that at first looked so winning. One such reason, that I am still yet to mention is that today’s date coincidentally happens to be Bicycle Day, the anniversary of man’s first ever synthesis of the rye ergot that creates lysergic acid diethylamide. I figure that whether I choose to disclose it in a university essay or not, the fact remains that I have a high regard for the benefits to be yielded from the responsible use of psychoactive drugs and that even if I never consume them again, my outlook on life has been crafted so that I now see the wonderment and magnificence in everything that is around me.
------------------------------------
I'm keen to hear any comments 'cos I liked it after I wrote it but received a pretty shit grade for it. ThAnKs for reading!
-bugs
Wearing Goggles Underwater
A Personal Essay - 16.04.2007
Writing a personal essay beckoned for me to deliberate over my personal experience. Reflecting on my two year career into adulthood, I determined that at least one thing I’ve developed is an awareness that there are realms of experience, modes of self and states of consciousness that exist beyond our habitual days. Achieving these new states of consciousness usually comes about in two ways; transcendental meditation or psychedelic drugs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a vacant summer’s day and I decided to consume some LSD. After about 35 minutes, I noticed the changes in my senses. Between consumption and onset, I occupied myself by surfing Wikipedia. I had about 10 different articles open ranging from Ted Bundy to Anton LaVey to Sylvia Plath. I also was skimming through an article on the Caspian Sea but I found most enjoyment from reading about the eccentrics of our world. “To await pleasure is pleasure itself” I thought as I page-hopped and when I looked up to my wall clock I noticed a change; a new vitality in it. The red Rolling Stones tongue and lips design that decorated the clock face had evolved from being ‘just red’ to ‘fire engine red’. Within the past hour it had gained such flamboyance that to describe it as merely red seemed so unjust. I sat amazed that I’d never noticed how awesome this design was. The lips were so plump and round and regions smeared with whiteness made it look shiny. It was a delayed reaction before I clued in and realised that my new appreciation for my wall clock was most likely due to the substance I’d ingested. Walking outside, I looked at the grass on my front lawn. I could see every green glimmering blade moving as if it were alive. Then I looked up and I saw that all the plants were alive and I saw the veins on their leaves for what they were; veins. I don’t know if you could tell I was on high on psychotropic drugs or if I just looked like I was in a sweet mood, but I definitely knew that my blinking rate had decreased significantly since my newfound appreciation of the world. Looking at the world on acid is like being underwater with goggles on. Without them, you see what you need to and your vision is functional for all intents and purposes. But with goggles on, you take control and see life as nature never equipped you to. I know for me at least, every time I submerge my head with goggles on I always experience half a second of awe at the sudden clarity and ascension of bubbles before I can carry on swimming.
The goggles analogy on the LSD experience is one that I’m happy to say I came up with myself but after reading a 1954 personal essay written by Aldous Huxley, I was taken back by how well he articulated some ideas that echoed my own. He starts off his book with a quote from William Blake.
"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to
man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things
through narrow chinks of his cavern."
Huxley explores the notion of the mind not as a productive organ but as an eliminative organ; a filter on reality. Psychoactive drugs gain their power by shutting down these filters and what we are left with are eyes that see the world as they would as if for the first time. I feel there is much truth in this and it perfectly explains why colours and plants I’ve seen every day of my life suddenly seem so much more vibrant and real when I‘ve taken LSD.
Our brains evolved with this desensitising function so that in our day-to-day lives, we can become a more productive species. A thousand thoughts enter a head every minute and our brain’s role is to disengage what isn’t useful.
I believe that after seeing the world unfiltered, one gains a new appreciation for so much in life that would have otherwise gone completely unnoticed. Have you ever thought about the fact that that the reason you’re here today is because however many years ago, you won a competition against 200 million other sperm cells? Sure, it wasn’t a fair competition and it was mostly luck that got you into that egg but nonetheless, those are phenomenal odds to have beaten and you did it. There is so much to be truly amazed over and by learning this I’ve gained an immeasurable sense of value in performing the most ordinary of every day activities.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today the 16th of April, commences Week 7 of Effective Writing. This week brings with it the submission of our first written submission piece. What a jubilant day in our academic careers it is for us to be submitting our first literary creations. For me, the stigma attached to admitting consumption of LSD is usually so potent I would have steered well away from even considering it as an essay topic. But like all writers, there comes a point where fate seems to leave enough clues for one to think again, and to abandon the apprehension that at first looked so winning. One such reason, that I am still yet to mention is that today’s date coincidentally happens to be Bicycle Day, the anniversary of man’s first ever synthesis of the rye ergot that creates lysergic acid diethylamide. I figure that whether I choose to disclose it in a university essay or not, the fact remains that I have a high regard for the benefits to be yielded from the responsible use of psychoactive drugs and that even if I never consume them again, my outlook on life has been crafted so that I now see the wonderment and magnificence in everything that is around me.
------------------------------------
I'm keen to hear any comments 'cos I liked it after I wrote it but received a pretty shit grade for it. ThAnKs for reading!
-bugs
