Why do you use psychedelics?

[Its a Plant]

Well I would read that book.

Its a Plant Reviewed by Its a Plant on 05-22-2006. Why do you use psychedelics? the first time I came across mushrooms was when some friend of mine told me, hey girl we bought some shrooms wanna join us ?? and I was like sure, not having much of an idea what to expect I heard some things about it but I could not imagine what I would see I thought maybe smurfs or gnomes or fairies something like that so the first time was pure for the fun and also the second time was but then I started to learn things about myself and the world and that was the reason I Rating: 5

[Jeff Spicoli]

"misusing drugs for fun is disrespectful." People use drugs for fun, don't bullshit me on that, on more than 90% of the time. 2% use them for actual spiritual reasons, and 8% who won't admit they use them for fun.
i hate sundays

[Dextromethorphan]

So 98% of the people you think do drugs do it for the wrong reason.

[Its a Plant]

I think he's trying to say that you're the one that thinks it's wrong.

Not everyone is going to think it's wrong.

You have your opinion, he has his, it's that simple.

That's what makes the world so amazing : no one has the same opinions about anyone else. Every single person is unique and their own.

[Dextromethorphan]

You're just trying to diffuse the debate. Let it go on.

[bedake]

Personally I think MOST of the people that say they use psychedellics for insight or to open their 'third eye' are just shitting themselves and others... they just want to get fucked and have a good time... the insight is just a minor bonus.

[harmonicminor]

I think for enjoyment or spiritual both are ok. It is those who condemn it who give it a bad name because they are the ones who take pharms most of the time. Or they are the ones selling it. The schools, media push thier bullshit propaganda on people while they feed our kids ritalin and give them cancer. I could go on and on.
Its like the oil and pharmacuetical companies who made cannabis illegal
just because it would make them not be able to stockpile all the peoples money. They also gave the users a bad name and created fear in people so they wouldnt do it but the fact is that it is good for you instead of bad.
while drinking kills millions and turns people into addicts, tripping for fun can be enlightening without anyone getting hurt.

[harmonicminor]

If people were to just want to get fucked up they can do it legally at a bar without people bothering them, untill they kill someone driving drunk.

but whats the harm in doing it in a way that wont harm anyone????

[Dextromethorphan]

â??I think for enjoyment or spiritual both are ok. It is those who condemn it who give it a bad name because they are the ones who take pharms most of the time. Or they are the ones selling it. The schools, media push thier bullshit propaganda on people while they feed our kids ritalin and give them cancer. I could go on and on.
Its like the oil and pharmacuetical companies who made cannabis illegal
just because it would make them not be able to stockpile all the peoples money. They also gave the users a bad name and created fear in people so they wouldnt do it but the fact is that it is good for you instead of bad.
while drinking kills millions and turns people into addicts, tripping for fun can be enlightening without anyone getting hurt.â?�


Wow, you sound like every other confused young person who knows that bad things are going on but doesnâ??t know what causes them so they blurt out a bunch of random shit that isnâ??t true but has some vague connection (or not) to the subject at hand. You changed subjects about 100 times in that little rant too.

Those who condemn recreational drug abuse give drug use a bad name? What kind of lame argument is that? Then to go on and say that the people who wish to accomplish something from their use are, in fact, the people selling drugs to kids looking to get high? I donâ??t really mean to be rude, but what the fuck? That has absolutely no relevance to the discussion whatsoever and is completely unsupported (not to mention ludicrous).

Since when did Ritalin cause cancer? Give me a break.

What the flaming fuck does the oil industry have to do with the legalization of marijuana? Your little bit about the pharmaceutical companies being in some sort of conspiracy with the federal government to prohibit marijuana use might have some truth to it, but it is not pertinent to the discussion at all and is also not supported.

Alcohol is a legal, addictive, dangerous and poisonous drug that is probably the epitome of American Governmental hypocrisy, but that isnâ??t what weâ??re talking about nor does it complement your point. I agree with you about alcohol and the unfairness of it all, but get your facts straight please. These flagrantly erroneous conspiracy theories are better left to somewhat informed and coherent people who can make stuff up better than you.

How about another go at writing a post that makes any sense at all?

[Trichocereus Panza]

Dex, I totally get where you're coming from, and I myself feel pretty intensely turned off to the way psychedelics have come to be regarded in our culture. It's becoming almost as alienating to me personally as the "let's go get drunk" mindframe. If you spend any time living on a college campus, you realize it's no wonder that psychedelics have gotten a bad name. I think the drug users' attitude towards them needs to change in order for the public attitude to change---people being reckless, over-indulgent, irresponsible, obnoxious and stupid on psychedelics merely adds fuel to the fire of anti-drug propaganda, and it simply perpetuates that attitude within our own youth culture. I hate when spiritually-minded people I know refuse to even try psychedelics because they have seen too many people abuse them. It's frustrating because I KNOW the right set and setting would help them SO much in figuring out their lives...

All that being said, I feel your argument is a bit dualistic.

There are not hard categories of 'positive use' and 'misuse'. Anyone who uses them knows that each experience is a mix of both. And one of the most important realizations on the spiritual path is that WE'RE ALL THE SAME. Every last one of us. Its_a_Plant DOES have a point when he says

That's what makes the world so amazing : no one has the same opinions about anyone else. Every single person is unique and their own.

Sure we all have different opinions, we have different styles, but we're all doing the same thing in different ways. And it's impossible to do it wrong. When you can see the world from a perspective of nonduality, arguments seem pointless. And you realize that we are all just expressing ourselves perfectly at each moment, and all of us are saying the same thing, which is.... IT.

Shunryu Suzuki talks about this pretty well with the concept of "little mind" and "big mind" in Zen. At a certain point you just realize that all of our "little mind" ego-centered thoughts are just a manifestation of big mind, which is everything. That is why in meditation you try not to judge yourself. No matter what, you are not doing anything wrong. You just let go of each thought and let it pass naturally. And then you realize that THAT HAPPENS NATURALLY whether you intend it or not. Everyone's life is a meditation, and your thoughts are the same as anyone else's: just clouds passing through the sky.

The things you say about not-wasting, and having respect for psychedelics are important. It is incredibly frustrating to me to see so many people with the "wrong attitude" towards them, mostly because I want everyone to see the joy inherent in their lives and to take advantage of the profoundly beneficial effects that are right there at their fingertips. I wish they could just TASTE it---taste *IT*---for even one second, and they would finally KNOW how beautiful life is, and how much energy they have been frittering away on ephemera.

But then the frustration subsides as I realize that we are each living out the reality of life in our own way. It is like music, it ebbs and flows, has moments of tension and frustration and wrong-headed thinking, and sometimes hopefully the tension is resolved in a clear-headed, spacious, moment of peace. But every one of those moments is a beautiful and creative manifestation of the same kind of energy. Do you know what I mean? There is nothing ULTIMATELY wrong with the way those people are living.

I think you and I know, along with many other people, what they are missing. How can they take psychedelics and just not get it? That to me is crazy. It's crazy to me how all human beings make themselves suffer. But at the same time, it's okay. The most we can hope to do is teach people what we have to offer, and hope that we can help them discover the true potential of drugs.

So to sum up this longass post:
There is no real line to draw between the laughing Buddha, what Terrence McKenna called 'the cosmic giggle,' and just plain-old being ridiculous and silly and having fun with your friends on psychedelics. Spirituality--contrary to what the Catholic church would have you believe--is not by any means something totally SERIOUS.

love.