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PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   2628 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 15, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I've lived an entirely straightlaced life and have zero interest even in marijuana. I'm not interested in drugs per se. What I am interested in is the apparently mind-opening power of psychedelics. Aldous Huxley's essay "The Doors to Perception" has once again made me curious. For those of you who have experimented with mescaline or whatever else, have these experiences changed you deeply and permanently? Would even taking small amounts grant you clarity or creativity without some terrible drawbacks?

I think of Carl Jung's advice, to "beware of unearned wisdom," and I think that expresses a healthy conservatism about these things. But then again, millions of people have used caffeine and nicotine both recreationally or for work. People now use marijuana for medicine. So why not use psychedelics for whatever positive effects they bring? I also think of people having bad trips or frying their brains. My mother grew up in the 70s and recalls a few people who made themselves permanently insane through some wacky experiments or other. I think ultimately it's better to leave well enough alone, but I'd like to hear different views.

Universal Love…

I had a friend who described their experience on LSD rather pessimistically. If you’re going to do this, you probably shouldn’t be pessimistic. But a false sense of profundity doesn’t seem very appealing. The prospect that after tripping, it would seem appealing, or even critical, life-changingly important? That’s chilling.

Depends drastically on your mindset. If you're already in an incredibly negative space and feel stuck with no way out, psychedelics can be the best thing that has ever happened to you. That's my own experience, and the experience of many friends who've also dabbled.

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