"People's MINDS, like their bodies, must be A DOMAIN FREE OF GOVERNMENT CONTROL." (Terence McKenna) ๐ญ
This, or that? Yes. ๐
About this man, my heart says:
Second only to teaching plants themselves, is Terence McKenna.
Some quotes from the video above, which is WELL worth watching in entirety:
Part of the reason we have a drug problem, is because we don't have an intelligent language to talk about substances, plants, psychedelic states of mind...
We can't make sense of the problem and the opportunities offered by substances, unless we clean up our language.
"Drugs" is a word that's been used by the government to make it impossible to think creatively about the problems of substance abuse...
It's a paradox. Drugs means 'that which cures us,' AND 'the greatest social problem of the generation.' There. Right there, you see the schizophrenia involved in thinking about drugs. Apparently, there are good drugs, sanctioned by science and medicine. And bad drugs, used by brown people in strange rites, and grown in unusual plants, in distant parts of the world.
He nails it. And this was 1996.
Truth is timeless.
Cognitive liberty is our UTMOST liberty.
It is described as the "right to mental self-determination," and the freedom of an individual to control his or her own mental processes, cognition, and consciousness.
The ideas and images that show on our mind's screen
are, in my opinion, the most fundamental liberty
we could ever insist upon.
We object to the monitoring of our communications,
purchases, travel, and earnings, etc.
And what of the (for some of us) natural urge to explore
the workings of our own mind, and inner condition?
This, I know:
Anything that exposes + dissolves
mechanisms of control, separation and disempowerment
will be banned by oppressors, and
will be celebrated by liberators.
SYMBIOSIS,
the beneficial relationship
between plants + people,
RULES OVER... over-rules...
the dumb, deadening laws,
of a dreadfully mismanaged land.
"I don't think we can even pretend we're on the edges of a civilized dialogue until we grant that people's minds, like their bodies, must be a domain free of government control." (Terence McKenna)
I don't think Terence is resting in peace.
I think he's still STIRRIN' IT UP.
Stirring up peace, through wakefulness. ๐
Please check out these recent, peyote-related posts:
On GIVING YOURSELF Approval, Permission + Authority
How Color + Light Can Activate Helpful Aspects Of Memory
Birthday Reflections: BEFORE Peyote
Cactus Bookends: Journeying From San Pedro To Peyote
"Drugs means 'that which cures us,' AND 'the greatest social problem of the generation."
Yep, it's a bit hard to make any kind of sense of that 'DoubleSpeak.'
Great post, thanks - and you have a new follower.
So true. Thank you for sharing this, @erikaharris. Lots of wisdom in this. Upvoted @ 100%
So generous. Thanks for your support, @terrybrock! :-)
You betcha', Erika. Keep beaming that radiant energy and life you share with those of us who know you. All the best to you!
Exactly, we are only scratching the surface. Without getting to the bottom of this issue moralists don't stand a chance.
@superfluousman, I even hear/read see your comment, as a deep (mind)sea diver, walking the ocean floor, getting to the bottom of it. THE TREASURE :-)
Wonderfull image and right on!
In the 90s, Terrence was the most intelligent person I had ever heard speak. He really had a lot to say. One of the greatest philosophers of all time, amongst so many other accomplishments in science and literature. But also the great humanist; he understood our cultural dilemma so very well..
@surfyogi, all that you said remains true for me today... despite the fact that it's 20+ years later, lol In other words, I don't know many living and speaking among us today who have synthesized -- as widely and deeply -- as many different disciplines of thought, and then create a coherent perspective around it. Today it seems we have many experts and specialists... speaking from and into silos. Terence's wisdom was as rich and dense as the fertile jungles he frequented.
Great quote by great man
Agree! :-)
I've watched many of Terence McKenna's DMT videos. And it's ridiculous how some drugs are perfectly legal and are addictive but others are deemed illegal.
Agreed, @humanearl. The schizophrenic handling, and discussion, of "drugs" is painful. More light is shining through, though...
In the words of Terrance...โFind the others.โ Hi there โother!โ ๐๐๐
Unless we are free to think as we wish, there is no other freedom potential to us.
Even ownership of our bodies is but secondary to ownership of our minds.
Yet, laws in America allow the use of propaganda on American citizens - supposedly on the authority of Americans. This is not even possibly lawful, and just. It is provably false that the authority of a person can legally be used to mislead that person, and yet for them to retain their ability to have authority.
Essentially, those that willingly authorize themselves to be lied to, abnegate their actual authority. They give it away, and no longer possess it, by becoming incapable of exercising it. Fine. Consider that there are people that actually want this, to be chattel.
If they are chattel, they are not sovereign, and therefore do not have sovereign authority. The two states are mutually contradictory, and one cannot be both.
I have known many people, however, that prefer to be lied to than to know the truth. These people aren't capable of actual freedom, and only want license.
We should respect their wishes, and those people should not be considered to have legal sovereignty, since they don't want it.
Let's save sovereignty and authority for those that are willing to keep it.
I have to say that the strongest evidence that some people have cared about me, is that they endeavored to lie to me about things. However, I have no interest in not being aware of reality, and prefer to confine my associations to people that actually fulfill their obligations, rather than those that just want to pretend they did, and think everything will be ok if I just don't know the truth.
Working together is a thing. Being fooled into thinking people are working together doesn't attain the actual results that working together does, and I reckon politics, and war in particular, is all the proof of this we need.
Thanks!
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment, @valued-customer. I value the sharing of your thoughts, and agree with most of them... accept this one:
I disagree with this statement so strongly, lol I think the complete opposite is true: Those that lie to me, do NOT love me. They, themselves, may be deluded about the power of truth, but I am not. Truth IS a freeing agent, despite its unpopularity.
I actually agree regarding truth. However, some folks think differently, and I tried to convey my understanding of their thought process (which I don't share, so may imperfectly comprehend). Some people legitimately believe that lying to others about reality which would discomfit them actually is better than to tell the truth.
My particular experience of this mindset involves personal relationships, in which infidelity was involved. I vehemently disagree that it was better that I simply not know our mutual commitment wasn't really mutual at all. They felt that if I simply didn't know they were sleeping around I would be benefited, and this is why I understand that the best evidence of their affection for me was that they lied to me.
That was the only way they could maintain the relationship with me, as they seemed incapable of actual monogamy. I felt it was fraud, and eventually appreciated learning their true character, as my own commitment was being availed them, while they did not feel it was harmful to me that they weren't meeting their obligations, and felt only my knowing the truth would harm me.
They were wrong, but that's what they said they believed. Thus, in their mind, lying to me was beneficial to me. I reckon plenty of politicians seem to evidence the exact same mentality.
Now I understand what you meant, @valued-customer. I'm sorry for the hurt that must have accompanied that learning. Respect to you for sharing your experience.
"People's MINDS, like their bodies, must be A DOMAIN FREE OF GOVERNMENT CONTROL." is so very true and this is part of the idea and representation of the mind of @virtualgrowth!
Right on, @virtualgrowth! Would love to hear more from that mind, then. :-)
McKenna was a hero.
He sure was, @peachtrees33 :-)