Seeing Through the Psychedelic Lens and Why that Scares the Authorities

Have you ever stopped to wonder why most of the governments of the world have such a problem with psychedelic substances? If you ask one of the propagandists or someone who believes the propaganda, you will be told that these strange drugs are banned for the sake of our health and safety but this explanation does not stand up to examination. If one compares the traditional psychedelics to many legal drugs, he or she will see that health and safety does not seem to be a primary concern because pain killers, antidepressants, and many other commonly prescribed medications have killed far more people than psychedelics ever could. Why, then, are these drugs kept from the population and why are the real reasons for their suppression obscured by the authorities who lie about protecting us from ourselves? You see, this particular class of drug, has an unusual effect on the mind of a user. One is not simply intoxicated when he or she trips. Psychedelics seem to, temporarily, wash away our preconceptions and block our preexisting associations, which forces us to reexamine our thoughts, beliefs, and the things that we hold to be true because we have been told that they are true. Suddenly, the lies, misinformation, and propaganda that we have accepted can become apparent to us, when they are viewed through the psychedelic lens. Psychedelic substances are not banned to protect us. They are banned to protect authorities who wish to exploit and abuse us. This, I believe, is the real reason that the powers, to which we are subject, seem to fear these drugs.

The psychedelic lens seems to function because these drugs profoundly alter the way in which one interprets and accesses information in his or her mind. Normally, when a thing stimulates a thought, our minds quickly categorize the stimulus and associate it with other things in its class, so that we may generate relevant ideas in response to it. However, psychedelics seem to block this function and this leads to some interesting results. Without this immediate classification, any information one receives or remembers must be evaluated with fresh eyes, untainted by previously held beliefs.

Psychedelic drugs and the forced reflection that they cause are a potent antidote to the propaganda and lies that we are fed by the systems of authority. Many of the untruths, which we have come to believe, are told to us when we are too young to question them. "The police are here to help people," "the government is the best source of truth," "a good person submits when he or she is told to do a thing," and many other lies are pushed on us before we know to ask if they are true. None of those things are correct, of course, but perfectly rational adults are walking around with those beliefs because they have never thought to question them. One who uses psychedelics, on the other hand, has no choice but to question. Since these sorts of lies rely on blind acceptance, they often evaporate under the scrutiny of the psychedelic lens and that is frightening those who rely on our belief in them.

Not shockingly, having the hard work of countless propagandists undone by a night or two of drug use is unacceptable to the systems of authority in this world. These drugs are a danger to those systems. The individuals who owe their positions to them often rely on our obedience and that obedience is built on a foundation of lies and half-truths. When people begin to understand that, especially by doing something as simple and accessible as ingesting a substance and spending a few hours thinking, the powers who thrive on our ignorance feel threatened and they react aggressively. During the Vietnam war, the authorities learned of this phenomenon and, not surprisingly, they moved toward greater persecution of psychedelic users. They realized that these drugs were leading the psychonauts of the time to oppose the ongoing war because they were seeing through the propaganda that was being fed to the public. Shortly after, the drug war was increased and anti-psychedelic propaganda and harsh punishments were used in an attempt to keep others from taking that path to enlightenment. Fortunately, like the drug war as a whole, the war against psychedelics has been a failure and people are still reaping their benefits, albeit, outside of the confines of the unjust and self-serving laws that were put into place during the last century.

Does all of this mean that one should run out and start using these drugs? There was a time when I might have said that but it is a murky issue. Psychedelics can absolutely help one to "see the light" in a very short amount of time compared to other methods of coming to understand the scope the propaganda that we face and the agenda behind it. However, they are also powerful drugs and the experience can be quite intense. They are not for everyone, for certain, and even people who have mentally prepared for their use and have previous experience with them can have a very difficult trip without any real warning. The way I think that these substances can fit into the quest for truth is as follows: Psychedelics are an avenue that is worth exploring for those who feel that they have the mental fortitude to withstand their power. Not everyone has that and there is no shame in this fact. A "bad trip" can be highly unpleasant, especially to a new user, so I would not blame someone for choosing to avoid psychedelics as there are other options open to one who seeks the truth. That being said, if one is comfortable with the idea of venturing into the deeper parts of the mind, then it is an activity that should, at least, be considered.

Peace.

All the images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com.