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FleshCap
FleshCap



Registered: 11/10/08
Posts: 685
Loc: Cali Underground
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I still believe... 1
#14314794 - 04/18/11 11:36 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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I still believe in the psychedelic experience.
Thank you to those people who offer a different point of view. Your challenging questions have forced me to evaluate my own conclusions about life and about reality. Just as the psychedelic experience taught me to challenge the beliefs forced upon me by my culture, you too have taught me to challenge the beliefs provided to me by the psychedelic experience.
It's all too easy to fall into a belief system and to become overprotective of those beliefs.. Isn't that what happens to religious zealots? I don't want to be like that.
I must admit that my views of reality are largely based on my psychedelic experiences. I'm one of those wacky mystics that believes in "other dimensions" and "spirits". I'm not ashamed though, and I'm not here to convert anyone.
Perhaps the psychedelic experience is just a stream of empty hallucinations produced by a drug induced brain. Or perhaps, "the visions of our trips are part of a sacred reality that our rational culture forbids us to believe in". The truth is, I don't have the answer to this debate. But, neither do you.
In conclusion, I see the recent debate that has fired up the forum as an integral part of consciousness exploration. If psychedelics have taught me anything, it's that "the truth is constantly evolving. And to arrive at any conclusions about what is 'true' is to become stuck in a falsehood."
I still believe in the psychedelic experience,
...and it's OK if you don't.
----------------------------- "Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly. Soon I awakened, and there I was, veritably a man. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man."
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bholzer
quasi-scientist



Registered: 03/22/11
Posts: 2,409
Last seen: 11 years, 7 months
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Re: I still believe... [Re: FleshCap]
#14314814 - 04/18/11 11:39 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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I think you're right, and so is everyone else. Truth is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has a different truth, just like everyone has a different perspective.
Psychedelics cause these truths and perspectives to develop differently.
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Use these substances wisely, they have the ability to cause life altering realizations.
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Psilosomniac
Registered: 09/14/10
Posts: 2,938
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Re: I still believe... [Re: bholzer]
#14314831 - 04/18/11 11:43 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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In regards to something that nobody can either understand or explain, it's silly to argue in an irrespective manner. It's like arguing about religion; I never argue about religion because it's based on faith and therefore is believable (or unbelievable) because it's unprovable. I would argue the same thing about the Psychedelic Experience. I think in a community like ours, we should be able to respect each other's opinions and show some respect and decency towards each other. I don't see much contrary to this, though, and that's why I love the Shroomery 
I don't think there are more open minded people than those that can see past the anti drug socialization that our society has placed upon us. It seems to me that we should be able to be open minded enough to agree to disagree and respect each other's opinions.
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FleshCap
FleshCap



Registered: 11/10/08
Posts: 685
Loc: Cali Underground
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Re: I still believe... [Re: bholzer]
#14314839 - 04/18/11 11:45 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Speaking for myself, I feel that psychedelics have helped me to develop my own "personal truth". It would be wrong for me to force that upon another person.
Ideas and beliefs should be shared freely. However, attempting to convince or convert others is pompous.
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FleshCap
FleshCap



Registered: 11/10/08
Posts: 685
Loc: Cali Underground
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Quote:
Psilosomniac said: I never argue about religion because it's based on faith and therefore is believable (or unbelievable) because it's unprovable.
Well put.
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bholzer
quasi-scientist



Registered: 03/22/11
Posts: 2,409
Last seen: 11 years, 7 months
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Re: I still believe... [Re: FleshCap]
#14314857 - 04/18/11 11:47 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
FleshCap said: Speaking for myself, I feel that psychedelics have helped me to develop my own "personal truth". It would be wrong for me to force that upon another person.
Ideas and beliefs should be shared freely. However, attempting to convince or convert others is pompous.
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Use these substances wisely, they have the ability to cause life altering realizations.
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Nunbuh_Chrubble
I'm just a kittycat


Registered: 01/23/06
Posts: 3,534
Last seen: 10 years, 1 month
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Re: I still believe... [Re: bholzer]
#14314904 - 04/18/11 11:58 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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I never got passed the whole Cartesian Doubt thing, even before psychedelics came into my life. How do we in fact know that we are not dreaming (or being fooled by a clever demon who controls our senses, etc)? DeCartes had his whole "and then God happened" clause that makes everything okie-dokie, but I never bought that. I'm pretty sure he just put that in there so that he wouldn't piss of the Vatican.
So in my opinion, the psychedelic experience is to be doubted with the same veracity that we challenge our normal waking reality. After you get deep enough into tripping, talking about whether something is "real" or not is just naive and silly.
The only problem is that EVERYTHING is doubtable and we find ourselves groundless. This can be scary at first... embrace it! Once everything has fallen apart we are able to reconstruct things as we see fit.
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"This day is a lover..." ~Rumi
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FleshCap
FleshCap



Registered: 11/10/08
Posts: 685
Loc: Cali Underground
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Quote:
Nunbuh_Chrubble said: The only problem is that EVERYTHING is doubtable and we find ourselves groundless.
Precisely, everything is questionable. So, is it wrong to believe in something?
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Nunbuh_Chrubble
I'm just a kittycat


Registered: 01/23/06
Posts: 3,534
Last seen: 10 years, 1 month
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Re: I still believe... [Re: FleshCap]
#14314955 - 04/19/11 12:07 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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It's a balancing act between believing in something just enough so that you have a coherent context to work in, yet being skeptical enough to avoid falling into the abyss of infinite nonsense.
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"This day is a lover..." ~Rumi
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FleshCap
FleshCap



Registered: 11/10/08
Posts: 685
Loc: Cali Underground
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Skepticism is healthy, which is why I can appreciate the fierce debate that has stormed the forums as of late.
At some point however, debaters on both sides became fierce soldiers of dogma. Insults were traded and thrown upon people simply for believing in their own point of view.
Like I said, skepticism is healthy. I've done some serious reflection lately. For a while I found it too easy to visit the Shroomery once a day and just agree with everything that was being posted.
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Llamsy
Stranger



Registered: 04/18/10
Posts: 20
Loc: United States
Last seen: 11 years, 6 months
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Re: I still believe... [Re: FleshCap]
#14315217 - 04/19/11 12:56 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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amen brother
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