From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Wed Oct 19 2005 - 20:51:08 BST
Hi Mike,
> Platt:
> > Is there a difference between getting high on psychedelics and getting
> > high on booze? If so, how would you characterize the difference?
>
> Mike:
> A world of difference. Roughly speaking, booze dulls one's awareness,
> and is therefore fairly predictable and static (after the first few
> times, anyway). Psychedelics heighten awareness and are totally
> unpredictable. There's the hallucination thing, too (although
> hallucinations are fairly rare with the milder mushroom varieties, and when
> hallucinations do occur they're far more subtle than most people are led to
> believe - it's more about vibration and texture than pink elephants).
Hmmm. I guess you have to hallucinate to really tell the difference, not
that I doubt that there is a difference as you say.
> Mike:
> One other difference being that psychedelics tend to affect one's
> worldview permanently - you take something with you from the trip -
> whereas booze is a very temporary thing and usually just leaves you
> with a sore head in the morning.
The experience of "born again" affects one's view permanently, or so I'm
told.
> Platt:
> > In my boozing days, I transcended reality and saw the world in another
> > light every night after a couple of martinis.
>
> Mike:
> I think "transcending" is probably taking it a bit far, unless there
> was something unusual in your martini! (definitely the tastiest booze
> in my book, by the way) :)
Well, the world did seem brighter and more congenial. But, maybe that
isn't transcendence as you say.
> > > Platt:
> > > > Using the word "solidarity" confirms my suspicion that tripping out
> > > > makes one become "communal."
>
> Mike:
> > > Not exactly. But it does break down your subjective isolation from
> > > other subjects and the world at large. As a Pirsig fan, surely you
> > > can't believe that such an experience is necessarily a bad thing?
> Platt:
> > Boozing was always delightful. I'd get high and love everybody. So it
> > wasn't a bad thing. Fortunately, I never go hooked on it. But I know
> > people who did who ended up dead.
>
> Mike:
> I'm sorry to hear that. Alcoholism is a horrible thing, and it really
> makes me wonder why it is legal, while comparatively safer and more
> "educational" drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms are classified as a
> Class A drug here in England (along with heroin and cocaine, for
> instance). Psychedelic dependency is pretty rare, I think.
I agree. Why aren't booze, cigarettes and drugs all treated the same?
Either ban them all, or legalize them all I say.
> And there's a huge difference between 'getting high and loving
> everyone' and dissolving your ego for a while. Booze is still a fairly
> egotistical thing by comparason (not that it can't be fun!)
I think I dissolve my ego, if that's the goal, by meditation and contemplating
beauty. But what about this ego thing? Do you think egos are somehow bad
and ought to be dissolved? Didn't Mother Teresa act from selfish motives?
If as some have argued here there's no such thing as a self (ego), what's the
problem?
Your thoughts would be appreciated, and thanks for answering my previous
questions..
Platt
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