Category: Posts
The Colorado Renaissance Festival
I saw all of humanity laid out before me. The clueless, dopey boyfriend who can’t take a hint from what his girlfriend was actually saying. The womanizer, at the most manly of carnival games, showcasing his muscles with a small harem cheering him on. The suspected pedophile trying to lure his grandchildren over to spend the night while politely resisting parents made every excuse possible. Juxtaposed, one table away, the great father leads his sons to a war veteran to show their respect. It choked me up as I watched and wondered how he became so great a man. Across the park I watched the acrobatic stage performers wow their audience with fire and tricks. At another meager and partially hidden stage a hobbyist made clay pots and explained his craft. Intelligent parents nodded on eagerly while their bored children stared off at the excitement locked away. An intelligent father with his UV protection goggles and perfectly trimmed appearance followed alertly behind his beautiful, but seemingly disinterested wife and child. She led, he followed. This was contrasted by the confident old lion of a large family leading his pride around the park, dictating where and when the fun should be had. The women of his pride followed with careful smiles while the children followed with frowns.
It is an amusement park built for commoners. A world of branded shops and cheap goods. Containing an image of humanity that is full of errors and flaws. People resisting the embarrassment of participating and creating a tension that was palpable. This force is inadvertently reshaping our minds. It diminishes creativity and erodes confidence. We will one day destroy our humanity to escape this fear and suffering while elite individuals rise above it. They see the truth of their actions and find ways to resolve them instead of perpetuating them naively. The top strives for perfection while the bottom becomes a machine. This is why it’s so important to carry the torch as soon as you can see it. To redirect that force at yourself in hopes that it saves the souls of those around you. Else we extinguish the flame that has burnt so many generations and all be consumed by the wickedness of social pressure.
Nothing Definitive by SMSHDW
Nothing Definitive is an enlightenment blog by Sam Shadow (SMSHDW).
Being Confidently Lonely
I am a lonely person. I wasn’t always this way, but I’ve had a foot in the door for a long time. When I embarked on this journey to solve the struggles of depression my loneliness increased tenfold. I stepped completely through the door and began exploring a foreign territory within. I was timid at first, never letting my vision stray far from the exit, but eventually I let go and disappeared within. That was four and a half years ago. Since then I have been exploring this world alone. Disconnected from others, but obsessed with life. During the first years I became utterly fascinated with the complexity and depth of reality. How I had never noticed it before is mind-boggling, but then I observe other’s and see the same gap in understanding. We are blinded by something in our mind and when you remove it you can never go back.
The primary issue that caused me to separate from others was a decision: I could socialize or I could explore. I was born an explorer and so the choice was easy especially since socialization had become almost unbearably dull by comparison. As a philosopher and explorer my work demands loneliness. Seeking higher awareness, carefully observing others, and reflecting on the experience requires isolation. People are distracting. Even when I’m with my friends it’s a partial engagement because their words and insights often cloud the experience around us. The sacrifice then is a trade-off you’ll have to reconcile: relationships or understanding? It’s not an easy path and requires you to face the unknown. To step into the darkness and destroy yourself. Choices I believe no sane person would normally entertain, but when depression awaits your return, the decision seems easier.
The result of this experiment has been further disconnection. I find myself a shadow in the world: separate, unique, and lonely. I stare through people and pass-by as if they didn’t exist. I have found them to be woefully uninteresting and insignificant to such a degree that they are like mere objects in the world. Creatures too consumed by their own precious thoughts to notice the beauty and depth of reality. And so I feel different. Wildly so. I will admit however that past desires blur the line between fact and fiction. I cannot tell whether I have constructed this illusion or whether it really exists.
What’s strange though is that the fear of loneliness is dissolving. For a time I considered it an objective consequence of this lifestyle. A punishment for my lack of integration. But lately I’ve circled back around and questioned whether it needs to be this way. I am friendly, open and honest, passionate, and caring. I have carefully selected principles. I am well educated and interesting. I contribute to the community. Perhaps what I’ve gained is well worth the loneliness. Perhaps I can be a good person who embraces a lonely lifestyle. If I truly gain little from the presence of others, maybe the world and what it offers is my only companion. I have been programmed to fear loneliness. I have been shown a healthy, normal lifestyle, and yet that lifestyle caused me to suffer immensely. I know I have undoubtedly disappointed some people in my life and yet I cannot steer my gaze in any other direction. I must walk these streets alone. I must ignore the safeguards of society for the uncertainty of this knowledge. I must cultivate and explore what it has to offer. I cannot turn away. I cannot go back. But I can be confidently lonely.
How to change your life for free
A large part of changing your life is recognizing the issues and understanding them. More so than brute forcing change simply because you know it’s right (for example, eating healthy, getting exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight). Once you see an issue clearly, you can’t help but naturally resolve it. Why intentionally make a mistake that is clearly laid out before you? This is why small iterative changes through recognition may be an optimal strategy for achieving your goals. You don’t need to go on a diet to lose weight, you need to understand why diet and exercise are important. You need to recognize when you’re being weak and become aware of your cravings. You need to recognize that your body has to process and recover from rich sugary foods just like it does from a night of drinking. Once these things become apparent, you will naturally adjust your lifestyle, even subconsciously or inadvertently, and lose weight as a result. The first 15 pounds of your 20 pound goal might be “free” simply because of your expanded awareness of the connected issues to “losing weight”.
Note: “Once you see an issue clearly, you can’t help but naturally resolve it” does not mean, “I’m overweight, I need to shed some pounds” or “eating unhealthy and not exercising enough has led to me gaining weight recently”. These are not clear understandings. These are shallow statements made by someone who does not understand the depth and complexity of the world. An example of seeing the issue clearly might be: understanding how foods are processed by your body and seeing the differences between organs treated with a healthy diet and exercise versus organs treated poorly. It may involve exploring a body simulator in VR that leaves a lasting impression on how amazing these complex systems are. It may involve research into vitamins and supplements, experimenting with different exercise routines, stretching, and yoga. It may involve meditation, countless books and lectures from experts in the field. It may involve personal observations of the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle and anecdotes from friends. All this, among many other related insights, eventually connect to form a neural map that enlightens you about this particular issue in your life. You suddenly see yourself accurately in the territory and realize what’s at stake. The conflicts and challenges you faced suddenly seem trivial and the answer obvious. It is at this moment that 15 pounds freely shed themselves because you are naturally and unambiguously inclined to simply correct your lifestyle. This is what I mean by seeing the issues clearly.
A Consequence of Multiverse and Simulation Theory
Preface: Multiverse theory varies in definitions depending on which specific interpretation you’re considering. For this article, we’re going to be focusing on multiverse theories that create infinite universes and thus will loop existing and past universes given enough time. Simulation theory, and simulated multiverse theory, states that existence is simulated in a highly advanced computer system. We’ll also be assuming that an infinite amount of simulated universes will be created over time.
The other night I was lying in bed thinking about multiverse and simulation theory and how it would affect my life. As I lay there imagining all the different consequences I suddenly leapt up and ran to my computer to take note of a realization that’s led to profound changes in my worldview. This theory and what it means for each of us may be of monumental importance and I urge you as the reader to thoroughly read this article and consider the implications.
Based on the preface above, duplicate or looping universes are an inevitability. Given enough time and iterations, our exact universe will loop again, atom for atom. And what this made me realize over the past week is that, if every moment will be lived again, why waste even a second? For example, imagine you live your entire life doing what you’re “supposed to do”. You go to school where you’re told to submit, conform, learn, be quiet, follow orders, etc. You go to college because it’s vitally important you get a degree so you can get a job, even though there’s no guarantee of employment, but there is guarantee of debt. You manage to secure a job you didn’t particularly plan for, but it pays the bills and you keep it. For a couple years you work there until a better offer comes and you slowly work your way up the corporate ladder. But unfortunately you find out that your degree only takes you so far and the highest position you can get is a senior position that does basically the same work, but has more responsibility because you have to manage “underlings”. You work these sort of jobs on and off your entire life, making a decent amount of money, but not so much that you can comfortably pay for everything you’d like. You work past 65 because of college payments for your kids and helping them along, and because you want to maximize savings before retirement, especially since social security is long over after the US financial collapse (we recover, but it’s not quite the same). Suddenly you’re old and approaching death. You finally take a moment to reflect on your choices and ask big questions like “what does life really mean?” You take comfort in the idea that after you die, you’ll go to heaven or just be dead and gone, and that you spent time with family and friends and things weren’t so bad. In fact, you decide it was a pretty good life (a heart rate monitor beeps next to you). Then darkness creeps in your vision and death finds you. But it’s not over quite yet. An instant later an infinite amount of universes play their hands with a vast array of possible timelines and alternate choices, and buried among them is this one, atom for atom. The exact timeline, ready to play again. And just as everything went dark, light bursts forth, and you’re born again, destined to live out your life exactly the same as before.
This is the revelation I had last week. That if there is an infinite amount of universes, and they can eventually loop atom for atom, then you will live again, and play out the same timeline as before. And what this should get you to realize is that every moment you’re alive and well is a moment you should maximize. A moment that, if spent unhappy, will be unhappy forever. For instance, after this thought had crossed my mind, I caught myself reading a news article that meant nothing to me. I stopped midway through and said, “why am I reading this? I’ve read this before and it does nothing for me. It doesn’t make me more happy or more intelligent. I’m just reading it because it was in my news feed.” The next day I was crossing a street, deep in thought, and a responsible driver stopped before the crosswalk to ensure I had enough space to get by. This behavior is something most people don’t do because they aren’t looking for pedestrians. But instead of me waving and smiling to this driver, I just continued on, and it wasn’t until a few steps past that I realized I would live that moment again. That I had the opportunity to spread positivity by wordlessly thanking that respectful driver, but I missed it. This realization is so profound because it literally impacts every moment of your life. It makes you ask, “what am I doing? Is this really the best I can do right now? Am I taking advantage of this moment?” It’s powerful and inspirational. It can motivate you to work harder and spread happiness. To strive for perfection.
There is another consequence to this realization, and one that many will probably not grasp right away. It’s that, unless we are the very first iteration of this timeline, your past, present, and future are all predetermined. Since you can only ever operate within the realm of possibility and this timeline will loop, and probably has before, you can only ever play out this selected timeline. Even if you know this. This can be a hard pill to swallow, but would ultimately be true if universes do indeed loop. You may think, “but I can be random and make changes, do something unexpected to change my future”. Unfortunately you cannot. Imagine you are the first iteration of yourself, with the ability to make all unique choices. When you die and a duplicate universe is born, would your future self, the one that is just as real as you, get to make new choices? How could he if the universe loops atom for atom? Even the slightest change, even a single new thought, is an entirely new universe. You cannot change your future in that sense, it is static and predetermined. It is also unlikely in the simulation or multiverse theory to assume you are the first because it is 1:∞, or: the chance you are not the first universe is infinitely more likely than being the first one. So abandon all hope ye who enter. But on the bright side, does it really matter? All experiences from your perspective are new and novel and even feel like you’re making them.
Again, I know this realization can be hard to accept because of the implications, but it’s incredibly interesting to consider. On the plus side, you will live again and experience all the great moments you yearn for, you’ll see your deceased family and friends again, and you can take advantage of this knowledge by making life amazing from this moment on. On the negative side, you don’t have free will and your entire life is predetermined, people who’ve drawn a bad hand and died young or suffered dearly, will do it again, it still doesn’t answer any big questions like why does all this exist in the first place?, and it probably destroys any precept of religion existing or an afterlife. It’s monumental and profound and deserves deep consideration. I personally have not decided on whether this is likely or not, but I have begun making changes to support it. I suggest you do the same. Thanks for reading.
The Best Places to Learn Online
Since the fall of 2011 I have spent much of my time learning new things. In fact, I’d argue that I’ve learned more useful information in the past year and half than at any other time in my life. I feel as if I passed a “tipping point”, where I went from an ordinary interest level in information, to obsessed with it. I’ve also realized that much of what I learned before was incomplete and lacked “fundamental knowledge.” So I’ve also been relearning, or even “unlearning”, all sorts of different things. And it has resulted in the most wonderful and unanticipated consequence: the awareness of intellectual enlightenment. So today I wanted to publish a relatively short article about how I learn online and why it has worked for me.
The first learning resource is a recent discovery called Memrise. This website is absolutely fantastic and has amazing potential in my opinion. Think “Rosetta Stone”, but free and better designed (at least compared to the version I used a few years ago). I’ve been using it to learn French (my sister speaks it fluently) and sign language (just because why not). I am also going to pickup Spanish as well, once I have French down. With this website I am memorizing faster and more efficiently than ever before because of their two unique features: “Mems“, which help you visualize what you’re learning, and the implementation of the “forgetting curve” in each course. If you’re at all interested in learning a new language or need help memorizing facts and terms, Memrise is the place to be.
Next up is the Khan Academy, a website full of educational YouTube videos taught by Salman Khan. Now there’s a few main reasons I really like this website over its competitors:
- You are not required to “signup for courses”, a feature I really dislike about other learning websites. I do not want to be forced to learn through a sequence of due dates. That’s why I prefer learning online, because it’s at your own pace and discretion. If I wanted courses and due dates, I’d go back to school!
- Sal is an excellent teacher who focuses on making sure you understand the fundamentals. He also takes the extra time to color code what he’s talking about, reiterates his points to ensure no one misses anything important, and has a natural talent for explaining things in a thorough and simple way.
- And lastly, the website looks gorgeous, has a Q&A comment section with ratings for asking questions about each video, it awards points and achievements for learning, and connects with my Google account. All great things that make the experience that much better.
The Stack Exchange is next and offers a large network of Q&A websites covering many different topics. This is another beautifully designed website that makes solving even the hardest questions not only possible, but fun. The communities are full of helpful people, there’s a reward system that gives you points and badges, and it serves as an excellent way to test your knowledge. As a programmer, I’ve posted answers and asked questions as a way to challenge myself, and I encourage you to do the same.
Another great way to educate yourself is through reading. Over the past year I’ve come across some excellent free ebooks and PDF websites. Scribd, which touts itself as the largest online library, has a wide range of PDF documents for online reading or download. Just be aware that they offer a premium feature which locks some documents behind a paywall. Project Gutenberg, named after Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, publishes public domain texts, primarily of historical nature. They also offer their documents in a variety of formats (including Kindle), which is an excellent feature Scribd currently lacks. I also stumbled upon Open Library, which is exactly like it sounds, an online library that offers free and borrowable texts. I really like this website since it houses a ton of documents, but I feel the interface needs some work yet and the borrowing feature seems silly since they’re digital documents. But I suppose if that’s the only way to get licensing, borrowing an ebook isn’t so bad, if it opens up more choices. Lastly, there’s good ol’ Amazon.com and their selection of free Kindle ebooks. I mention this because if you have a Kindle, their Whispernet makes reading these texts a breeze. Just search for a famous classical author, find the free community versions of their books, and with a single click, send them to your Kindle. It’s awesome, plain and simple. And just as a very last note here, don’t forget Wikipedia! Sometimes just browsing articles and reading biographies or the explanation of something you don’t understand is a great way to learn.
And the final resource for learning online is YouTube. Yes, there may be a million, no wait, a billion distractions, from fail compilations to music videos, but YouTube also contains a huge selection of educational videos. I am constantly queuing up new videos to my “Watch Later” playlist and have learned all sorts of fascinating things. Just be aware that 1. not everything on YouTube is accurate, and in fact there’s plenty of disinformation floating around and 2. don’t read the comments, people are jerks. If you’re interested in finding some good channels to subscribe to (and I highly recommend actually using your Google account to like, favorite, rate, and subscribe), come check out my YouTube channel’s about page to get started.
And that’s how I learn online. By utilizing these different services, staying interested by cycling through them and mixing it up, I’ve reached a point where learning has become fun and engaging. And you don’t even have to take it that seriously. I used to listen to YouTube lectures and lessons while playing video games or working on other projects. Just because you’re learning, doesn’t mean you have to take notes and be all serious. Have fun with it and learn about things that make you happy!
Update: Here are a few more learning websites that might tickle your fancy: Udacity, Quizlet, Academic Earth, Coursera, and edX. The reason I didn’t list these before is primarily because they require you to “sign up for courses” or have other needless requirements. I prefer learning when I feel like it.
Why Do Monks Meditate in Monasteries?
There are probably many reasons why monks live in monasteries, but I’m interested in just a couple in particular. It’s this idea that once you reach a heightened level of understanding you realize the futility of seeking out people for enlightenment. It is far easier and more effective to let people come to you because their minds are open and ready to learn. Imagine all the skeptical, close-minded people on the Internet being taught by even the most wise monk. They would be trolling and arguing and claiming they won, all while the monk sat calmly wondering why he even bothered. It’s not worth trying to reach their minds. It’s better to let life flow naturally and if they wake up, they will seek out the information themselves. This is why Buddhism and Zen are so superior to organized religions like Christianity. They do not indoctrinate because they do not care to. Their level of understanding is so high that it all seems petty and futile. Enlightenment is an individual journey that will either happen naturally or not at all.
The next reason results through the elimination of suffering. All personal suffering is derived from desire and when you work to eliminate them, you find yourself in a state of calm. You must understand that, unless you’ve practiced this, you may never have actually experienced life without suffering. Even from a young age, we are grown up in a world where you are constantly wanting things or comparing yourself against others. It is very possible that a life without suffering is not one in which you can even comprehend until it actually happens. So when monks and enlightened individuals do eliminate them and reach this contentment, they no longer need the external world. They may enjoy to wander about, but they do not need it. So monks sit pleasantly and content, up in their monasteries because that is all they need. A nice calm, quiet location where they can practice meditation and live in constant peace and harmony.
People will argue, and I would have in the past, that this behavior is lazy and self-indulgent. That these monks are just wasting their lives and should be out doing things. Or at the very least helping others and teaching their lessons. There are so many things wrong with this argument. First, most people, if not everyone, aren’t in a position where they should be commenting on another person’s life. The vast majority of people are robots, toiling away, completely unaware that they exist (or, more accurately, do not exist). No one is qualified to judge and assess another person’s life, especially when their own is completely out of their control. Second, the universe does not value anything over anything else, meaning that no matter what you do in life, it is equal to any other task or achievement. We only apply subjective value to things; there is no such thing as objective valuation within the properties of reality. Ex. the beautiful women isn’t actually beautiful, she’s just subjectively beautiful. Next, the reward and understanding that comes with enlightenment and meditating in monasteries is complex and abstract. While it may appear lazy and wasteful to sit meditating and reflecting on the universe, it is actually quite taxing and tiresome. The work may not be tangible, but these monks and enlightenment seekers are doing far more than you might imagine. All-in-all this argument lacks even the most basic understanding of what enlightenment is and the more you begin to unravel the mysteries of this life, the more you realize how wise and intelligent it is to simply sit in a monastery.
Update: I’d also like to mention that attaining and maintaining an enlightened state is very difficult and thus remaining within a serene monastery may expedite the process.
Thoughts on Marijuana Legalization
I’m sure there are many pro legalization articles floating around, but I wanted to publish my thoughts on all the benefits and consequences of marijuana that I’ve personally observed. Some or all of these are arguable, but I’m not really interested in debating anything. Like all my articles, they exist to ruminate on.
The first is the most obvious: the effect. Marijuana provides an altered state that can manipulate your worldview, increase creativity and attention to detail, relax and calm you down, energize and spark curiosity, offer fresh perspectives, and break down belief structures. All of these can be highly valuable assuming one is interested in utilizing their high. I think when considering the general public in terms of how they would use legalization, we can assume their lives will remain virtually the same. This means that most users would simply consume marijuana for relaxation. Especially among blue-collar workers who may be working tough jobs for long hours. This substance, in my opinion, would provide a better substitute for alcohol-induced relaxation. Among white-collar workers I think we would find users smoking to relax and enjoy entertainment like television and movies. And I think it’s here that we find our first opponent to marijuana: mainstream news agencies. Often times I’ve found that marijuana provides a powerful new angle when analyzing content you’re familiar with. You’ll notice subtleties that normally blend in, you’ll reassess how you feel about things, and the consequence of most Americans smoking cannabis would be the realization that mainstream news is overly negative and incredibly stupid. I base this conclusion on the fact that an increased attention to detail would reveal the negativity you absorb from hearing about deaths, economic woes, crimes, etc. (Note: this increased awareness to emotional absorption can also be achieved through meditation.) They’d also consider what they’re watching more closely because all the different language and visual cues would stick in their minds more clearly. Seriously thinking about what you’re watching would undoubtedly ruin the news for many people.
The relaxation effect would be beneficial for most Americans in my opinion because the stress level of most people I’ve observed is very high. The ability to reassess your life through marijuana may greatly reshape a lot of American lives as they realize how affected by stress and unhappy their are. Again this reveals a serious opponent to legalization: the US government and Wall Street. Assuming a significant swath of Americans begin using post-legalization, I would assume we’d see a correlated statistical shift in how serious those workers are about their jobs. The realization that your job may be responsible for serious unhappiness, high stress, and little free time to spend doing what you care about will undoubtedly affect our economics. As a world power, any significant portion of our country reassessing that aspect of their life could be very detrimental (“lazy nation syndrome”). Of course this isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on who you are. Considering that we were not born to work our lives away and should be spending most of it enjoying life, this reassessment might be the best thing that ever happened to a lot of people. I constantly feel sympathy for the millions of working adults who have never considered what it is they are doing. They’ve been given a task and will carry it out unto their grave, simply because it’s “the right thing to do”. The longer you consider the design of our system and the reality of life and existence, the more you realize how absurd it is to go along with society. Marijuana may hold the key to freeing many peoples’ minds.
Disclaimer: while relaxation and freeing your mind is good. You must still accept the reality of the world around you. Ignoring your bills, rent, work, etc. and smoking to relax doesn’t change the eventual outcome. Responsible drug use is the only type of drug use I encourage. Pay your bills, pay rent, work hard, but think about things so you can make real, conscious decisions about them. I’d also like to note (somewhat randomly) the importance of NOT using marijuana as a sleep-aid. While it does help with insomnia and simply getting great sleep, natural sleep is always going to be a better, healthier alternative. Do NOT become dependent on drugs for this or any other biological process.
Another important aspect of marijuana use is the increased enjoyment from entertainment. Movies, music, television, art, YouTube, etc. will become more interesting and can captivate you for hours. I can personally attest to an increased appreciation for artistic movies and music post-marijuana use. The band Animal Collective and Between the Buried and Me had previously been nothing more than “noise” when I first heard them. After a night of smoking and watching their live concerts, I became a fan. It allowed me to really hear their music the way I felt it was meant to be heard. The depth, each instrument, and the emotion behind it. Without marijuana my music interests may never have risen above ordinary ears.
Disclaimer: It should be noted that while good media can be appreciated even more, bad media isn’t any different. I suggest actively experiencing what is considered “high art” when high. It will expand your mind, rather than dumbing it down. Additionally, marijuana-based perspectives can actually ruin content as well. I had previously enjoyed the sober experience behind the movie Avatar until I watched it high. Flaws, CG, bad dialog and more become suddenly more apparent. I also immediately stopped playing the game Morrowind as well because the nerdiness-level was too intense. Lastly, it can be somewhat addicting to watch and play everything high because it all seems better. But this is addictive behavior and should be managed properly. If you find that you can’t enjoy things unless you’re high, then you probably need to take a break and get your mind clear.
Now let’s talk about the greatest asset marijuana possesses, something I mentioned above: forced perspectives. Derived from increased attention to detail and the ability to reassess aspects of reality, marijuana provides a powerful tool for destroying belief structures and providing new perspectives you had not previously considered. This is one of the most fundamental lessons a person interested in intellectual enlightenment must eventually grasp. That what you believe, and what is “true”, are two entirely different things. I believe marijuana could produce this effect in a portion of users minds and free them from previous restricted thinking. And this is where we meet our next opponent: religion. Marijuana itself can provide deep spiritual and enlightening experiences. This of course directly contradicts the Church who until very recently provided most people with meaning and purpose. But a free mind cannot be religious (Note: religion is different than spirituality).
The last segment to discuss here is medical purposes. This is a fairly well known argument for legalization and has provided the most successful legislation to date through the use of medical marijuana. It can be used to reduce pain, help with depression, and I’m sure a myriad of other conditions. Personally, I don’t care too much about this section because medical marijuana legalization is still infringing on fundamental liberties. As a responsible user, I would prefer not to lie to get access to marijuana stores. But it’s important to note our very last major opponent to legalization: pharmaceutical companies. The cost and effectiveness of simple, natural drugs like marijuana and even psilocybin mushrooms could be widely available to everyone who needs them for a fraction of the cost of laboratory produced drugs. They should at the least be considered first over the highly addictive, and questionably effective drugs you get now. The fact that many people are on dangerous anti-depressant drugs when they could have taken a single dose of mushrooms is sickening and should be greatly scrutinized. There are also other industries that would undoubtedly find reasons to prohibit marijuana legalization because it would negatively impact their bottom line. One mentioned by Duncan Trussell on his podcast “The Duncan Trussell Family Hour” was of the potentially lucrative hemp industry that was squashed by industries that would be affected by this new material. It’s these sort of behaviors that push through anti-drug propaganda and bad legislation that are based on lies, like that a hemp industry could easily lead to more marijuana production or that hemp would be smoked for a high (even though hemp plants can have extremely reduced or eliminated THC content). I will admit that growing marijuana among hemp plants could be very difficult to detect and thus hemp’s prohibition makes sense from that angle, but to eliminate an entire industry simply because we don’t want people to get high seems foolish. Perhaps with America’s decline from super power status, we will finally come to our senses and realize life isn’t just about economic and sociopolitical power.
From a statistical viewpoint, one I will be mentioning in a future article, marijuana prohibition makes a lot of sense. Legalization will immediately result in a higher statistical rate of addiction, potentially increased unemployment, economic decline, fatalities due to driving under the influence, and more unforeseeable consequences. But legalization is not without benefit. Protecting and encouraging fundamental liberties is what America is all about and our inability to process, dry, and smoke a naturally growing plant seems absurd at best. It may result in change and consequence but the social well-being of every American touched by this frankly strange and mystifying plant, will live on for the better. Understanding more of who they are and what they want in life. Perhaps a powerful society like ours can’t legalize until certain variables are ready, but eventually we must allow people to make their own decisions and face the consequences of their actions as adults.
Update: I suppose I should quickly mention, in comparison to alcohol, you cannot, or it would be incredibly difficult and extremely uncomfortable to, OD on marijuana. There is also no discernible hangover from marijuana which means you can experience the same level of altered state as alcohol without the painful consequence. Alcohol is generally a better social drug and it’s probably the greatest asset it has. Marijuana I find to be more of a small group or even individual affair, but people who smoke very frequently do socialize on it. I find it much easier to maintain (“be cool and think”) on marijuana than alcohol. Of course this is probably subjective, but something to consider. There is a lingering effect from post-marijuana-consumption that keeps you feeling calm and chill. It’s very nice and similar to the feeling after long meditation sessions. Marijuana legalization may help lift the ban on psychedelic drugs as well which could open a new door to social change and experimentation.