Imagine you have a mysterious illness for which there is no known cure. What if you were to find out that a healing plant could help. A plant easy to grow, widely available, and with very few (if any) negative side effects. Coincidentally, a plant that is also deemed illegal. Would you take it?
For the last year I have smoked pot almost every day. Usually after dark, only when not required to operate a motor vehicle, and never before work. Coincidentally, the last year has been the most happy, productive and rewarding of my life. It was the year I learned Gratitude.
After recently coming to this realization, I had a heart to heart with myself and inquired within why I choose to smoke marijuana on such a consistent basis. This is the conclusion I came to and, in light of the ongoing legalization debate, I have chosen to share it with you.
So what 'mysterious' illness are we battling, every day of our lives?
Contrary to popular belief, we (and by “we” I mean those functioning members of society who choose to smoke pot on a regular basis and still get stuff done) don't smoke marijuana to numb the mind. Or forget our sorrows. Or laugh hysterically at mindless things while consuming thousands of empty calories. We smoke pot to gently wash away the familiar fears, insecurities and mental obstructions preventing us from being and saying that which we truly feel, yet consistently struggle to mask due to socially accepted norms so deeply engrained within each and every one of us, they have tragically become instinctual. In a nutshell – the mysterious illness that ails us all is dissatisfaction.
So does pot make you happy? I would say it prepares you for happiness. Like frozen dough that must be thawed before it can be shaped into bread, our minds are rigid from years of being conditioned to “want,” “need,” and “desire” things just out of reach. Blindly, we follow the herd and focus our energy on those things because we don't know any better, inadvertently immersing ourselves into a cycle of perpetual dissatisfaction caused simply by the fact that we are WAITING for happiness to come, unable to realize that happiness has already arrived! (And is wearing a neon track suit while doing the Macarena right in front of our faces).
For me smoking marijuana “thaws” my mind and melts away those deeply engrained behaviors, allowing me to realize the absurd irrelevance of all my fears and disappointments with sublime clarity. Almost as though a veil were lifted I can suddenly see the humor and beauty in all things – enjoy tastes and smells much more viscerally and truly appreciate this life I have so graciously been given. I have passionate, in depth conversations about topics I never knew I cared about. I watch movies differently, noticing colors and details I would normally never have the patience to acknowledge. I exude warmth and love to all living things. I remember what it means to marvel. My brain is no longer disconnected from my heart; it's as though the two fleetingly become one. All judgement, all preconceived notions of what is deteriorate, leaving behind only the satisfied joy of “being.”
Now – some may say “well, of course life can be great when you're on DRUGS...but that state does not occur naturally. You're artificially inducing it, so what value can it have?”
Well, let me ask you this: Does knowledge comes easily or does one “artificially” have to acquire it by opening a man-made book? Does hygiene occur naturally, or does one enlist in the help of soap? Do clothes, dishes, cars, houses, buildings, freeways not bring convenience? Well, none of those things occur naturally. In fact, marijuana is a plant and therefore more “natural” than any of the things listed above! So, is it wrong to use that plant to help us in our quest for happiness when we gladly use so many other things to aid us in our daily lives?
“Well, marijuana has negative side effects. It can be a gateway drug. It can cause paranoia or temporary loss of eyesight. It can lead to lung cancer.”
Well, sure. Life is balance, remember? There's a down side to everything. Fact is, soaps, detergents, and cosmetics contain cancer causing chemicals. Cars kill over a hundred people every day in the US alone. For God's sakes, you can smother someone to death with a pillow! Medications that cure diseases have long lists of alarming side effects. Even Aspirin can be fatal. Alcohol not only kills people, it drives people to kill each other! After extensive research on anti-marijuana government websites I have been unable to find any statistics to support the potential of pot being fatal. And I know I've never seen a trigger happy stoner.
Bottom line is: we tend to happily seek out and accept the help offered to us by the outside world, as long as the benefits outweigh the negatives.
“But there must be another way?”
Sure. For a small percentage of our population there is. But I have no qualms admitting that I have not and most likely will not achieve the marijuana induced state of acceptance and joy through diligent meditation, destruction of ego or any such respectable practices. I openly admit that I require help. Which is why it is so fortunate that the help I seek is so abundantly present in the very fruits of the earth I walk on.
A plant.
A natural, potent aid to guide us back to the original intent of our journey – an intent so marred and corrupted by almost every value our society has so successfully imparted on us, we have lost it out of sight. Help that is just waiting to be accepted.
Our society's mentality of striving for constant improvement and growth is not wrong. Instead it has mistakenly been applied to all things material when in fact it should pertain to the practice of the spirit. To clarify: Our hearts and our minds have been disconnected by a society thrust upon us that – from the day we were born - does not WANT us to be happy. Why? Happy people don't buy things they don't need. They don't care how much money they make, because nothing that money can buy will alter their current state of bliss. Happy people exist peacefully and revel with calm amazement at the beauty that surrounds them every moment of every day. They accept that bad things will happen, because they know that life cannot exist without balance. They embrace what is, not what was, might or will be. They do not define themselves or others by material possessions.
Those people make for terrible consumers. Which is – in my opinion – just another blatantly obvious reason for why pot remains an illegal substance in this country.
Now, despite what this may sound like I am by no means saying everyone should immediately light up a bowl. Nor am I suggesting smoking first thing in the morning. Or even smoking at all – everyone is different. As tends to be the case with all good things, enjoyment in moderation is key. But even if we can only be there for a few short hours at a time (and we have to pay for cabs or stay at home, or eat an entire tray of brownies in one sitting while indulging in the gift of our earth), my hope is the experience of opening our heart a little wider each time will eventually carry over and teach us to, once again, learn to live, love and be utterly at peace with ourselves.
It's basic conditioning. And it works for me.[/FONT]
For the last year I have smoked pot almost every day. Usually after dark, only when not required to operate a motor vehicle, and never before work. Coincidentally, the last year has been the most happy, productive and rewarding of my life. It was the year I learned Gratitude.
After recently coming to this realization, I had a heart to heart with myself and inquired within why I choose to smoke marijuana on such a consistent basis. This is the conclusion I came to and, in light of the ongoing legalization debate, I have chosen to share it with you.
So what 'mysterious' illness are we battling, every day of our lives?
Contrary to popular belief, we (and by “we” I mean those functioning members of society who choose to smoke pot on a regular basis and still get stuff done) don't smoke marijuana to numb the mind. Or forget our sorrows. Or laugh hysterically at mindless things while consuming thousands of empty calories. We smoke pot to gently wash away the familiar fears, insecurities and mental obstructions preventing us from being and saying that which we truly feel, yet consistently struggle to mask due to socially accepted norms so deeply engrained within each and every one of us, they have tragically become instinctual. In a nutshell – the mysterious illness that ails us all is dissatisfaction.
So does pot make you happy? I would say it prepares you for happiness. Like frozen dough that must be thawed before it can be shaped into bread, our minds are rigid from years of being conditioned to “want,” “need,” and “desire” things just out of reach. Blindly, we follow the herd and focus our energy on those things because we don't know any better, inadvertently immersing ourselves into a cycle of perpetual dissatisfaction caused simply by the fact that we are WAITING for happiness to come, unable to realize that happiness has already arrived! (And is wearing a neon track suit while doing the Macarena right in front of our faces).
For me smoking marijuana “thaws” my mind and melts away those deeply engrained behaviors, allowing me to realize the absurd irrelevance of all my fears and disappointments with sublime clarity. Almost as though a veil were lifted I can suddenly see the humor and beauty in all things – enjoy tastes and smells much more viscerally and truly appreciate this life I have so graciously been given. I have passionate, in depth conversations about topics I never knew I cared about. I watch movies differently, noticing colors and details I would normally never have the patience to acknowledge. I exude warmth and love to all living things. I remember what it means to marvel. My brain is no longer disconnected from my heart; it's as though the two fleetingly become one. All judgement, all preconceived notions of what is deteriorate, leaving behind only the satisfied joy of “being.”
Now – some may say “well, of course life can be great when you're on DRUGS...but that state does not occur naturally. You're artificially inducing it, so what value can it have?”
Well, let me ask you this: Does knowledge comes easily or does one “artificially” have to acquire it by opening a man-made book? Does hygiene occur naturally, or does one enlist in the help of soap? Do clothes, dishes, cars, houses, buildings, freeways not bring convenience? Well, none of those things occur naturally. In fact, marijuana is a plant and therefore more “natural” than any of the things listed above! So, is it wrong to use that plant to help us in our quest for happiness when we gladly use so many other things to aid us in our daily lives?
“Well, marijuana has negative side effects. It can be a gateway drug. It can cause paranoia or temporary loss of eyesight. It can lead to lung cancer.”
Well, sure. Life is balance, remember? There's a down side to everything. Fact is, soaps, detergents, and cosmetics contain cancer causing chemicals. Cars kill over a hundred people every day in the US alone. For God's sakes, you can smother someone to death with a pillow! Medications that cure diseases have long lists of alarming side effects. Even Aspirin can be fatal. Alcohol not only kills people, it drives people to kill each other! After extensive research on anti-marijuana government websites I have been unable to find any statistics to support the potential of pot being fatal. And I know I've never seen a trigger happy stoner.
Bottom line is: we tend to happily seek out and accept the help offered to us by the outside world, as long as the benefits outweigh the negatives.
“But there must be another way?”
Sure. For a small percentage of our population there is. But I have no qualms admitting that I have not and most likely will not achieve the marijuana induced state of acceptance and joy through diligent meditation, destruction of ego or any such respectable practices. I openly admit that I require help. Which is why it is so fortunate that the help I seek is so abundantly present in the very fruits of the earth I walk on.
A plant.
A natural, potent aid to guide us back to the original intent of our journey – an intent so marred and corrupted by almost every value our society has so successfully imparted on us, we have lost it out of sight. Help that is just waiting to be accepted.
Our society's mentality of striving for constant improvement and growth is not wrong. Instead it has mistakenly been applied to all things material when in fact it should pertain to the practice of the spirit. To clarify: Our hearts and our minds have been disconnected by a society thrust upon us that – from the day we were born - does not WANT us to be happy. Why? Happy people don't buy things they don't need. They don't care how much money they make, because nothing that money can buy will alter their current state of bliss. Happy people exist peacefully and revel with calm amazement at the beauty that surrounds them every moment of every day. They accept that bad things will happen, because they know that life cannot exist without balance. They embrace what is, not what was, might or will be. They do not define themselves or others by material possessions.
Those people make for terrible consumers. Which is – in my opinion – just another blatantly obvious reason for why pot remains an illegal substance in this country.
Now, despite what this may sound like I am by no means saying everyone should immediately light up a bowl. Nor am I suggesting smoking first thing in the morning. Or even smoking at all – everyone is different. As tends to be the case with all good things, enjoyment in moderation is key. But even if we can only be there for a few short hours at a time (and we have to pay for cabs or stay at home, or eat an entire tray of brownies in one sitting while indulging in the gift of our earth), my hope is the experience of opening our heart a little wider each time will eventually carry over and teach us to, once again, learn to live, love and be utterly at peace with ourselves.
It's basic conditioning. And it works for me.[/FONT]
