Sentimental Fool
According to science, the mind is a tool to help us navigate reality and to assess the return on investments, whether economically or otherwise. Anything that exceeds or contradicts the official version of reality is considered a mental disorder …
The official version, however, is the product of laboratory conditions that don’t correspond with the reality we are facing in our daily lives. Worse yet, it is a compromise that has been achieved by general agreement, and we are expected to adjust our perceptions and our ways of coping in compliance with the public consent on common sense practice. The less conflict we experience the more consent may be gained, but the more pallid our imagination and creativity. As a result we live in emotional entropy and have made a culture of fast food obesity and marshmallow complacency the standard of sane and sanitized living. Rejoice and rest in peace, things can’t get any worse …
Almost all ancient cultures and civilizations knew rituals and drugs that allowed man to enter altered states of mind. Unlike the aftermath of the hippies’ movement, altered states of mind served clear and distinct purposes in ancient cultures. To understand those purposes one must abandon the traditional academic interpretation that sticks to the vocabulary and imagery ( ghosts of ancestors, demons and witches, ho-ho-ho ), and instead try to emulate the experiences that were alive in those practices …
If we abandon our rational assessment, we may attain a more sincere understanding at a more emotional and imaginative level that might allow us to play and fool around mentally, imaginatively, trying out new approaches. Play and fooling around is how our children learn and find their way, not by following instructions …
For modern man it may not need drugs anymore to transcend our predicament. Humankind has indeed evolved and matured; not by the standards of science, but in opposition to its rational creed. Our potential to create a future that will be different from the status quo will be rooted in our acquired states of conscience and awareness, but the future itself won’t emerge unless we overcome our present modes of living and perceiving. And as we evolve from slaves to creators our minds will become tools of imagination, rather than merely reflecting, and our creativity will be sparked by emotional responses rather than rational assessment …
The damage caused by drugs and addiction doesn’t mean we should abandon the quest to transcend reality, but instead of relying on external agents, we’ll have to make it happen by what we have been given, by our mental and emotional facilities. They are what makes us human and humane, and they can make us creators …
Even the neurosciences have come to see emotions and feelings as the spark that gave birth to consciousness and self-awareness. But instead of imitating and replacing life with technology, we should invest our time and resources in creating the conditions that will allow us to live to the full of our potentials. As dreamers and architects of our future we will see the chains that hold us down as challenges, and our adversaries as tutors who will teach us how to transcend pain, grief and affliction and turn them into sources of courage and inspiration …
Our mental and emotional facilities, instead of serving as administrative tools, may allow us to enter altered states of existence that will enrich us beyond anything science considers safe and sane. They will enable us to experience joy way beyond anything to be found in material wealth and comfort. The experience of sharing and giving joy will make us generous and grateful, and instead of competitors we may see each other as brothers and sisters, and eventually perhaps as our tribe and family. This is, I admit, a silly, sentimental dream, but in my not so humble opinion it beats anything science and pharma have to offer …
