Turn on, Tune in, Drop Out. Part Two.

Reading books is a method used to develop our schema about our shared reality.  A book is similar to Plato's cave in "Allegory of the Cave."  For instance, an individual can learn about the animals that roam the Serengeti, a vast ecosystem in East Africa.  Pictures and descriptions can be found in the book that describes an animal perfectly.  However, when one encounters a Hippo in real time, they will discover a book does not do the animal justice.

I believe the ages form 0 - 5 are the most important in a human's life.  It is during these years an individual is learning techniques to understand their environment.  Developing communication skills is essential during this time period in our life.  The individual is dependent on their environment for sustenance. 

To have this need meet one must use their communication skills to get food, shelter, and clothing.  Some children will learn to talk extremely well to get their needs met, while others will rely on their parents to anticipate their need, and others will have fits to get their needs met. There are a variety of roads a child    can take to communicate with their environment. The faster a child learns to interact with their environment and have their needs met he more the rewards they receive.

Our interaction with our environment develops our schema.  Our schema is the way we order the information from our environment into knowledge.  For instance, as a child we learn to "turn on" an electronic device by pushing a button.  We learn to "turn on" electronic devices in order to "tune in" to some sort of program to learn information for appease our need for pleasure.  For example, I "turn on" my computer, in order to "tune in" to Google Blogger and type information to please myself.  However, the concept of "Turn on, tune in, drop out" can be more complex than turning on your T.V. and watching the latest News information. 

"Turn on" can be associated with accepting a new idea.  "Tune in" can be applying that new idea to your schema.  "Drop out" is questionable, some take their information they have developed and leave society but must return or perish.  I could not survive off the grid and did not like it much.  I have a craving for sushi which could not be met of the grid.  Moreover, I did "turn on" to the use of LSD and found a new and exciting world.

I experimented with LSD in my late teens and early twenties.  Today I macro dos with mushrooms, not as intense as LSD but has a similar effect on your schema.  Using LSD is taking a sledgehammer to your cognitive ability and temporarily rebooting your schema and hopefully able to upload new information that improves your outlook on life.  

First, of all using LSD is a sin our society, but many people accept its use.  For instance, Timothy Leary was honored with a burial in space even though he was at odds with Law Enforcement and Political leadership.  One of the reasons I am confused is our leaders send mix messages about drug use.  Which drugs are good and which drugs are bad?        

  

Turn on, Tune in, Drop out.

I don't know what is right or wrong anymore. For instance, I believe in free will. I think junkies are expressing their free will by becoming dope fiends. To be an addict is a victimless crime. We have more than enough resources to support individuals with a drug dependency. We get mad at them for expressing their despair and seeking the serenity of an alternate reality manifested using drugs, they don't work like the average Joe, clocking in at a job to get a paycheck, causing the ant to hate the grasshopper.
We say there are good drugs and bad drugs. For example, crack is whack. Crack addition leads to all sorts of dubious situations in life that could result in death or becoming a sex slave. The drugs I promoted and still encourage there use for medicinal purposes are LSD, mushrooms, and marijuana.
I was a follower of Timothy Leary the psychedelic guru that promoted LSD use and known for the mantra "Turn on, tune in, drop out." I learned to question reality from Timothy Leary even though I have maximized my understanding of questioning reality by devoting a large amount of time to study and acting on the thoughts of Plato/Socrates.
For instance, when one reads the "allegory of the cave" by Plato in the "Republic" you have a variety of choices to pursue when one discovers the truth or the level of truth one could live with in our reality.
To be brief. imagine you are in a cave chained to a seat and forced to learn information from images "shadow puppets on wall" to be the truth of our reality. Then one day you escape the chains and see the apparatus that has been teaching you information in the darkness of a cave. While examining the apparatus you see a bright light leading out of the cave. You leave the cave and discover sunlight and the real images of reality you were taught in the cave. Imagine learning what a lion was seeing a shadow puppet then you leave the cave a see a real lion.
When you realize there is sunlight versus torchlight guiding our reality you have the choice to free the minds of those trapped in the cave or continue to bask in the light of the sun. I have chosen to bask in the sunlight, but I am returning to the cave. I have done this multiple time as my duty to community. I analyze myself, find those things that I should cultivate and those things I should let die, get my answers and return to cave. I am in the process of returning to the cave again.
I have followed Timothy Leary's advice and found dropping out of society without wealth is bad for self. I did not realize at the time that he had wealth and could afford to go against the grain and live without accumulating wealth. I leave the cave to bask under the sun and return to get a piece of bread and back to contemplating.
The reason I promote the use of LSD is because it allows you to change your schema you have developed since childhood. We begin our journey in this reality with a blank slate. We are dependent on our environment to provide safety and security for use until we can do it for ourselves. As we observe and interact with our environment we begin to learn and develop our schema. For instance, we learn ideas like fire burns if we touch it or water quenches our thirst.
Our parents are the source of information to begin to develop our schema. I was lucky to have a mother that was into books and gave me a wide view of reality from the comforts of my home. For instance, I learned about the Paroahs of ancient Africa. As a child I thought I was Pharoah and had no problem looking at European Monarchies. What short circuited me was reading a "Trail of tears" about the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from our ancestral lands. When it came to slavery, I thought it was a condition of the past not to interfere with my goals in this life. I was so wrong about slavery...