Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotus  I started smoking weed when I was around 14, because my doctor told my mother that we needed to something, anything, so that I could eat. I was chronically ill with untreatable ulcerative colitis, and I had diarrhea so bad most of the time that I couldn't maintain a normal weight. I also had a really bad aversion to food, because eating caused a lot of servere cramping pain. |
Note: The following isn’t so much a direct reply to Lotus, but more of a general reply to the thread. The reason I quoted Lotus was to give my post some sort of context. Anyway...
While I believe that
almost anything, including drugs and other such substances, can be of use if used in a responsible and consciousness manner, it is not my opinion that drugs (including legal prescription drugs, etc.) are necessary, and for the vast majority of cases where people take (legal or illegal) drugs, there are other solutions to be found that do not have the negative consequences that are associated with drugs.
And I believe this is one of the major problems with drugs - most of the individuals who are using them are not nearly at a high enough level of consciousness to fully understand the consequences of their actions (good or bad), and thus it is foolish for such individuals to even consider such things (and don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about anyone here... I'm more so referring to young children and teenagers who use things like marijuana irresponsibly on a regular basis for nothing more then "recreation").
With that said, I'll openly admit that I personally cannot draw very accurate distinctions about drugs simply because they are completely outside of my experience. I have never used any illegal drugs in my life, and the amount of legal (medical) drugs I have used you could count on two hands. As far as I can remember, I haven’t even used a "pain killer" such as Panadol or Aspirin.
And the reason I do not use drugs of any kind is not because I fear any possible consequences, but because to me, my body is my temple. I have the upmost respect for my body, and I will simply not allow myself to consciously choose to abuse it in any way. To me, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to experience life and everything associated with it. And within those experiences, I expect my body to be functional and responsive at all times (within reason of course). While I do not see my awareness as separate from my body, from the perspective of my body, if I was providing this function and responsiveness, I would expect the person calling the shots (i.e. me - my awareness) to respect this offering, and ensure that it is not taken for granted.
For example, when I was around 18 years old (it is legal for 18 year olds to purchase and consume alcohol in Australia, the country I currently reside in), I decided that I would sample alcohol. I never drank enough to become drunk, but I did drink enough to become slightly "tipsy", and I found the effects of alcohol to be so undesirable (especially for the money you spend on it) that I am yet to have an alcoholic beverage since, I and do not believe I will ever drink alcohol again.
While almost everyone around me tells me that alcohol is so great, I simply cannot justify drinking a substance that dulls your awareness and suppresses your senses. I have always been relatively sensitive to my surroundings in terms of my awareness, and even in small amounts, I find alcohol deprived me of this subtle, yet extremely valuable awareness, and again, I cannot understand why anyone would consciously choose to deprive themselves of it (I do understand why a lot of people drink alcohol, though – it serves as a temporary escape from reality).
Anyway, while I don’t really have a major point to make here, it is my opinion that even when used consciously, drugs have no (highly positive or constructive) use in the domain of personal development. While I’m quite sure they have many consciousness altering effects, I believe the negative consequences far outweigh the positive benefits, and most people would be better off seeking such progression and altered states of awareness through the natural abilities their bodies provide them with. To quote Sylvester Stallone (aka 'Rocky' and 'Rambo') from his book,
Sly Moves (which I highly recommend):
“What I began realizing was that the body is nothing but an honest machine that will never cheat you. It gives back exactly what you give it, good or bad.”
So ask yourself: Do
you honestly treat your body with the respect it deserves, or do you take it for granted, cheating both it,
and yourself?