Understanding – The Ultimate Drug
When it comes to smoking pot, the general public is incredibly
knowledgeable concerning its detrimental effects on mental and
physical health. Marijuana is an illicit drug. In our society it is
unacceptable and has negative physical, mental, and social effects.
We are raised to believe that we should always keep our brains on, be
alert, aware, learning, seeing. Marijuana use results in a loss of
ability to function normally. This loss of function ability, or
control, is a well-recognized side affect attributed to smoking herb,
right down to some of the terminology used to refer to it, such as
‘Dope’. Even the users are referred to negatively as
‘Potheads’.
The negative effects of marijuana use arise from three main areas:
mental, physical, and social. Although the three are so entwined that
they often directly influence the others, there are some distinctions
to separate them. Users report a loss of muscle control when they
smoke, or an inability to conduct familiar movements and actions.
People become uncoordinated, slow, and even clumsy. Those negative
physical effects directly influence mental health as well as social
interactions. Individuals are excluded from activities because of
either an inability to perform well or an inability to get up off the
couch. What is also reported, as a popular consensus, is a loss of
intelligence. Individuals feel “stupid� when they smoke, noticing
a shift in the conscious and subconscious trains of thought. This
new, uncontrolled consciousness is difficult to bring into the every
day life of modern society. Trains of thought often take off in all
directions, at all speeds, causing confusion, loss of focus, and
difficulty in carrying on conversations. There are also many negative
health effects of smoking. There is lung damage from the tar and
smoke, and other afflictions such as an irregular heartbeat and sore
muscles, not to mention the plethora of cancers associated with
smoking. People’s brains also become overwhelmed with all of the
new things going on, and a switch gets thrown, and it’s off. This
is referred to as “chilling�. People also become insecure or
unsure of themselves, sometimes resulting in more serious disorders
such as depression and breakdowns. Another common side affect of
marijuana use is laziness. Users develop a “Know what to do, but
don’t want to do it� attitude. All of these effects are in some
way a result of a loss of control.
Now, all these effects seem to be negative, and it begs the question:
“Why do so many people smoke?� There is an answer that I have
found through my personal experience. Drugs affect everyone in a
different way, and everyone uses drugs differently, and for different
reasons. Most people do not use marijuana enough to realize some of
its long-term benefits, such as an expanded consciousness. Users lose
control in many areas, but also have access to different areas of
control within their minds. There isn’t a loss of muscle control;
muscle control just becomes a conscious action. Muscles are now
controlled, in different degrees, by the conscious mind. There
isn’t a loss of intelligence; the conscious mind is just accessing
new, possibly unused, sections of the brain. There are negative
health effects, but the mental clarity that is possible to achieve is
priceless. Those health effects can also be counteracted by exercise.
The only reason people become confused, or lose their rational
thought is because they are trying to control the trains of thought,
to limit them, restrict them, the analyze every one. Think of it like
this: You’re standing in front of a speeding train. Instead of
looking at every car that blasts by, step back and allow the cars to
go by in a blur. Select certain cars to look at. This allows you to
look at the cars longer. As for turning your brain off and
“chilling�, that is not a healthy choice. Keep your brain on,
always think and explore. Insecurities are a trait of the weak. As a
famous Indian man named OSHO once said: “If you sit, sit. If you
stand, stand. Whatever you do, don’t wobble.� If you keep your
brain on, use it, and explore it, you begin to understand it. You
understand the type of consciousness that exists when you’re high.
As a high college student once said: “Once you understand drug use,
your drug use becomes understandable.� Understanding is my Ultimate
Drug.
Shawn Kisielius
Activism without chaos? or Chaos without activism?
When it comes to smoking pot, the general public is incredibly
knowledgeable concerning its detrimental effects on mental and
physical health. Marijuana is an illicit drug. In our society it is
unacceptable and has negative physical, mental, and social effects.
We are raised to believe that we should always keep our brains on, be
alert, aware, learning, seeing. Marijuana use results in a loss of
ability to function normally. This loss of function ability, or
control, is a well-recognized side affect attributed to smoking herb,
right down to some of the terminology used to refer to it, such as
‘Dope’. Even the users are referred to negatively as
‘Potheads’.
The negative effects of marijuana use arise from three main areas:
mental, physical, and social. Although the three are so entwined that
they often directly influence the others, there are some distinctions
to separate them. Users report a loss of muscle control when they
smoke, or an inability to conduct familiar movements and actions.
People become uncoordinated, slow, and even clumsy. Those negative
physical effects directly influence mental health as well as social
interactions. Individuals are excluded from activities because of
either an inability to perform well or an inability to get up off the
couch. What is also reported, as a popular consensus, is a loss of
intelligence. Individuals feel “stupid� when they smoke, noticing
a shift in the conscious and subconscious trains of thought. This
new, uncontrolled consciousness is difficult to bring into the every
day life of modern society. Trains of thought often take off in all
directions, at all speeds, causing confusion, loss of focus, and
difficulty in carrying on conversations. There are also many negative
health effects of smoking. There is lung damage from the tar and
smoke, and other afflictions such as an irregular heartbeat and sore
muscles, not to mention the plethora of cancers associated with
smoking. People’s brains also become overwhelmed with all of the
new things going on, and a switch gets thrown, and it’s off. This
is referred to as “chilling�. People also become insecure or
unsure of themselves, sometimes resulting in more serious disorders
such as depression and breakdowns. Another common side affect of
marijuana use is laziness. Users develop a “Know what to do, but
don’t want to do it� attitude. All of these effects are in some
way a result of a loss of control.
Now, all these effects seem to be negative, and it begs the question:
“Why do so many people smoke?� There is an answer that I have
found through my personal experience. Drugs affect everyone in a
different way, and everyone uses drugs differently, and for different
reasons. Most people do not use marijuana enough to realize some of
its long-term benefits, such as an expanded consciousness. Users lose
control in many areas, but also have access to different areas of
control within their minds. There isn’t a loss of muscle control;
muscle control just becomes a conscious action. Muscles are now
controlled, in different degrees, by the conscious mind. There
isn’t a loss of intelligence; the conscious mind is just accessing
new, possibly unused, sections of the brain. There are negative
health effects, but the mental clarity that is possible to achieve is
priceless. Those health effects can also be counteracted by exercise.
The only reason people become confused, or lose their rational
thought is because they are trying to control the trains of thought,
to limit them, restrict them, the analyze every one. Think of it like
this: You’re standing in front of a speeding train. Instead of
looking at every car that blasts by, step back and allow the cars to
go by in a blur. Select certain cars to look at. This allows you to
look at the cars longer. As for turning your brain off and
“chilling�, that is not a healthy choice. Keep your brain on,
always think and explore. Insecurities are a trait of the weak. As a
famous Indian man named OSHO once said: “If you sit, sit. If you
stand, stand. Whatever you do, don’t wobble.� If you keep your
brain on, use it, and explore it, you begin to understand it. You
understand the type of consciousness that exists when you’re high.
As a high college student once said: “Once you understand drug use,
your drug use becomes understandable.� Understanding is my Ultimate
Drug.
Shawn Kisielius
Activism without chaos? or Chaos without activism?