It's taken me awhile to get used to blogging, and to find a way back to the person I was when I loved to write. I'm not there yet, completely, and never will be... I'm 56 now, not 18. A lot has changed and a lot remains the same.
This topic is dedicated toward young adults age 18 - 25 in America. It is directed towards all adults... Parents, Generations X Y and Z... and especially those adults who are in a position to "influence and direct" the minds of young adults as they go through that critical transformation from child to adult.
I was 18 years of age in 1972. The era of the hippie was over. The Viet Nam War ended August 31, 1972 - that is as far as the draft is concerned. The war actually extended into a few more years after that. But to me, the long war had ended. A very unpopular war. A war that influenced me pretty much from 1964 to 1972.
And then came the victims... I was just entering the work-force... and "In The News" were Viet Nam Vets entering the work force. Somehow the fact that the war was so controvercial and unpopular spilled over to onto Viet Nam Veterans. I think it is historically tragic and something not to be forgotten, that the veteran at that time was in many ways considered a co-conspirator, a government puppet who voluntarily involved himself and herself in an "unjust war", a war that was "wrong".
These veterans ages 18 - 25 found themselves returning home to an atmosphere of hostility, changes, radicalism, and hostile feelings towards the government they served. It created the momentum for what came to be when I turned 18 in Sept. of 1972. It needs to be clarified these veterans I refer to were returning all though the latter 1960's... their influence on me were at the time a laser inscribed feeling of doubt, about our government. And fact was, I didn't question authority nor our government my whole life as a child and teenager. I was a conformist all the way. But by age 18, my feelings and concerns began to undergo change.
I graduated HS at age 18 right on schedule. The following fall 1972 I found myself in the local community college pursuing a Associates Degree in Electrical Technology (an Associate of Science degree). I loved electronics - still do, and at the time since I had to chose a major, electronics was it. Problem was - I was bad at math, but to sidestep that issue I began my courses with those not involving math, or at least, not dedicated to math. They included physics, of which I completed two semester of it, basic low voltage electrical design and basics. I really don't remember much from that time except physics. It was way out there, but fortunately a security guard who worked at the same dept store I worked at, who was in my physics class , well, we worked together, and I remember spending hours on the phone at night with him working together to solve our assignments.
The key to all of this, what I've just written, is to understand this was me, prior to my Rite of Passage. At the time I was ultra-conservative, conformist and I didn't question much. I truly believed the world had order, logical order, especially our own country. I went from HS to College because i had to. It was expected I would. I didn't however join our church after three years of Confirmation Courses. I grew up in a Protestant, Zion Covenant Church - going most Sundays to Church. My mother controlled that aspect of my life. My father wasn't into organized religion - he rarely went to church with my mother, and us children. That fact set up an interesting dichotomy within our family. Why did my sister and I have to go to church when my father didn't?
Choice!!!
Freedom of...
By age 18 I was ready to move out on my own, but I didn't. I worked at a chain dept store... part-time. I went to college during the day. I lived home. I knew it felt good that public school was over. It took at least a year for that to be realized. But between age 18 through 20 or 21, my future was pretty much undefined.
It should be noted I was a voracious reader growing up... and quite inquisitive. I had microscopes, chemistry sets, electronic design and radio kits, and books - lots of books, mostly sci-fi... and mysteries...
I felt unconfortable in my chosen college curriculum of electrical tech - as much as I liked sciences, it didn't feel like me. But I had no way of knowing why. So until the Fall of 1974 I lived home, went to college and worked part-time. Had a girlfriend with hardly any intimacy, nor do I remember ever doing anything with her - we met through her cousin I worked with. I think that was during 1972, and lasted until 1974.
A side piece: I had this 1968 Ford Mustang at the time, something that in the annuls of history on Earth represents a major victory and a most unique opportunity. The 1968 Mustang at the time was one of the best motor cars out there, albeit, it was the runt of the litter. For a "runt", it was quite the car!
I bought the Mustang in 1971 with a bank loan. It had a 3-spd standard transmission, and torque the likes we can't begin to imagine today. The Mustang's 289ci-V8 engine was one of the smallest, high performance engines out there. Loved that car. I did have frequent problems with the car, meaning the FORD slogan at the time fit in well with my enjoyment: FORD - "Fix or repair daily".
I used to take that Mustang off-road, down class 5 roads... into the snow... as it was unlikely with snow tires that one would get stuck... and although simply rear-wheel drive, the combination of horse-power and torque available from that 289-V8 engine could easily provide the power to dig out of the worst conditions.
More on this car in the next post.
At age 18 it should be remembered I could legally go to a bar or store and buy alcohol. Which I did; however, one problem - I couldn't drink much. Over two beers max I'd get sick. I couldn't tolerate alcohol well, unlike my friends who could easily drink 1 -2 six packs each, whenever.They often drove the roads in NY state drunk with beer, looking for girls looking to get picked up. They found them... me... I would often try to compete with my friends and remain on location throwing up! We liked our weekend camping.
Between age 18 and 21 I was pretty much a lemur... I had friends but had no place to "fit in". I went to college, and otherwise was a loner working in a room in my attic on electronics or chemistry. My isolation deepened when i found I couldn't compete with my friends. When I found myself questioning why was I in college getting this degree? I really didn't want to be in college. I wanted time.
The following comes with a warning: Within Christian theology is the story of Adam and Eve. In the story a woman, Eve, is influenced by a snake to eat of the one fruit that God has forbade them to eat. Eating of such fruit, describing the experience may be offensive to some... so please do not continue beyond this point if you feel uncomfortable with graphic depictions of actual events.
NEXT: Rite of Passage: Why Are You Rebelling?...
December 11, 2010
December 10, 2010
THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ADULT HIGHS - Part Two
I admit... there's no way I can write a blog including all the ways adults get high. The reason is quite simple; we humans are organisms with chemicals that take the form of hormones, proteins, DNA, etc, and it becomes our life. The idea of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" is as impossible to achieve as it is to write the Comprehensive Guide to Adult Highs. The reason: the "Human Condition".
Humanity is essentially a species bent on survival. We do whatever it takes, and if we can't survive, we don't. And others learn...
No matter how much we like to think of ourselves as a civilized entity, aware and advanced in human nature and sciences and religions, we remain different, isolated, unique.We form relationships, some purely primordial, others advanced with considerable insight, knowledge and a sense of union. We get married - a sacred oath handed down over thousands of years. Yet, few of us knows what it means, and many never get the chance or aren't interested in understanding.
Fact is, "marriages come and go, divorce is forever..." heard that on NPR tonight.
Friendships come and go... although many of these can last a person's lifetime. That's extraordinary, something truly civilized, yet, we can't say it's unique to humans... animals develop lifelong friends too; in fact, many animals mate for life, without a ritual to make it so. Why do humans need to "make it so?"
I question these things, and am cursed as a result. Being inquisitive is not a bad thing, however, history has many inquisitive persons that didn't last long in life. And others learn...
One of the things many of us learn is that life can have moments that provide "a rush". We call that "getting high". It could be exercise, could be sex, maybe the trip of a lifetime, whether legitimate travel to the place of your dreams, or a trip on LSD, peyote or magic mushrooms.
Humans have learned... they have learned ways to forget that "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit..." is quite literally a myth. The wealthiest people can be quite depressed, and unhappy. The happiest couple can secretly be miserable and living on the edge of insanity. We live and evolved from a species that gained self-awareness and has pondered the questions we all ask ourselves daily, with few answers, and many theories.
It is only natural, to seek escape sometimes, in the arms of another, in a crime against humanity, in smoking pot. All three of those actions are vastly different, and there a millions of other options to add to the list. As a result, our societies evolve to control the highs... in years past and maybe in the near future, religion did, and may figure in as a dominate means to control the highs. For now, governments seek to control them. And families. And organizations.
I don't need to explain how they attempt to do this. It would be futile anyways as our perception of the control is dependent on our own system of beliefs. The stories we're told and we believe in, the propaganda he are subjected to, or the scientific knowledge we gain, and true enlightenment.
In the end, we are still all unique entities... we make choices, have beliefs and dreams, have experiences that we learned from, and now we need to fit in. We need to fit in where we live. If we don't, our dreams and life could be taken away. And even if we do, our life could be be taken away.
Getting high is not in itself a bad thing. But it is a nearly unlimited scale of options, and each responds differently. There's the dancer, who loves to dance, so much she gets a job as a stripper, and soon, she is murdered.
There is the guy who found himself from smoking a plant called marijuana... who found his life, but it didn't fit in with what was expected of him, and it was taken away.
There is the serial killer, the jealous lover who gets a rush ending the life of some"thing", a person, because they can.There is the attorney general of a state that gets off on strong words condemning prostitution, that loves to be with prostitutes - and gets discovered. Presidents that lie, and proclaim: " I am not a crook." But hours of private tapes that prove otherwise.
There are friends, very close friends, a group of friends that in late teens find themselves locked in a struggle - when one of their friends does something that makes them an outcast, and options that escalate that combine letting go to getting revenge.
I sit here tonight pretty much defeated. Technology is advancing way beyond what i ever imagined and my job is in technology. Yet at 56, there is no way I can keep up. The only thing I can be thankful of is I'm still employed, underpaid, but employed. The other hours of my life - I write this blog, I fix things that keep malfunctioning, and I realize soon, maybe in ten or twenty years I may not be able to do it anymore. In fact, I wonder if I will be able to in a year!?
I have no significant other, am not a bad guy, just eccentric. I used to do well when I had my cannabis... but since turning 50 have given it up for alcohol and tobacco. I am told it is my choice... yet, that contradicts my own liberty guaranteed under my Country's Constitution... the essence of freedom. I have three legal choices... nothing, alcohol and tobacco. I'm urged to accept and practice "nothing". My question is, is that a choice or an ultimatum?
If it comes to hurting other human beings that is obviously not a choice and that deprives other human beings of their life. When it comes to who we chose to be intimate with, what we smoke that God gives us, or what we eat... that is a rather different question. Don't you agree? Are we to be told what God to worship? Are we to be told what high that doesn't cause harm, or on a scale of harm we are permitted to do, or punished if we chose something else?
I can't write a comprehensive guide to what adults do to get high. The late David Carradine apparently liked ropes... shall we outlaw rope? We outlaw prostitution, shall we outlaw the dolls of the future that will be the sex partners to millions of lonely people - sex dolls with artificial awareness close to or exceeding that of our human counterparts? Probably should... as we still don't have a government that recognizes of pets - cats and dogs as legitimate members of our families.
I end with the verbal picture of a father playing with his kids. The hormones are peaking as he shoots hoops or plays baseball with them. He is high... he doesn't realize it, but he is.... he is high on happiness. This is a very good thing. Should we arrest him?
Should the Pope dictate that "good Christians" do not practice safe sex? Should we not eradicate every drug yielding plant on the planet so Big Pharma can control our medicinal requirements?
Getting high is a part of life. Having the right to chose with the exception of harming others is an inalienable right. That is the Comprehensive Guide to Adults Getting High". I call it freedom... others call it anarchy.
The 2012 election for a new president will be interesting as the far right plans to clobber the left and finally make this country God's chosen country. Strict family morals and mores will be forced upon society. The Democratic party will be squashed, and the republicans will become the overloads. America will become the true land of the free Right. The Tea-Party will get their wish - a one party, Christian state... walls everywhere build to keep out the heathens.Witchcraft will once again become illegal and punishable by death, and the children will watch and learn.
The Church of Well Fargo, Bank of America, Walmart will reign supreme. A thousand years from now we will bestow sainthood on George W. Bush. The liberator. Mission completed!
All fantasy of course... or is it?
Tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans if the middle class is going to get them.To Hell with the deficit... the tea-Party saw to it that Republicans got elected to government... and for what? To protect the wealthy and prevent the change President Obama vowed to bring about. For the average American the Republicans have been anything but hostile to anything that would benefit the middle class or those beneath. Their high is a corporate controlled America... and the so called Tea-Parties just invited the KING to once again occupy the throne
One problem... the flag of "Don't Tread On Me" isn't yours alone. You're misguided in believing that.
A question for Sarah Palin: What religion did Adam and Eve belong to? Simple question I'm sure you can answer. They knew God, but what under what religion? Under what religion is America tied to? You claim America is God's "chosen land", but what God? Our money since the 1950's has the motto "In God We Trust". What God is that? Can one not believe that Nature is that God and we as a society commit sins daily against Nature? Just curious - doubt you've given it much thought though.
But again: What religion were Adam and Eve a member of? When they were evicted from the Garden, how did they survive without religion? They, like myself, were cursed.
Why were they cursed - Eve discovered marijuana and smoked it. She shared it with Adam. They became aware. And we all know, given the recent Wikileaks fiasco that awareness is a "bad thing".
Think about it... that's all I ask.
Humanity is essentially a species bent on survival. We do whatever it takes, and if we can't survive, we don't. And others learn...
No matter how much we like to think of ourselves as a civilized entity, aware and advanced in human nature and sciences and religions, we remain different, isolated, unique.We form relationships, some purely primordial, others advanced with considerable insight, knowledge and a sense of union. We get married - a sacred oath handed down over thousands of years. Yet, few of us knows what it means, and many never get the chance or aren't interested in understanding.
Fact is, "marriages come and go, divorce is forever..." heard that on NPR tonight.
Friendships come and go... although many of these can last a person's lifetime. That's extraordinary, something truly civilized, yet, we can't say it's unique to humans... animals develop lifelong friends too; in fact, many animals mate for life, without a ritual to make it so. Why do humans need to "make it so?"
I question these things, and am cursed as a result. Being inquisitive is not a bad thing, however, history has many inquisitive persons that didn't last long in life. And others learn...
One of the things many of us learn is that life can have moments that provide "a rush". We call that "getting high". It could be exercise, could be sex, maybe the trip of a lifetime, whether legitimate travel to the place of your dreams, or a trip on LSD, peyote or magic mushrooms.
Humans have learned... they have learned ways to forget that "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit..." is quite literally a myth. The wealthiest people can be quite depressed, and unhappy. The happiest couple can secretly be miserable and living on the edge of insanity. We live and evolved from a species that gained self-awareness and has pondered the questions we all ask ourselves daily, with few answers, and many theories.
It is only natural, to seek escape sometimes, in the arms of another, in a crime against humanity, in smoking pot. All three of those actions are vastly different, and there a millions of other options to add to the list. As a result, our societies evolve to control the highs... in years past and maybe in the near future, religion did, and may figure in as a dominate means to control the highs. For now, governments seek to control them. And families. And organizations.
I don't need to explain how they attempt to do this. It would be futile anyways as our perception of the control is dependent on our own system of beliefs. The stories we're told and we believe in, the propaganda he are subjected to, or the scientific knowledge we gain, and true enlightenment.
In the end, we are still all unique entities... we make choices, have beliefs and dreams, have experiences that we learned from, and now we need to fit in. We need to fit in where we live. If we don't, our dreams and life could be taken away. And even if we do, our life could be be taken away.
Getting high is not in itself a bad thing. But it is a nearly unlimited scale of options, and each responds differently. There's the dancer, who loves to dance, so much she gets a job as a stripper, and soon, she is murdered.
There is the guy who found himself from smoking a plant called marijuana... who found his life, but it didn't fit in with what was expected of him, and it was taken away.
There is the serial killer, the jealous lover who gets a rush ending the life of some"thing", a person, because they can.There is the attorney general of a state that gets off on strong words condemning prostitution, that loves to be with prostitutes - and gets discovered. Presidents that lie, and proclaim: " I am not a crook." But hours of private tapes that prove otherwise.
There are friends, very close friends, a group of friends that in late teens find themselves locked in a struggle - when one of their friends does something that makes them an outcast, and options that escalate that combine letting go to getting revenge.
I sit here tonight pretty much defeated. Technology is advancing way beyond what i ever imagined and my job is in technology. Yet at 56, there is no way I can keep up. The only thing I can be thankful of is I'm still employed, underpaid, but employed. The other hours of my life - I write this blog, I fix things that keep malfunctioning, and I realize soon, maybe in ten or twenty years I may not be able to do it anymore. In fact, I wonder if I will be able to in a year!?
I have no significant other, am not a bad guy, just eccentric. I used to do well when I had my cannabis... but since turning 50 have given it up for alcohol and tobacco. I am told it is my choice... yet, that contradicts my own liberty guaranteed under my Country's Constitution... the essence of freedom. I have three legal choices... nothing, alcohol and tobacco. I'm urged to accept and practice "nothing". My question is, is that a choice or an ultimatum?
If it comes to hurting other human beings that is obviously not a choice and that deprives other human beings of their life. When it comes to who we chose to be intimate with, what we smoke that God gives us, or what we eat... that is a rather different question. Don't you agree? Are we to be told what God to worship? Are we to be told what high that doesn't cause harm, or on a scale of harm we are permitted to do, or punished if we chose something else?
I can't write a comprehensive guide to what adults do to get high. The late David Carradine apparently liked ropes... shall we outlaw rope? We outlaw prostitution, shall we outlaw the dolls of the future that will be the sex partners to millions of lonely people - sex dolls with artificial awareness close to or exceeding that of our human counterparts? Probably should... as we still don't have a government that recognizes of pets - cats and dogs as legitimate members of our families.
I end with the verbal picture of a father playing with his kids. The hormones are peaking as he shoots hoops or plays baseball with them. He is high... he doesn't realize it, but he is.... he is high on happiness. This is a very good thing. Should we arrest him?
Should the Pope dictate that "good Christians" do not practice safe sex? Should we not eradicate every drug yielding plant on the planet so Big Pharma can control our medicinal requirements?
Getting high is a part of life. Having the right to chose with the exception of harming others is an inalienable right. That is the Comprehensive Guide to Adults Getting High". I call it freedom... others call it anarchy.
The 2012 election for a new president will be interesting as the far right plans to clobber the left and finally make this country God's chosen country. Strict family morals and mores will be forced upon society. The Democratic party will be squashed, and the republicans will become the overloads. America will become the true land of the free Right. The Tea-Party will get their wish - a one party, Christian state... walls everywhere build to keep out the heathens.Witchcraft will once again become illegal and punishable by death, and the children will watch and learn.
The Church of Well Fargo, Bank of America, Walmart will reign supreme. A thousand years from now we will bestow sainthood on George W. Bush. The liberator. Mission completed!
All fantasy of course... or is it?
Tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans if the middle class is going to get them.To Hell with the deficit... the tea-Party saw to it that Republicans got elected to government... and for what? To protect the wealthy and prevent the change President Obama vowed to bring about. For the average American the Republicans have been anything but hostile to anything that would benefit the middle class or those beneath. Their high is a corporate controlled America... and the so called Tea-Parties just invited the KING to once again occupy the throne
One problem... the flag of "Don't Tread On Me" isn't yours alone. You're misguided in believing that.
A question for Sarah Palin: What religion did Adam and Eve belong to? Simple question I'm sure you can answer. They knew God, but what under what religion? Under what religion is America tied to? You claim America is God's "chosen land", but what God? Our money since the 1950's has the motto "In God We Trust". What God is that? Can one not believe that Nature is that God and we as a society commit sins daily against Nature? Just curious - doubt you've given it much thought though.
But again: What religion were Adam and Eve a member of? When they were evicted from the Garden, how did they survive without religion? They, like myself, were cursed.
Why were they cursed - Eve discovered marijuana and smoked it. She shared it with Adam. They became aware. And we all know, given the recent Wikileaks fiasco that awareness is a "bad thing".
Think about it... that's all I ask.
December 05, 2010
THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ADULT HIGHS - Part One
What gets you high?
NOTE: When I say "comprehensive" I mean it. This topic will include all the various ways adults get high. Some clarification of what I mean when I say "adult". To use tobacco, model nude, view adult nudes one must be 18 years of age or older. To consume alcoholic products one must be 21 or older. To commit murder, rape, or any kind of assault to get off - get high on hurting others, and be considered an adult, you would generally be age 18 or older. To be an "adult" you are therefore between the ages of 18-21, or older.
When comparing cats and humans, getting high is vastly different. A cat gets high hunting prey that it instinctively eats, or they get high from catnip, or that tasty morsel of chicken or tuna you may provide to them. A black cat for example does not get off on crossing your path and scaring you because you're superstitious... they have no idea they're scaring you.
Humans get off, or high, on a myriad of various activities, some legal, some not. The human mind itself is essentially a high. Waking up in the morning can get one high... and consider that our own bodies manufacture THC, the chemically controversial psychoactive chemical found in cannabis that is a high to many politicians and the DEA. Yes, our own bodies manufacture THC... look it up yourself - it is an essential part of our existence.
When I say this is a comprehensive list of human highs, I mean the following will examine all of them. I will also attempt to describe the reasons why they are a high to humans.
The list is not in alphabetic order, nor in order of legality, harm, risk or any other type of sorting. This is a blog, not a dissertation. I will attempt to be as organized and objective as possible. I figure to cover all the various ways human-beings get high will take around 5 posts. So get yourself prepared for everything you always wanted to know about getting high, but never dared to ask!
1) HARM TO OTHERS:
If there ever was a topic that could be considered a "can of worms", this is it. There should be little doubt there are those persons that get off hurting others, dominating others, threatening others. There are bullies... there are those who truly believe they are superior to others, that believe their influences and control of others is just. And they get high from it. To further explore this high, or understand it would require a single post alone. For now I'm going to simply going to list it. Other sub-categories exist, which I may deal with independently, such as "sexual intimidation". This type of high is very complex and insidious; essentially it is a consequence of the societies belief that "man dominates women". It has Christian origins in that in the Bible, in Genesis, Eve seduced Adam, and Eve was double-cursed by God, thereby making Eve subservient to man, and subject to his control. But that is hardly the whole picture, as other religions have similar histories, validating man's control over women. There is little in the way of controversy as to man getting off on the domination of women, and the reasons that validate this control. The fact is, no amount of validation justifies man's dominion over women, nor harmful acts towards women.
2) Being of superior race, family, ideology.
The obvious root of this high comes from the believe that "whites are superior to blacks", that again, "men are superior to women", that wealthy and politically elite are superior to the average person. It's a "high" that needs further investigation. It is evident in the fact that certain government agencies get off on the fact they have "powers" beyond established law and often in violation of an individuals personal rights. Again, an entire post could be devoted to this high.
3) Laws are Made to be Broken
This is a topic of ironic proportions. Simply put... individuals decide what laws to obey and what to break. The most obvious is exceeding the speed-limit on the road, talking on a cell-phone where such an act is illegal, not wearing a seat-belt when the state law requires it. People get "high" breaking such laws... I commute 3 and 1/2 hours a day M-F and I see it all. Few people conform to laws they feel are conditional, and speeding with a object weighing in at one ton or over is not considered a crime... they get high driving at a speed they enjoy.
4) Executives involved in safe-guarding and protecting the investments of client.
Yes, I talking about Wall St., corporate executives, and banks. They get high ripping off their consumers. Credit card companies, pay day lenders, get high charging excessive rates for credit, and encouraging and enticing consumers to fall prey to their predatory acts. Example: I got a deal with a credit card company with a 2% percent balance transfer option. I have good credit, that's why it was offered to me. To make a purchase however is in the range of 16.9%. So I have simply not made any purchases, but rather have been paying off my balance transfer. Recently I received a invitation to use the credit to make purchases at the 16% rate and earn "cash-back" when using the card to make purchases. The catch - it's 1% cash back until I charge over $4000 in purchases, at which point my cash-back jumps to 4%.
No thank-you!!! I'm sure the credit card company would get a rush if I charged up that much money... but I surely wouldn't.
Part One Conclusion:
Maybe you thought "THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ADULT HIGHS" would be about "drugs". Sorry if I initially disappoint you. The key here is "comprehensive..."
There are many ways adults get "high".
Getting stoned on cannabis is the least of the highs.
Next time: Wait and see...
NOTE: When I say "comprehensive" I mean it. This topic will include all the various ways adults get high. Some clarification of what I mean when I say "adult". To use tobacco, model nude, view adult nudes one must be 18 years of age or older. To consume alcoholic products one must be 21 or older. To commit murder, rape, or any kind of assault to get off - get high on hurting others, and be considered an adult, you would generally be age 18 or older. To be an "adult" you are therefore between the ages of 18-21, or older.
When comparing cats and humans, getting high is vastly different. A cat gets high hunting prey that it instinctively eats, or they get high from catnip, or that tasty morsel of chicken or tuna you may provide to them. A black cat for example does not get off on crossing your path and scaring you because you're superstitious... they have no idea they're scaring you.
Humans get off, or high, on a myriad of various activities, some legal, some not. The human mind itself is essentially a high. Waking up in the morning can get one high... and consider that our own bodies manufacture THC, the chemically controversial psychoactive chemical found in cannabis that is a high to many politicians and the DEA. Yes, our own bodies manufacture THC... look it up yourself - it is an essential part of our existence.
When I say this is a comprehensive list of human highs, I mean the following will examine all of them. I will also attempt to describe the reasons why they are a high to humans.
The list is not in alphabetic order, nor in order of legality, harm, risk or any other type of sorting. This is a blog, not a dissertation. I will attempt to be as organized and objective as possible. I figure to cover all the various ways human-beings get high will take around 5 posts. So get yourself prepared for everything you always wanted to know about getting high, but never dared to ask!
1) HARM TO OTHERS:
If there ever was a topic that could be considered a "can of worms", this is it. There should be little doubt there are those persons that get off hurting others, dominating others, threatening others. There are bullies... there are those who truly believe they are superior to others, that believe their influences and control of others is just. And they get high from it. To further explore this high, or understand it would require a single post alone. For now I'm going to simply going to list it. Other sub-categories exist, which I may deal with independently, such as "sexual intimidation". This type of high is very complex and insidious; essentially it is a consequence of the societies belief that "man dominates women". It has Christian origins in that in the Bible, in Genesis, Eve seduced Adam, and Eve was double-cursed by God, thereby making Eve subservient to man, and subject to his control. But that is hardly the whole picture, as other religions have similar histories, validating man's control over women. There is little in the way of controversy as to man getting off on the domination of women, and the reasons that validate this control. The fact is, no amount of validation justifies man's dominion over women, nor harmful acts towards women.
2) Being of superior race, family, ideology.
The obvious root of this high comes from the believe that "whites are superior to blacks", that again, "men are superior to women", that wealthy and politically elite are superior to the average person. It's a "high" that needs further investigation. It is evident in the fact that certain government agencies get off on the fact they have "powers" beyond established law and often in violation of an individuals personal rights. Again, an entire post could be devoted to this high.
3) Laws are Made to be Broken
This is a topic of ironic proportions. Simply put... individuals decide what laws to obey and what to break. The most obvious is exceeding the speed-limit on the road, talking on a cell-phone where such an act is illegal, not wearing a seat-belt when the state law requires it. People get "high" breaking such laws... I commute 3 and 1/2 hours a day M-F and I see it all. Few people conform to laws they feel are conditional, and speeding with a object weighing in at one ton or over is not considered a crime... they get high driving at a speed they enjoy.
4) Executives involved in safe-guarding and protecting the investments of client.
Yes, I talking about Wall St., corporate executives, and banks. They get high ripping off their consumers. Credit card companies, pay day lenders, get high charging excessive rates for credit, and encouraging and enticing consumers to fall prey to their predatory acts. Example: I got a deal with a credit card company with a 2% percent balance transfer option. I have good credit, that's why it was offered to me. To make a purchase however is in the range of 16.9%. So I have simply not made any purchases, but rather have been paying off my balance transfer. Recently I received a invitation to use the credit to make purchases at the 16% rate and earn "cash-back" when using the card to make purchases. The catch - it's 1% cash back until I charge over $4000 in purchases, at which point my cash-back jumps to 4%.
No thank-you!!! I'm sure the credit card company would get a rush if I charged up that much money... but I surely wouldn't.
Part One Conclusion:
Maybe you thought "THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ADULT HIGHS" would be about "drugs". Sorry if I initially disappoint you. The key here is "comprehensive..."
There are many ways adults get "high".
Getting stoned on cannabis is the least of the highs.
Next time: Wait and see...
December 03, 2010
WHY ARE WE HERE? PART SIX (Conclusion)
Another late night! I should be in bed by 10; instead, Thursday nights especially, I watch "Fringe", on TV, so I'm up until 10 already.
Next, charged from an hour of "Fringe", I realize I haven't eaten. But first, I have another beer, and play a game of online Texas hold'em... I place first, out of 10.
Nice!
Now it's 11PM. I finally put my dinner in the microwave. By 11:30 I'm eating and working on this next installment of "Why Are We Here?"
In my last post on this topic, a comment from a reader implied a reader"s religious faith would influence their opinion. He's correct, I believe, but it's not something I consider writing.
I'm open to thoughts on the subject, but with this "truth" comes the question: "What is Faith?"
Why are we here, and with all the faiths there are, how to accept each other? May seem impossible if you consider it. IF, you consider it!
My one moral is "Don't Hurt Others". Wonder what that means?
I wonder IF believing that would have made me ineligible for the draft back in the 1970's, IF the Viet Nam War had not ended? I doubt it. Back then, being gay wasn't even remotely a subject one would admit to. Instead, back then, I know people who cut off fingers and toes so as to be ineligible. And much worse.
Just something to think about... again, I'm not gay; but I empathize with their plight. Just as, my being a cannabis affentionato, makes me - a closet case. (Notice to the DEA and local LE - I'm 56, and a recluse... where would I get my pot from? I wouldn't. So don't waste your time. Go after some college student smoking pot in their dorm... SWAT team recommended, as you never know what those "pot-heads" are capable off - they may be zonked out. Bring assault guns!)
Reality Check...
Last I knew I was a "slimy slug"... well, you know, I have those days.
I get to read the news on my job... probably not supposed to, but I do. Sure is a lot of tragedy, crime, missing persons, terrorists, fanatics, murders and war... tragedy.
Given my experiences, my education, it puts me in a difficult position.
I mean, here I am writing five posts now on the topic of "why we - WE are here?" I mean, what could I know about that? For years I used cannabis... my mind must be "fried" by now. Most of what i say must sound like babble, or rantings of a madman. How odd I'm still employed, making a decent income while around me millions are faced with a brick wall! Yeah, I complain. My job was once my greatest hope, but it, quite frankly sucks now. There are overwhelming obstacles to advancement... something 5 years ago that wasn't there, only I didn't know it then. Like everyone else, I took my environment pretty much for granted. Not completely, but pretty much.
The truth is, I don't have a clue as to why "we're here." I can only write about why I'm here. And it's a story I'm not sure I can tell... see, it really does come down to "FAITH". I can tell my story, but it's likely to be interpreted based on your "faith".
It goes back to what I was saying about reality, and how it is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet we constantly compromise. That's life. Compromise, or not.
Live Free or Die... ?
A question we all have to answer within ourselves
Next, charged from an hour of "Fringe", I realize I haven't eaten. But first, I have another beer, and play a game of online Texas hold'em... I place first, out of 10.
Nice!
Now it's 11PM. I finally put my dinner in the microwave. By 11:30 I'm eating and working on this next installment of "Why Are We Here?"
In my last post on this topic, a comment from a reader implied a reader"s religious faith would influence their opinion. He's correct, I believe, but it's not something I consider writing.
I'm open to thoughts on the subject, but with this "truth" comes the question: "What is Faith?"
Why are we here, and with all the faiths there are, how to accept each other? May seem impossible if you consider it. IF, you consider it!
My one moral is "Don't Hurt Others". Wonder what that means?
I wonder IF believing that would have made me ineligible for the draft back in the 1970's, IF the Viet Nam War had not ended? I doubt it. Back then, being gay wasn't even remotely a subject one would admit to. Instead, back then, I know people who cut off fingers and toes so as to be ineligible. And much worse.
Just something to think about... again, I'm not gay; but I empathize with their plight. Just as, my being a cannabis affentionato, makes me - a closet case. (Notice to the DEA and local LE - I'm 56, and a recluse... where would I get my pot from? I wouldn't. So don't waste your time. Go after some college student smoking pot in their dorm... SWAT team recommended, as you never know what those "pot-heads" are capable off - they may be zonked out. Bring assault guns!)
Reality Check...
Last I knew I was a "slimy slug"... well, you know, I have those days.
I get to read the news on my job... probably not supposed to, but I do. Sure is a lot of tragedy, crime, missing persons, terrorists, fanatics, murders and war... tragedy.
Given my experiences, my education, it puts me in a difficult position.
I mean, here I am writing five posts now on the topic of "why we - WE are here?" I mean, what could I know about that? For years I used cannabis... my mind must be "fried" by now. Most of what i say must sound like babble, or rantings of a madman. How odd I'm still employed, making a decent income while around me millions are faced with a brick wall! Yeah, I complain. My job was once my greatest hope, but it, quite frankly sucks now. There are overwhelming obstacles to advancement... something 5 years ago that wasn't there, only I didn't know it then. Like everyone else, I took my environment pretty much for granted. Not completely, but pretty much.
The truth is, I don't have a clue as to why "we're here." I can only write about why I'm here. And it's a story I'm not sure I can tell... see, it really does come down to "FAITH". I can tell my story, but it's likely to be interpreted based on your "faith".
It goes back to what I was saying about reality, and how it is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet we constantly compromise. That's life. Compromise, or not.
Live Free or Die... ?
A question we all have to answer within ourselves
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)