The feeling of emptiness when you see the world for what it is

Jumping straight into the topic of emptiness. And psychedelics. And more emptiness.

Emptiness feels so vacant, so blank, so lonely. Psychedelics can feel so scary, so beautiful and so enlightening.

It'd be silly to assume psychedelics cause a chain reaction in our brains, but could this emptiness be linked to them?

There is no debate I currently have seen which describe psychedelics as anything but useful for the right people. By right people, I do not mean a select criteria. People may do them through their own judgement, research and caution - you'd hope. With that being said, they aren't for anyone. Neither are apple pies, alcohol and chocolates.

Back to the topic of emptiness... What's there to be said? In one context, the world is fine the way it is. In another, everything is wrong. The system is wrong, and anyone who has opened their minds or woken up and realized the rat race is the wrong one knows the feeling of being surrounded by people who can't stop because they think THIS IS LIFE. This is the way life should be, and everyone who doesn't go by the book has wronged themselves, their parents or society and their standards.

Forget everything you've been taught for a few moments. Forget religion, forget politics, forget education and pretend you've been born for the first time and are capable of critical thinking with a skeptical, open-minded view.

Remember the tribal days and realize to live is not to suffer, simply because suffering itself does not exist. Pain is a feeling which may be described as suffering. Emotionally, physically, whatever, but without the English or other languages, we would not know suffering. We have been taught suffering, just as we have been taught how to live. Back in the tribal days, killing was not necessarily murder. Breasts were breasts and not emphasized sexually. We were meant to be racist and scared of one another. Now though, we're meant to be civil and evolved, but there is still so much that is failing including that among it all.

I could go on about how the world is failing and that the only thing that will survive is the planet because the people are too stupid to sustain themselves as a whole, but I'd like to encourage people to be very skeptical of what you hear, see and read. Imagine your whole life was a lie. Luckily for me, it came up slowly... Imagine coming down and wishing you were somewhere else. Not wanting to die, but not happy with the state of living. Wanting to be away from avarice, rats, the big city. For many people, the dream is to head to a big city and live that life but it's not for me because I woke up.

Ahh, then the feeling of emptiness. It has gotten worse because I realize that some people stay in the game FOREVER. The feeling of emptiness I have allows me to appreciate the beauty of the world that people take for granted, like trees and leaves and photography. Appreciate design, art and have more human compassion for real things. Be driven by passion and don't give up if you truly believe in something. But the rest of that emptiness, knows that without psychedelics and a special someone in my life, I would have been stuck oblivious in bliss. Or blissfully oblivious! Indulging in consumerism as usual, and mixing with people who weren't true to me let alone themselves. A part of everyone knows, the truth hurts and ignorance is bliss.

Could I have it all wrong though? Is it easier to live a life of ignorance? I'd say so.

Live freely, live openly.

Addiction isn't all that bad, or is it?

Now, the more people read this, the more deluded they will most likely think I am.

So this is a little foreword to let you know what I am writing goes against majority of the world’s view on drugs and addiction. And that I shared opposing views only a few days ago until I came to the realization that addiction is more prominent than you think and that there’s a better perspective you can take on things.

Many people have known somebody, or known of addiction being prevalent in their lives. Whether this be a loved one, friend, relative, celebrity or some random guy/girl on the news, addiction is everywhere. Literally, everywhere.

Painted in a negative light, the word addict or addiction is associated with a needle in somebody’s arm or somebody shady tweaking on the so-called ‘lower class’ streets. However, addiction is not what you might think it is. Addiction can be healthy. But often, unhealthy. Think about our addictions to food, television, exercise, drugs and alcohol, pornography, chocolate, wine, dyeing hair, and the list goes on! All of these can be abused, but what is considered unhealthy?

Could something be deemed unhealthy if it is detrimental to the person? Or if it becomes detrimental to the people around them? Is it bad if their body decays, or their arteries clog, or they don’t maintain their relationships because of their addiction?

I’m selfish for thinking addiction is bad. Particularly somebody’s recreational drug use. Drug dependency can affect people so horribly, but people are and should be selfish… including the addicts and their families and friends! Everybody has expectations of you, and although being inhibited by drugs or alcohol or whatever is hard to watch or endure when the consequences catch up, their choice, their life and ultimately their fate. If people are willing to subject themselves to health problems and potentially kill themelves, then so be it. A great deal of importance is placed on life, but it is selfsh not to let people enjoy what makes the feel good. (Example – do people that have not been affected directly by sex addiction really take it that seriously? And what makes it an addiction, particularly if it is never assessed by a health professional? Maybe the person just needs sex all the time.) If I’m ignorant, educate me.

By now you probably think I’m crazy, or selfish, maybe even delusional but do I really have it all wrong? And yes, I have seen what drugs do to people, I’ve seen what alcohol does to people and both can be terrible. I had a family friend who was addicted to drugs, and their kids were suffering because addiction can be unrelentless. Especially if the person does not want help! Most people know what they’re getting into – and more often than not, they didn’t intend to become dependent. Drugs can do some crazy things to people… but no one mentions how people develop dependencies on food, or exercise hours a day, or talk on their mobiles everyday, or become addicted to porn. They’re all addictions, but what’s unhealthy? Drugs are used in hospitals, surgeries, chemists and no one thinks twice if they’re legal. Food and alcohol is legal too, but it kills people. Frequently I’ve seen what I recognize as an alcohol dependency effect on a loved one and it makes me wonder why someone would want what i see as poison (and disapprove and despise of) and for them to drink to the point of sickness, where they cant control their mouth or fists. It’s legal though, so I suppose it is looked past – you dont usually recognise an alcoholic straight off the street as you would a drug addict. Or maybe they’re both. You don’t suspect a happy woman at work who could be addicted to prescription pills. You just don’t unless you see signs and even then, people can cover up very well.

Just think about it all, have a little compassion – people usually get into things for a reason or because of missing pieces in their lives… or they take it once, eat it once, do it once and continue simply because they like it. Cliché, but never judge a book by its cover. Sometimes you can read people but it is highly unlikely you accurately do all the time. Including the man at the pub all day, the woman cleaning her house from day to night, the lady dressed in a short skirt and boots. Faces can tell a story, through emotion (or lack of), wrinkles, smell, etc… even then that’s judgment. The couple with dreadlocks might not be ‘potheads’, or maybe they are but who cares? Save your judgement and let them be.

'What Would You Do if Money Were No Object?'

“the point is that money doesn’t and never did come from anywhere,” “money is a measure of wealth”, “and we invent money as we invent the Fahrenheit scale of temperature”. – Alan Watts

This quote I extracted from late Alan Watts ‘Does It Matter: Essays on Man’s Relation to Materiality’ book was significant to me.

It’s obvious the world is attached to wealth, but why really? Why do we have to enslave ourselves to the monetary system to live a life that often does not satisfy our wants and more importantly, our needs?

 Many of us are, or know of people who work hard almost (if not) everyday to pay bills, buy clothes, live a life that is unfulfilled and that void never will be. Throwing away valuable time that could be spent with their kids, family, friends, lovers, and time for yourself.

The truth is, money is useless if you have true wealth. As my partner once said (in comparison to an Alan Watts analogy), that similarly to money being pointless to a stranded man in the ocean, having money to buy groceries isn’t wealth, the real wealth are the groceries in the trolley.

To elaborate, money is not an indicator of wealth. I’m not talking wealth in a materialistic lifestyle sense, I’m speaking of the wealth that people should desire. No paper dreams. Wealth including love (the feeling is indescribable), food (who doesn’t love a full belly after a great meal), friends (laughter, unforgettable memories), and overall being content with the life you’re living – which prompts me to this:

Content – ‘in a state of peaceful happiness’, ‘state of satisfaction’, as explained after a simple Google search of the word.

Being content is possibly the best thing on the earth. Nothing will taint you, because it’s a feeling of pacification on a spiritual level that when you attain, you just know. Don’t confuse with enlightenment (debatable), but they go hand in hand.

So if you know what I’m conveying, what would you do if money were no object? Would you still work that job? Would you still be studying?

I say no to studying unless you’ve got the passion for the subject or field, not passion for the paycheck you may (or may not) receive. I say no to working 9 to 5 jobs where you compromise family, friends, potentially love and the biggest commitments to yourself. I say no to chasing paper that will leave you greedy, which the government takes if you die anyways (just think about the never-ending cycle). I try not to generalize all the time, but undeniably money = greed in many cases.

Go out, be happy and live a rich, wealthy life. Be content and at peace with everyone, and yourself. Live laugh love.