Understanding is a two way street

A casual remark from me concerning the personal pleasure I derive daily from my protests garnered an expected but enlightening response once I reflected upon it for 24 hours. Perhaps the psychedelics that I did last night helped put a special perspective to it.

Earlier during the protest on the 26 the sheriff who had led me into the courtroom and then out, reappeared and asked me again “Did you read Romans 13 like I told you?” As a matter of fact I have many times. I asked him if he had read Deuteronomy. Just the fact that he had no new quotes to demand I read, tells me that this is his only stock quotation and is about rendering unto the state/conform to his BS. This is only more control fed in via scripture the meaning of which is taken out of context or logically not a valid example of an analogy.

The remark flung back at me by a different sheriff in reply to the following remark by me is very telling of the wall blocking the two way traffic that is the foundation of all communication which reveals greater understanding to both parties. The sheriff, a young fellow, had come up and asked me if I was going to remain demonstrating in the morning or go back to afternoons. It seemed like an open attempt at communication, so I answered him honestly and in depth.

“I really, really like the morning time slot for the protest. It invigorates me, starts the day off right for me! Almost like doing a hit of MDMA! It lasts all day long, too!”

He had turned away as soon as I mentioned ecstasy, as if he didn’t wish to get any on him. He threw back over this terse statement as he walked, “I don’t want to know about that!” or “I don’t want to hear about that!” To me it means the same thing, “I don’t want to understand!”

If you wish to see how some people enjoy the effects of MDMA go to my video shot by myself while under the effects of a 60 milligram dose. There is nothing that I am doing during the shooting and the entire day, or, saying that would make me ashamed of as much as if I were doing the same while under the influence of alcohol of comparable dosage ratio, say 4 beers as compared to eight. If I drank four beers I would be very drunk (impaired had/eye coordination), loud and bordering on irrational. This would last about an hour and then a severe headache would set in to be a backdrop for a general feeling of malaise. There would be no motivation for me to do anything constructive, or even get off the couch.

Yet the sheriff sees MDMA as being illegal and believes that it is so because the government knows best and this is a dangerous, even deadly substance which must be kept from all people. This is the chasm that lies between us. We must each wish to cross it for acceptable knowledge to flow. I seek to understand his thinking and thereby find an opening for my understanding to be conveyed through opening up his understanding while at the same time he should be seeking to convince me of his understanding. If the goal is to achieve knowledge which expands one’s understanding then each must be open to receive it. The government blocks the path of enlightened exchange by implementing a fraud to control people’s perception.

This propaganda regime surrounding prohibition was started for different purposes than those to which it is put today. In the beginning the prohibitions act was brought into being as a cultural/moral exclusion tool, while through the last century it has evolved to become a political tool primarily. The moral issue has come to the foreground as being a valid plank of political parties strongly associated with law enforcement tinged campaigns. Although there is no valid scientific proof of any law enforcement campaign being able to control substances anywhere, still money is put down this endless hole building up police forces at the expense of social safety. Even in Saudi Arabia western residential foreigners brew alcohol, Arabs run speakeasies much the same as when the alcohol prohibition laws plagued America during the twenties, while the penalties are stiffer.

This sheriff who didn’t wish to hear that I felt as good after my daily protest as I did on a hit of MDMA is not reasoning, rather repeating a lie. The truth is that he believes a lie promoted by the government. Ecstasy is less harmful than alcohol, plain and simple. Regardless of what the government claims, the Fact is that anyone choosing ecstasy over alcohol in moderate amounts is making a safer choice. The deaths range in causes from poor information known by the user, to adulterated non pure drugs and occur less frequently than those caused by alcohol.

I have to understand that this sheriff isn’t so much against me, rather he is confused as to what is the truth, because he has been told a common lie which he believes. If he became aware of the truth he might begin to question other things coming from the same source. Reaching understanding, or gaining new knowledge is a continuing process, usually experienced as a side effect of life. At times it is sprinkled with little eureka moments, epiphanies to spice things up for us, otherwise we might loose interest in the long learning process.

I hope the young sheriff does as much thinking as I have on the matter and that we can bridge our differences, eventually, through intelligent respectful communication.

Hey, you never know!
Anyways it is good I take a couple of days off from the political crap and get on with more artistic pursuits for balance in my life. This kind of stuff adds much needed levity (comedic relief) in creative new ways to put into perspective my other passions.