I've recently started watching Cosmos. And I knew of Carl Sagan, but I never knew how absolutely soothing it is to listen to him. I watch a lot of space documentaries (mostly on youtube) to fall...
I've recently started watching Cosmos. And I knew of Carl Sagan, but I never knew how absolutely soothing it is to listen to him. I watch a lot of space documentaries (mostly on youtube) to fall asleep.
I've recently started reading Cosmos to fall asleep (while listening to the Audiobook, narrated by Levar Burton)
And I just kept wondering: how is it, that a nonfiction book can be so calming to read. You learn, and you still feel relaxed. I don't have that feeling with other non-fiction books.
This might feel a bit off-topic, but I just wanted to give a bit of background. Reading into Carl Sagan I stumbled upon this and I wanted to share. Things I, and I am sure many can relate to. Appreciation for art, music, films. And eloquently put, the observations that trickle into your "normal" lives.
I will start keeping a notebook by my side, writing down these thoughts to reflect on later.
Wow, Carl Sagan is one of my idol and I would have never known he took weed and wrote a text on his experiences! This is fascinating and I can relate a lot with what he says, namely on insights,...
Wow, Carl Sagan is one of my idol and I would have never known he took weed and wrote a text on his experiences! This is fascinating and I can relate a lot with what he says, namely on insights, the "morning-after scrutiny", the "capable while high" and the small requirements to get high.
I could have quoted many more from this article, but I'll go with this:
My high is always reflective, peaceable, intellectually exciting, and sociable, unlike most alcohol highs, and there is never a hangover.
I'm in my 30's and all my friends have smoked in the past. They either actively smoke every day/week, or they're up for it in social situations. I feel like weed has taken an equal role in society akin to alcohol: spice up social situations. Also, it can be used alone to a much greater extent. I sometimes hear friends say they take one drink after work, but the effect is way less potent than taking "one joint".
I've started taking pot alone last year and I totally share everything Mr. X has said. It allowed me great insights into myself and the world, insights that passed scrutiny "the morning after", insights that have deeply, positively, influenced me. I totally know and understand the stigma around it, but I would be lying to myself if I said that pot didn't have any positive, lasting, effects in my life.
As Mr Sagan said, my highs are always positive, have an intent, help me socialize, allow me to feel empathy more deeply, allow me to understand perspectives that I would not fully understand or fully explore without it. The high is positive, intellectually stimulating... and without hangover.
...but it is powerful. It's easy to fall prey to its allure when you put it like that. I have taken many steps in order to "control the beast" (as some of my chronic user friends say). It can be an awesome drug, but you can definitely abuse it and it can take over your life, just like alcohol.
I agree. I've had a period when I was 20, where I would smoke daily for a while, even early in the morning. It was fun, but now I feel like I would waste too much of my life. I think it's...
It can be an awesome drug, but you can definitely abuse it and it can take over your life, just like alcohol.
I agree. I've had a period when I was 20, where I would smoke daily for a while, even early in the morning. It was fun, but now I feel like I would waste too much of my life. I think it's important to be careful and be honest with oneself
Yes, I'm glad you were able to come out of it. My brother and brother in law are both heavy users (from morning to night, all day) and I can definitely see the negative influence on their lives....
Yes, I'm glad you were able to come out of it. My brother and brother in law are both heavy users (from morning to night, all day) and I can definitely see the negative influence on their lives. One of them constantly talks about wanting to quit and it breaks my heart every time. Partly because I understand what he feels and also because it's still a good experience for me when I smoke. The contrast pains me a little.
I miss when weed made me feel like this. There were a few years there where I could smoke and just veg out for a few hours. Or I could listen to music and truly experience it for the first time....
I miss when weed made me feel like this. There were a few years there where I could smoke and just veg out for a few hours. Or I could listen to music and truly experience it for the first time. Or I could just put on a funny movie and laugh harder than I'd ever laughed before. It was really nice.
I don't really know what specifically changed, but after a year or so break from it I just couldn't enjoy it anymore. It was a 50/50 chance that I'd have the old experience or have the worst anxiety/depression of my life. There are times where I'd smoke and just sit on the couch and think of all the reasons I hate myself and it was miserable. And it wasn't the quiet observation that Sagan describes. I couldn't pick apart the self-criticism and try to learn from it. At least not in the moment. It was just this insane rapid-fire barrage of self-loathing and I couldn't escape it until the drug wore off. Although I guess in a way I did learn from it that I have deeper mental health issues than I thought and they need to be addressed (working on it).
I hope you'll get better! Recognizing there's an issue is the first step! The article also made me reflect on my experience. I occasionally do experience the wonder. However, I also sometimes like...
I hope you'll get better! Recognizing there's an issue is the first step!
The article also made me reflect on my experience. I occasionally do experience the wonder. However, I also sometimes like to just watch movies and eat junk food. I might try to find a lighter balance and a more mindful experience for myself
It's not the same, but it reminds me of this. Isaac Asimov died of AIDS complications. He was not secretly gay (Arthur C Clarke was, apparently, but that's a story for another day); he got it thru...
It's not the same, but it reminds me of this.
Isaac Asimov died of AIDS complications. He was not secretly gay (Arthur C Clarke was, apparently, but that's a story for another day); he got it thru a tainted blood transfusion.
He, his wife, and after he died, his estate labored hugely to keep this a closely guarded secret for, IDK, a decade or more, afraid that the stigma of it–the possibility that people might have thought he was gay–would destroy his legacy. To the point that, even today, the vast majority of people–even fans–have no idea how he died.
I've recently started watching Cosmos. And I knew of Carl Sagan, but I never knew how absolutely soothing it is to listen to him. I watch a lot of space documentaries (mostly on youtube) to fall asleep.
I've recently started reading Cosmos to fall asleep (while listening to the Audiobook, narrated by Levar Burton)
And I just kept wondering: how is it, that a nonfiction book can be so calming to read. You learn, and you still feel relaxed. I don't have that feeling with other non-fiction books.
This might feel a bit off-topic, but I just wanted to give a bit of background. Reading into Carl Sagan I stumbled upon this and I wanted to share. Things I, and I am sure many can relate to. Appreciation for art, music, films. And eloquently put, the observations that trickle into your "normal" lives.
I will start keeping a notebook by my side, writing down these thoughts to reflect on later.
Wow, Carl Sagan is one of my idol and I would have never known he took weed and wrote a text on his experiences! This is fascinating and I can relate a lot with what he says, namely on insights, the "morning-after scrutiny", the "capable while high" and the small requirements to get high.
I could have quoted many more from this article, but I'll go with this:
I'm in my 30's and all my friends have smoked in the past. They either actively smoke every day/week, or they're up for it in social situations. I feel like weed has taken an equal role in society akin to alcohol: spice up social situations. Also, it can be used alone to a much greater extent. I sometimes hear friends say they take one drink after work, but the effect is way less potent than taking "one joint".
I've started taking pot alone last year and I totally share everything Mr. X has said. It allowed me great insights into myself and the world, insights that passed scrutiny "the morning after", insights that have deeply, positively, influenced me. I totally know and understand the stigma around it, but I would be lying to myself if I said that pot didn't have any positive, lasting, effects in my life.
As Mr Sagan said, my highs are always positive, have an intent, help me socialize, allow me to feel empathy more deeply, allow me to understand perspectives that I would not fully understand or fully explore without it. The high is positive, intellectually stimulating... and without hangover.
...but it is powerful. It's easy to fall prey to its allure when you put it like that. I have taken many steps in order to "control the beast" (as some of my chronic user friends say). It can be an awesome drug, but you can definitely abuse it and it can take over your life, just like alcohol.
I agree. I've had a period when I was 20, where I would smoke daily for a while, even early in the morning. It was fun, but now I feel like I would waste too much of my life. I think it's important to be careful and be honest with oneself
Yes, I'm glad you were able to come out of it. My brother and brother in law are both heavy users (from morning to night, all day) and I can definitely see the negative influence on their lives. One of them constantly talks about wanting to quit and it breaks my heart every time. Partly because I understand what he feels and also because it's still a good experience for me when I smoke. The contrast pains me a little.
I miss when weed made me feel like this. There were a few years there where I could smoke and just veg out for a few hours. Or I could listen to music and truly experience it for the first time. Or I could just put on a funny movie and laugh harder than I'd ever laughed before. It was really nice.
I don't really know what specifically changed, but after a year or so break from it I just couldn't enjoy it anymore. It was a 50/50 chance that I'd have the old experience or have the worst anxiety/depression of my life. There are times where I'd smoke and just sit on the couch and think of all the reasons I hate myself and it was miserable. And it wasn't the quiet observation that Sagan describes. I couldn't pick apart the self-criticism and try to learn from it. At least not in the moment. It was just this insane rapid-fire barrage of self-loathing and I couldn't escape it until the drug wore off. Although I guess in a way I did learn from it that I have deeper mental health issues than I thought and they need to be addressed (working on it).
I hope you'll get better! Recognizing there's an issue is the first step!
The article also made me reflect on my experience. I occasionally do experience the wonder. However, I also sometimes like to just watch movies and eat junk food. I might try to find a lighter balance and a more mindful experience for myself
It's not the same, but it reminds me of this.
Isaac Asimov died of AIDS complications. He was not secretly gay (Arthur C Clarke was, apparently, but that's a story for another day); he got it thru a tainted blood transfusion.
He, his wife, and after he died, his estate labored hugely to keep this a closely guarded secret for, IDK, a decade or more, afraid that the stigma of it–the possibility that people might have thought he was gay–would destroy his legacy. To the point that, even today, the vast majority of people–even fans–have no idea how he died.