phanerothyme
Rising Star
Raised in the Bible belt by a bohemian mother and steadfast politically active Christian Republican grandfather, my political philosophy was originally guided by the openness fostered by my mother but tempered by the tunnel vision encouraged by American partisan politics. Before Iran's 2006 contested elections, I was fairly certain of the legitimacy of mainstream politics and mainstream media. However, after witnessing civilians murdered in the street for entirely civil protest, my certainty waned. In December 2010 while watching a segment about Jeopardy on Fox News, my Twitter feed spoke a very different tale of the day's events: the fall of the Tunisian government after a series of short but intense public protests. Immediately enthralled by the disparity between mainstream televised "news" and events which I believed should have priority, my internet presence increased dramatically, and by the time the Egyptian Revolution took off, I was attempting to function in my own time zone as well as participate in disseminating information, propping up networks and generally helping in any way I knew I could. Those 18 days of protest were filled with heartbreaking images of death due to unnecessary mindless aggression, right alongside striking images of hope and promise so cherished by participating socialist activists. The image portrayed by mainstream media was an insult to those who were risking their lives, and since then I've had disdain for corporate media in general.
After Mubarak's resignation, the political and social situation became very messy and complicated, and it was much more difficult for those far removed to offer measurable assistance. Eventually I became involved with a certain hacktivist collective, penning protest announcements and calls to action (propaganda, if we're being straightforward). At my high point, a personal project eventually spun into a major movement that has since disintegrated, leaving all of this feeling like ancient history. Eventually I became very alienated from my fellow activists, largely because of internal corruption that was unacceptably overlooked or denied. However, while submerged in the culture I attracted colorful characters, including receiving some of the most helpful writing criticism from the president of the Pirate Party.
My falling out with the online activist community coincided with my (re)introduction to drugs. During my activist stint, I was prescribed heavy psychiatric medication to treat the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. I had begun to ween myself off the pills, if only to prove to myself that I didn't need them, and this process was expedited by recognizing the healing properties of medicinal use of marijuana.
The innate theme of political activism is that you have been lied to, duped, and generally misled by the establishment. If this idea is true for current events and history, it's logical to assume that it's also true for the popular opinion of recreational drug use. Coping agents (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine) have been encouraged and defended as "culturally relevant," while consciousness-expanding chemicals have been fervently repressed and discouraged. To the revolutionary, this is just more of the same from a suffocating establishment with vested interest in continuing the status quo.
My chemical ventures include marijuana, nicotine, MDMA (and assorted chemicals sold as such), a variety of research chemicals on blotter sold as "acid," psilocybe mushrooms, a range of prescription medications, and DMT. Psychedelics have captured my heart, solidifying a deeply held belief in Buddhist principles, multiple planes of existence, and the idea that the human mind is a filter, narrowing perception to ensure that the body's basic needs are met. But when aided, the filter of ego is lost, and we remember. Unfiltered consciousness is the infinite we are searching for so desperately. We are stardust, just like turtles and black holes and uranium. Every thought and chemical reaction is the universe experiencing itself, nothing more and nothing less.
Also, hello
I apologize for the long-winded introduction, but it was nice to be forced to summarize the most important moments of my life.
After Mubarak's resignation, the political and social situation became very messy and complicated, and it was much more difficult for those far removed to offer measurable assistance. Eventually I became involved with a certain hacktivist collective, penning protest announcements and calls to action (propaganda, if we're being straightforward). At my high point, a personal project eventually spun into a major movement that has since disintegrated, leaving all of this feeling like ancient history. Eventually I became very alienated from my fellow activists, largely because of internal corruption that was unacceptably overlooked or denied. However, while submerged in the culture I attracted colorful characters, including receiving some of the most helpful writing criticism from the president of the Pirate Party.
My falling out with the online activist community coincided with my (re)introduction to drugs. During my activist stint, I was prescribed heavy psychiatric medication to treat the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. I had begun to ween myself off the pills, if only to prove to myself that I didn't need them, and this process was expedited by recognizing the healing properties of medicinal use of marijuana.
The innate theme of political activism is that you have been lied to, duped, and generally misled by the establishment. If this idea is true for current events and history, it's logical to assume that it's also true for the popular opinion of recreational drug use. Coping agents (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine) have been encouraged and defended as "culturally relevant," while consciousness-expanding chemicals have been fervently repressed and discouraged. To the revolutionary, this is just more of the same from a suffocating establishment with vested interest in continuing the status quo.
My chemical ventures include marijuana, nicotine, MDMA (and assorted chemicals sold as such), a variety of research chemicals on blotter sold as "acid," psilocybe mushrooms, a range of prescription medications, and DMT. Psychedelics have captured my heart, solidifying a deeply held belief in Buddhist principles, multiple planes of existence, and the idea that the human mind is a filter, narrowing perception to ensure that the body's basic needs are met. But when aided, the filter of ego is lost, and we remember. Unfiltered consciousness is the infinite we are searching for so desperately. We are stardust, just like turtles and black holes and uranium. Every thought and chemical reaction is the universe experiencing itself, nothing more and nothing less.
Also, hello
I apologize for the long-winded introduction, but it was nice to be forced to summarize the most important moments of my life.
