71–79 of 79 posts
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that's also my impression after reading his book on psychedelics. interesting and eloquent but also shallow and generic.
This is why I'm afraid to do drugs. I'm worried that it will do something to my brain so that I'm impressed by shallow experiences.
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I wish I was more impressed by all the shallow, mundane experiences in my day to day life
You really can be, and I think it's worthwhile, and it does not require drugs. It does require time, however. Time to practice beginner meditation, and time to sit and reflect on everyday objects. But the payoff is simply INCREDIBLE. That feeling of "time is going by faster and faster" is replaced with almost the opposite, of remembering an event and being surprised how recent it was compared to how distant it feels.
But I've been pretty bad about the practice lately and need to commit more. It has helped me a lot, but there are a lot of benefits/mind states I haven't even scratched the surface of
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I'm just gobsmacked that the publisher saw himself as superior to Pollan given that neither of them was willing to risk federal charges and possible prison. There was nothing stopping MacArthur from making his own opium tea and drinking it.
Publishers generally shouldn't be in the business of poaching writers ideas, even if the writer eventually is too afraid too allow what they've written to be be published. It is not as if there was some urgent conspiracy that wasn't being exposed--the public was aware that opium existed--the tea drinking just supported the point of the essay. Your reading is rather uncharitable.
I also don't see what's uncharitable about my reading. I see a rich man looking down on somebody for not being willing to take a risk he won't take himself. What do you claim I'm missing here?
I saw Michael Pollan speak many years ago, ~2005?, at the LA public library, about _The Omnivore’s Dilemma_. He talked about nostalgia for family farms; I grew up in Iowa on a family farm, and in 2005 I knew that rural America had been depopulated and small family farms were few and far between. I asked him how that “density” could be restored, to recreate what he wanted. He had nothing to say, nor had much to say ab…
He went off on the harms of GMO and the wonders of whole foods. He used a lot of flowery language which ultimately was him saying "See, science is garbage, buy my new age theory of life!".
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Watch Hamilton Morris’s interview with Pollan. I think people are starting to get tired of his schtick, so he’s no longer getting the benefit of the doubt.
Can you elaborate on this? I've watched that interview and didn't get the sense that anyone was "tired" of Pollan. Hamilton is an expert and maybe was able to bring the conversation away from some Pollan's talking points, but I would say the drug community is overall mostly grateful for the discourse he's fostering.
I saw Michael Pollan speak many years ago, ~2005?, at the LA public library, about _The Omnivore’s Dilemma_. He talked about nostalgia for family farms; I grew up in Iowa on a family farm, and in 2005 I knew that rural America had been depopulated and small family farms were few and far between. I asked him how that “density” could be restored, to recreate what he wanted. He had nothing to say, nor had much to say ab…
I've been saying, to anyone who will listen, that: Pay kids to move to, or simply stay, in Kansas. After the kids get some relevant degrees, give them zero interest loans, new tractors, whatever. I really don't care what it costs. Simply redirect all those agricultural subsidies from corporations to families.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You really can be, and I think it's worthwhile, and it does not require drugs. It does require time, however. Time to practice beginner meditation, and time to sit and reflect on everyday objects. But the payoff is simply INCREDIBLE. That feeling of "time is going by faster and faster" is replaced with almost the opposite, of remembering an event and being surprised how recent it was compared to how distant it feels.
I actually do meditate and agree :) But I've been pretty bad about the practice lately and need to commit more. It has helped me a lot, but there are a lot of benefits/mind states I haven't even scratched the surface of
First, I learned how to do breath-attention meditation, where I put my attention on my breathing.
Then, I committed to doing this meditation immediately upon being annoyed by something or waiting for something.
It's all internal, meaning I don't sit down in Lotus or close my eyes or change anything about my outward appearance.
At the time, I would have semi-pointless meetings at work, which I didn't have to do much participating in, so I would do it then.
Even for 5-10 seconds or 30 seconds, it has a huge payoff, because it taught me the habit and process of entering a meditative state.
I've since had this idea reinforced by a teacher, who said that in the beginning you should practice entering meditation more than staying in meditation or exiting meditation, because you cannot do one without the other.
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I've been saying, to anyone who will listen, that: Pay kids to move to, or simply stay, in Kansas. After the kids get some relevant degrees, give them zero interest loans, new tractors, whatever. I really don't care what it costs. Simply redirect all those agricultural subsidies from corporations to families.
Or an organization dedicated to offering training and subsidized equipment rental. Something similar exists in NZ