Quote:
Originally Posted by mekim
how does a middle class suburnanite travelling to a third world country on a $1000+ plane ticket to take their drugs equate to the same thing as the shamens of that culture using these same drugs within their ceremonies to better communicate with their gods / elders / etc? where was i trivializing the culture and not simply the outsiders thinking they were part of it?
(heffy still ain't a playa)
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You still don't get it? Someone's status in society has nothing to do with what we are discussing. Shamanism is one of the earliest forms of communication. The Egyptian hierophant, the shaman, they were all specialists who imparted the knowledge they gained from these ceremonies to the community. It influenced art, astronomy and their religious beliefs.
Your attempting to sway the argument away from your trivialization of the practice to trivialization of persons who take part in these ceremonies. The whole area of study is fascinating and certain people make great use of these healing plants that have proved to be beneficial.
The link between the past and present users is the search for something more and the ability to communicate with the self in relation to the singularity. Just because someone is an "outsider" doesn't mean they can't appreciate the practices and go about it in a serious and academic fashion. Some travel half way around the world to eat McDonalds and snap a couple pictures. Some people travel around the world to be apart of something.
Your inability to see the difference between someone who wants a high from mushrooms to watch movies and someone who goes through personal hell to break through the barriers of the mind is the point.
I'm overstepping borders here though. The initial remark by you was obviously an attempt to trivialize something that was important to another person in an effort to make yourself feel better. You use ad hominem statements as an escape wrote from active discussion.
/the end.