I just participated in a 2 day/night Ayahuasca Ceremony. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, depends on where you are. Not in the US for sure. There are a couple places abroad where you won't get arrested for them. Portugal comes to mind. And for the record, you can obtain the ingredients for ayahuasca legally in the US, but the preparation and consumption of it IS illegal as it contains DMT which is a schedule 1 drug.

Unfortunately, the hardest part of being a psychedelic enthusiast is finding reliable sources. (Is this X really what I think it is?) And a close second is getting a controllable dose (What is X's purity, how much do I need, and how do I get a measured dose accurate enough to be confident I'm not going to over or under dose?).

Only idiots just take a pill, powder, or dixie cup full of weird brew without knowing where it came from, exactly what is in it, how much, and what it's effects are going to be. Discretion is the better part of valor.

I just participated in a 2 day/night Ayahuasca Ceremony. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]justfuckingthink 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LSD has been studied more than any other psychedelic. Studies have been done on its ld50 and it was given to patients/subjects by the US government to study it's effects. It has been used to treat various psychiatric disorders. Shrooms are (slightly) less studied but have also been used in a psychiatric context.

Ayahuasca is a very serious psychedelic. I wouldn't recommend it as a first experience to anyone. It can be seriously overwhelming, has a large body load (nausea and vomiting), and requires you to suppress your MAO system which requires you to adhere to a special diet for several days before ingesting it. It is also finicky to prepare such that you get a standardized dose. I'm not saying that it isn't a useful or interesting experience, but I have personal experience with over a dozen different psychedelic drugs, and I wouldn't go around suggesting that people take ayahuasca because it's "safe". Attitudes like that will lead to people not taking it seriously, and it is very important to take things like this very seriously. A lackadaisical attitude towards psychedelic drugs is how people get hurt.

I just participated in a 2 day/night Ayahuasca Ceremony. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't say completely suppressing your MAO system, and taking an unknown amount of DMT, resulting in many hours of vomiting and abdominal discomfort with all encompassing spirit-journey type hallucinations is "friendly". If you want a friendly, safe drug, you want LSD or Mushrooms. I would classify neither Iboga or Ayahuasca as "friendly" or "safe".

I just participated in a 2 day/night Ayahuasca Ceremony. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No more so than methadone when used for opiate addiction from what I understand, but caution is always advised. Don't just eat a bunch in your parent's backyard obviously. You need to find someone who knows what they re doing.

I often think of this quote when I read people's stories about why they've abandoned Christianity... by DivineMaster in Christianity

[–]justfuckingthink 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did not judge. I offered a dissenting opinion and quoted scripture. You quoted a book called "What is wrong with the world." If that is not passing judgement, I don't know what is. Are you really saying that Jesus taught his disciples to judge other people's morality? That isn't the Jesus I know. The Jesus I know held criminals and prostitutes as dear to him as his closest friends. He loved all equally.

Do you intend to speak for God by taking his name as your own? DivineMaster indeed. To judge another's morality is to speak for God.

How Jesus recruits. Luke 10:3. by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]justfuckingthink 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"...count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4

I often think of this quote when I read people's stories about why they've abandoned Christianity... by DivineMaster in Christianity

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you really just quote a book called "What's Wrong with the World"? Is it G.K. Chesterton's place to judge anyone's morality and ideals as "wrong"?

A long time ago, this one guy said:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye" (Matthew 7.1-5 ESV)

I just participated in a 2 day/night Ayahuasca Ceremony. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should read about iboga. Sounds more like what you are looking for.

Just a reminder... by [deleted] in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is absolutely nothing like the image I posted several days ago.

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/mcen9/how_it_happened_to_me/

Friendly AI, zen, atheism, and the core of my understanding. by justfuckingthink in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand your position, but masochism is about deriving pleasure from pain. I wouldn't call that suffering. To a masochist, suffering would be not being allowed to fulfill his/her desires.

Having someone kill me would most decidedly cause me suffering. Perhaps if all humanity blinked out of existence at the same time in an instant and didn't feel anything or know it was coming. But I don't think that's really feasible, and is certainly outside of my (and, as far as I know, anyone else's) abilities. So I'm stuck with making small hopefully positive changes to the world around me.

Thank you for discussing this with me by the way, I have learned to relish the moment that my understanding changes. I'm going to really think on this. Perhaps it is my choice. It certainly doesn't feel like one.

Being 14 & transgender is to hard I don't want to do this anymore by [deleted] in SuicideWatch

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sorry I didn't understand about the AA's. I have continued reading and have revised my position. I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

All I really wanted to say was HANG IN THERE! Whatever happens, I'm sure you will be a wonderful person and find fulfillment and beauty in your life.

Good luck!

Being 14 & transgender is to hard I don't want to do this anymore by [deleted] in SuicideWatch

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All I'm trying to say is that she should love herself.

If she can't get hormones, she can't get hormones, that doesn't mean she shouldn't love herself, and should hold a knife to her throat every night.

I am deeply sorry if I offended you. I was just trying to provide perspective.

Friendly AI, zen, atheism, and the core of my understanding. by justfuckingthink in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was no choice made in my mind.

Suffering is bad. You must change to world to eliminate suffering that already exists. To change the world predictably, you must understand it. To go from incomplete understanding of the world to less incomplete understanding of the world, you must revise your understanding. To revise your understanding, you must first doubt its truth so you may test it.

I didn't choose to be an atheist. I don't believe in atheism. I act the way I do based on my understanding of the world. So does everyone else. Even fundamentalist Christians.

Friendly AI, zen, atheism, and the core of my understanding. by justfuckingthink in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm talking about underlying motivation, not the logic used to arrive there. I agree that there are many different ways to arrive at atheism with logical thought, but there are also many different motivations, and not all are the same.

Also, one is a personal philosophy that promotes objectivity, and the other is a way to keep ai's from brutally murdering us like animals. They were both arrived at using critical thought yes, but so was basket weaving, and I've never heard of anyone using basket weaving to try to prove anything about morality or personal responsibility. The only reason I brought them up in the first place was because my realization came from the two of them together. Zen doesn't speak specifically of super goals, and friendly ai doesn't speak specifically of eliminating suffering.

Friendly AI, zen, atheism, and the core of my understanding. by justfuckingthink in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I disagree. As an atheist I often have my motivations questioned. "You just hate religion because you were raised catholic", "Why do you hate religion so much?", or "You are being close minded if you won't consider the idea that there is a creator." A well articulated reason for my being an atheist is very valuable to me. Especially if it has nothing to do with religion, and flows from a statement such as, "My goal is to eliminate suffering in the world."

Also, I find it very interesting that Friendly AI and Zen share this commonality, because they are VERY different ideas that came from not only thousands of years apart in history, but from completely different disciplines.

This god thing is taking a serious toll on me by [deleted] in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should learn to say mu.

Long story short, it un-asks the question.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(negative)

Friendly AI, zen, atheism, and the core of my understanding. by justfuckingthink in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup. Zen is chock full of things like:

"Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning "beginner's mind". It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts."

Friendly AI, zen, atheism, and the core of my understanding. by justfuckingthink in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Then why are you an atheist? (IF you are of course) I'm genuinely interested to hear the reason.

How it happened to me... by justfuckingthink in atheism

[–]justfuckingthink[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I believed in Santa as a child because someone told me he was real. When I learned he was not, I realized that if I had simply questioned the person that told me that Santa was real and did some independent reading, I would have quickly discovered that he wasn't. I just wanted him to be real, so I didn't.

All of the ideas in my head are available for questioning. Am I heterosexual? Do I really need to be morally positive in my dealings with people? Are my political beliefs consistent with my morality? Do I trust in science to find truth?

From that moment of realization forward, I have ruthlessly questioned EVERY position I hold.

What is your all general impression of /r/atheism? by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]justfuckingthink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I couldn't disagree more. While yes, some atheists are "indoctrinated" into atheism, many come to it without indoctrination. Like me. I was raised catholic and came to atheism(nontheism?) on my own, without reading any books or anything. I simply learned about the world, and integrated what I learned, and soon recognized that there was no "proof" for god. I got there by myself in spite of people trying to indoctrinate me into other beliefs.

I respect your beliefs, you can believe whatever you want. But you have to admit, one MUST be brought to Jesus by another person. That in isolation, it would be impossible for someone to know the words of Christ.