• emptiestplace@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    I’m glad I did it when I was a teen.

    I’ve always been very empathetic, but a few imperfect acid/mushroom experiences deepened my understanding of empathy and highlighted the significant energy expenditure that comes with it—an aspect I continue to manage carefully to this day. I also realized through these experiences that nothing affects my emotional state more than witnessing someone share their passion for absolutely anything.

    These are just a couple examples, and I realize they may seem trivial, but the experiences changed the course of my life. And perhaps I would’ve reached similar conclusions otherwise, but I was deeply unhappy too, so…

    I think we have a tendency to over-inflate the importance of our place here on this planet. It’s cool that we get to do this, but it’s not important. I wish it were ‘ok’ for me to introduce my teen children to these experiences in a safe, controlled environment. Especially the 100% of them with worse anxiety than I experienced when I was their age wondering whether I’d make it.

    If your concern is collective social wellness, perhaps we should gatekeep religion till 25+, with psychedelics as a prerequisite.

    • shneancy@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      lmao yeah gatekeeping religion would do wonders. But that’s not happening.

      I was trying to be realistic with my suggestion there. We know for a fact that brains finish up development when we’re 25, and you can’t ignore the fact that psychedelics fuck with your brain rather hard, be it good or bad - they still do do that. If we were to try and convince “the masses” that LSD is good actually, we’d need to acknowledge that it can be dangerous & suggest appropriate action for mitigating those risks.

      I was in a rush in the morning, but if I wasn’t I’d also add something like: “and for those who would benefit from psychedelics for the purpose of medical therapy, a doctor’s note should allow them to buy them before they turn 25” or something