Daniel Grauer - Psychedelic Consciousness

Part 1

THE ROAD WERE ON

Offness

We seem to be involved in a dramatic race for time that has no precedent in the entire history of humanity. What is at stake is nothing less than the future of life on this planet. If we continue the old strategies which in their consequences are clearly extremely destructive and self-destructive, it is unlikely that the human species will survive. However, if a sufficient number of people undergo a process of deep inner transformation, we might reach a level of consciousness evolution when we deserve the proud name we have given to our species: homo sapiens.

STANISLAV GROF, PSYCHOLOGY OF THE FUTURE

I can hear a faint voice rising from within, something calling to me, and if I listen carefully, its telling me to go.

This can take the form of unbounded travel, building an off-the-grid mountain home, or even just foraging for my sustenance. It is not the activity or physical location that matters, but the ideals they representa life unencumbered by money, stuff, infrastructural reliance, and societal restriction.

Joy overcomes me in this regular meditation of mine until I realize that Ive attempted this before. Ive spent months on the road, backpacked through various mountain ranges, and traveled with no set plans of return. But no matter where I go, the desire still remains.

What is the source of this unquenchable urge? When I look within and directly around me, I find little else but happiness and gratitude: I cherish my family and friends; I feel fortunate to have cofounded a company that imports beer, wine, and cider; and I now have the honor of writing these words to you.

It would thus be nave of me to say that I dont owe much of my happiness to the society that I contribute to and benefit from. Yet it is here, in the pursuit and consequences of those benefits, that the source begins to reveal itself.

I become unnerved and filled with guilt when I think about our reckless dedication toward progress and the toll it takes. Inauthenticity defines my thoughts on the overuse of technology and the incessant marketing of consumer products. And finally, as I tune in to the constant bombardment of petrifying news about polarized politics, global conflict and inequality, and the deteriorating ecological state of our planet, I am overwhelmed by a deafening sense of offness and an unrelenting suspicion that we are on the verge of collapse.

I know I am not alone in these thoughts. While they come to the surface with varying audibility in each of us, they have become impossible to ignore. Even if we cant identify what is wrong or how to fix it, we all sense that something is off. These arent just idiosyncratic fears or personal paranoia; they are the alarms of our collective gut instinct warning us of impending danger. By conducting even the quickest overview, we can begin to understand why.

Our once natural waterways are becoming toxic. Pollution is filling the earth and air. Global warming is disrupting ecosystems. Species are becoming extinct at alarming rates. The nutrients and depth of our soil is diminishing. Miles of forests and jungles are vanishing by the day. Our social environment is filled with distrust and disparity. Our government has been invaded by corporate interest. Mass shootings occur for no apparent reason. And despite being the most advanced society that has ever been, technology has not solved any of our major problems.

Such a diagnosis validates the offness in our collective gut and provides a new conundrum. What is the cause of this impending danger? And where is it located? Our natural instinct in such situations is to look outside ourselves, but here we only find a mirror. In it, we see that underneath this mirage of composite crises is a singular forceus. Assuming it is easier to change our collective actions than fight a multifront battle against a nebulous enemy, this should be great news. Unfortunately, this has turned out to be nothing more than an assumption.

Despite our increasing awareness of human causation, we still attempt to change the world around us rather than change ourselves. Perhaps this is out of instinct, stubbornness, or laziness, but it hasnt yielded us any substantial results. For example, weve been talking about the damaging effects human activity has had on Earth since as early as the 1960s, and while there have been many hopeful developments in renewable energy, environmental policy, corporate and consumer responsibility, regenerative agriculture, and governmental commitments to carbon neutrality, ecological destruction and greenhouse gas emissions are still on the rise.