Great thread!
I agree with a lot of what's been said. Psychedelics, and DMT specifically, facilitate experiences that provide a direct and unflinching view of reality and the Self. These are things most people are conditioned to avoid in our culture. I totally agree that one could argue that NOT partaking in DMT or other psychedelics is a form of escapism.
This said, I think anything and everything can be used as a means to escape the world regardless of the thing itself.
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Furthermore, pulling the escapism card makes assumptions and judgments on a person's motives. For example, if the user is smoking DMT for spiritual purposes - to connect with the divine - then it should seem wildly out of place to call that person an escapist should he choose to venture more often than you would. If we were to have someone who wants to go to church everyday, it would just seem silly to call them escapists for doing so, yet if a psychonaut decides to go to hyperspace on a similar schedule, with similar intentions (getting closer to the divine), he may be called an escapist. It all just seems pretty silly.
A person may choose to go to Church everyday, but if their church attendance is enabling them not to deal with personal/social issues then I would call that escapism. I think of all the church-going Klan members, or those who do terrible things on the regular but repent at Church every Sunday so that they are forgiven.
All in all, I don't think frequency of use or intention really dictate what escapism is or isn't. If someone wants to smoke DMT every day because they find it revelatory, all the more power to them; I'd encourage such an endeavor. I think it's more about what we choose to do with these experiences that decides whether our use is escapist or not. I think going for walks in the woods can be escapist if you have issues you should be dealing with at home but you always find yourself taking a stroll. Of course there's absolutely nothing wrong with a romp through the woods and more people should do it, but once that becomes a persons outlet for doing something they find more comfortable than facing real-world problems it becomes escapism, imo. Someone could go to the gym, which is a super healthy activity, every time they get angry at their spouse and don't want to deal with them; or they see a news story that makes them feel guilty about their lifestyle, etc...It doesn't really matter what you choose to do as a form of escape, so long as you are avoiding problems that you are aware of and engaging in another activity instead of facing them, you are running away.
Quote:If we were to believe (as some DMT users do) that hyperspace is real (and significant) then the whole escapism argument could be turned on its head by saying that people do meaningless things in life to avoid the reality of hyperspace.
Like I said before, I agree with this--to a point. Could we not turn this argument on it's head once more by suggesting that smoking DMT and doing other 'meaningless things' in life are ways to avoid the reality of the society in which we live and the active roles we play in that society every day?
In traditional Buddhism, it was encouraged that seekers separate themselves from society and spend as much time as humanly possible meditating in the mountains in complete solitude (this isn't so encouraged anymore). Hindu tradition differs in that they consider this a form of escapism. Hindus are supposed to separate their lives into phases; they are not to pursue an intensive and solitary practice until they've provided for their family and paid all of their debts. Of course meditating in solitude is a way to access the divine, and one could argue that those who do not meditate but choose to watch TV and drink beer are escapists--but Hindus argue that we live in a real world with real people with real problems, and it is irresponsible for us to not participate in this world when we are dependent on it and inherently part of it. We cannot just separate ourselves and meditate on the side of a mountain our whole life without ever contributing anything.
I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with psychonauts about the current state of world affairs. Many of us seem to get the same message from our psychedelic sessions regarding humanity, love, the environment, and social justice; yet real-world follow up on these revelations seems slim to none. IMO, if someone who knows perfectly well that there are close to 40 million homeless people in the USA alone but chooses to eat LSD or smoke DMT when they have the opportunity to challenge homelessness, that is escapism. When someone chooses to trip out each weekend when their neighbors are spending their free time confronting the prison industrial complex, or calling out an environmentally destructive corporation, or whatever it might be, that is escapism. If people would rather be high on DMT because it makes them feel good about themselves and makes them feel whole rather than participate in the world community, how is that any different from the person who would rather get drunk than work through an issue with their family or get a better job, or whatever...? I think that if you're doing something because you like it, even if that something is healthy, yet are avoiding problems in your personal life and/or in the society in which we live, you could be considered to be engaging in escapist behavior.
That's just my take, and nobody is perfect. We all have our crutches, more or less. And in some regards I think it's healthy to have something to run to when we feel overwhelmed, like jamie said. And in all honesty if that something is a psychedelic as powerful as DMT then you're probably better off than most.
"Consciousness grows in spirals." --George L. Jackson
If you can just get your mind together, then come across to me. We'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sunrise from the bottom of the sea...
But first, are you experienced?