A Brief Essay on Spirituality in an Economy dominated society

Hello DMT-Nexus

After having read a little bit more about your point of views on substance usage, particularly about the idea that experiences lived involving altered states of mind can be incorporated to everyday life and result in an actual benefit, i would like to share my point of view with the rest:

I agree completely with the fact that substance usage can improve a persons life, but won't necessarily do it by itself. In fact it will only achieve an improvement when it is part of a journey or a quest, in which one tries to find his own answers. This journey or quest consists of much more than simple substance usage. It is journey that connects to everything and every moment in a persons life. A journey that should be honest, humble and as open towards dissapointment, as it should be towards joy. This journey may not be the same for every person. Motifs or questions wanting to be solved vary from individual to individual, and each person must find his own answers in life in order to satisfy his spiritual needs in life.

Society leaves little room for this quest, suggesting that one's quest should be a professional quest, where achievement and satisfaction rely on an income based pyramid. The higher one climbs, the more money he earns, the more power he achieves, the more recognition he gets. In which way this relates to the universe, to nature and to life itself remains insignificant for most and offers (in my opinion) mostly shallow rewards. Desire is corrupted by vice... One desires what money can buy, so one desires money, which translates to power, security and so on... Still one's desire remains conditioned to few options (bigger house, more expensive car, social protection (lawyers, doctors, etc) which remain meaningless when facing death, or the lack of love.

But this does not mean that one can't achieve a significant life. Arts, Friendship, Humbleness, Love, Compassion, self understanding of oneself as part of nature, the idea and strength of one owns existence, are territories in which desire can be freed of vice and corruption. Here it is possible to come to terms with oneself, with life, with the universe. Sadness is a great part of this territory, which should be admitted as well as happiness. Life is not only pleasure driven.

However in an economy based society our desire is directed towards pleasure, empty pleasure bought by money. This turns addictive, as it never truly satisfies our spiritual needs. Vice becomes bigger and bigger. Desire becomes corrupted.

In this way, substance usage can be driven completely by vice, in a desperate search for pleasure which will only generate more and more desire to break away from reality.

On the other hand, a desire free of vice (maybe it can never be truly freed of vice, but at least conscious of its power) can lead toward a substance usage, that instead of seeking to break away from reality, seeks to help oneself to come to terms with it.

In the same way, all the territories mentioned above can be corrupted by vice. Arts can lead to desire of fame, Love to denial of oneself, etc...

Maybe we could sum it all up to ACCEPTANCE & DENIAL...

So these are my thoughts on spirituality in which one should have an understanding of how one owns desire works, and how it can be corrupted by vice... but it can also be guided by love and acceptance. To seek pleasure will always look like the easy way out... but there is no actual way out, and coming to terms with reality is a lot more helpful ( altough NEVER easy).

And in this way substance usage has helped improve my life in an enormous manner. Always with respect, humbleness, and a disposition to find out that in the end i won't be able to satisfy my wishes... as noble and humble they might be. I have found here (and in arts, and in love) much more answers than anywhere else.

So i wish everyone of you a quest filled with honest questions, tenderness and love. Hopefully we will one day be able to come to terms with what and who we are.