Ok, well while walking through the local trails in a local forested area, I tend to think a lot about life, etc while on these walks, I started seeing all this "trash". It really saddened me. As I continued to walk I started thinking more about preservation of the planet and what not. Now as someone who avidly loved plants; as well as, their.... 'properties' I just can't seem to get over the feeling of being a hypocrite. What I mean is, I hate when people do harm to nature, it sickens me, yet I go out and order MHRB/other plants from a source and in turn destroy that material (although its already dead, but then it still is killing a life) for my own personal gain. Now I try and justify this by saying "Well I'm getting something from this experience" but am what I getting worth more than the plants that I'm, unintentionally (prob. not the right word), destroying? It's hard for me to word my feelings correctly, and I'm sure some of you out there can understand the way I feel, and I'd just like to ask, "How do you justify the means to the end of this hobby?"

Just as I would justify eating them for nutrients. I take them into my body to teach me and become one with these plants. As far as I can tell the plants "spirit" is happy to merge with my own.

Why would you carry such a burden on your shoulders? I mean, theres a lot more concerning things going on daily in this world, i dont see occasionally "destroying" few hundred grams of bark such a big deal every waking day in our lives destroys this planet bit by bit anyway so all we can do is tone down the amount that we destroy so that our future kids could enjoy it as much as we do.

In the case of mhrb specifically (but it applies to pretty much all ethnobotanicals I can think of) the rootbark is harvested in a sustainable manner that neither kills the tree nor prevents it from being used in the future. This is not true with Mimosa Hostilis that is used for lumber or other commerical applications. In all honesty, I think you would be hard-pressed to find an entheogenic plant that is harvested/used in an unsustainable way. Caapi is one area where it's hard to tell...but as most of the caapi sold by vendors is, afaik, harvested from actual plantations or greenhouses, it too is sustainable (and I'd assume that indigenous that are collecting wild vine do so sustainably, but I could be wrong on that).

Thanks Snozz (hope you don't mind the shortening name ) for the insight! That actually makes me feel a lot better.

It's not that I don't realize that we as humans destroy the planet we live on (we are just parasites IMHO), it's just that when I thought about it, I couldn't believe the thoughts that were coming into my head.

Thanks everyone for your input, and no I don't "carry this burden", just like to think "outside" this "box" if you will

Not only in sustainable ways, but they will ask permission to harvest the vine or leaves. Much like how American Indians would ask permission to kill a dear for food, etc... before letting go of the arrow.
Respect!


At the same time, not all suppliers do it in either a sustainable or respectful manner.
Thing is, how do you know for sure if your vendor is one of the good guys?



WS

Conservation of Energy Principle and the 1st Law of Thermo Dynamics -- A principle stating that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant regardless of changes within the system.

in other words.... your not destroying anything its impossible you are using these plants with noble intentions only changing its state or form.

Buddhist 3 marks of existence- Impermanence is intimately associated with the doctrine of anatta, according to which things have no fixed nature, essence, or self. For example, in Mahayana Buddhism, because all phenomena are impermanent, and in a state of flux, they are understood to be empty of an intrinsic self.

i think your heart is in the right place but to think that going through life without ever using and enjoying its natural wonders would be a shame not to mention impossible. what better way to appreciate the earth than to responsibly use its natural materials. were not talking about holding lit cigarettes to a plant's flowers, were talking about eating, and medicines. theres a difference between clearing a forest for a golf coarse vs. clearing a fire line to reduce dangers of the dry season. get my drift?

Thanks everyone for the replies, really makes me like the people here a lot more.

Again, I don't believe that it's "bad" or w/e (although I probably sounded like that in my OP), it was just a thought that came to my head, and you all have helped me relieve the pressure it caused.

Thanks