VERY PRECIOUS, DO NOT STEP ON THE GRASS;
Trespassers shall be shot on sight:
Approx reading time: 10 mins © Charles Njue 2010
YOU STAND WARNED: If you don't have an open mind, you are better off not reading this, if you easily get swayed, you are better off heeding your mother's advise, if your opinions on reality and the way of things are cast on stone, this is not for you. This requires you to read between the lines, to filter out the facts and then take an informed personal stand. This ain't a gospel, but neither is it a rumor mill.
"Condemnation of the natural herb is blasphemy. How could a plant created by God be made illegal by humans? You mean they can tell God that it's not legal? If growing cannabis is to be a crime then by man's laws God who made all plants was a criminal too. I am not surprised that people who smoke the weed are persecuted by Babylon (the ruling system), them crucify Christ, remember?"
Robert Nesta Marley
6 Feb 1945 - 11 May 1981
Bob Nesta Marley must have been really big back in the days. Just think about it, 30 years since the man walked the earth and he's still idolized; no other public figure in the realm of entertainment has withstood such longevity. The Beatles, Elvis Presley, even Michael Jackson strike a chord with a select segment of the populace, but Bob transcends even the age factor; ten year olds bob their heads to his music, same as sixty year olds, and I can bet you that the teenagers in 2050 will still be chanting his lyrics. That is why Bob Marley will be the only person I quote today.
Bob maybe famous for his music, but also for his fascination with kaya, the Jamaican slang word for cannabis; he always defended the often maligned herb. One of Marley's greatest hits, "I Shot the Sheriff" describes the fate of a marijuana grower hunted by a fanatical law enforcement officer:
"Sheriff John Brown always hate I,
for what, I never know.
Everytime I plant a seed,
he said, kill it before it grow.
He said, kill them before they grow."
Bob Marley was familiar with the issues. This first musical superstar from the Third World went to jail for marijuana, as did all three founding members of the Wailers. He smoked a lot of grass. Some people who know only about his untimely death and that he smoked marijuana would think that this might be evidence for the harmfulness of this plant. Few people know that the cancer that lead to Marley's death was a brain tumor that started out on his foot. It was first noticed when a soccer injury refused to heal. Bob was playing football for hours a day. Maybe we should ban soccer? ;-) For religious reasons Bob refused to have his toe amputated and the cancer spread to other parts of his body. It is amazing that at his young age he survived more than two years with his cancer. It might have been because of his strict diet, the unorthodox medical treatment he received, or it might have been the cancer reducing effects of THC, the main active substance in marijuana (see a Us govt study that showed fewer cancers in THC-treated animals).
"The more people smoke herb, the more Babylon fall."
Bob Marley
Some of the people that have been closest to me over the years, those that have best echoed true friendship in its true 'no strings attached' sense, those that have held a viewpoint worth my attention, and those that have exemplified comradeship to its utmost, have almost always been ardent reggae fans, and in most cases, devoted smokers of the herb; this goes out to them all; those that left a permanent print in my heart, those to whose tune my heart beats, those with whom I walked a part of this journey.
When you ever find yourself in a position where the forces of reason and the forces of habit and convention collide you will find that reason usually loses out. A long time ago marijuana could be banned because of reasons that have since been exposed as half truths. Do you honestly believe that marijuana turns ordinary people into bloodthirsty lunatics? We know that most of its users do not move on to harder drugs. It is safer than many freely sold medicines and even some foods, let alone the legal drugs alcohol and tobacco that kill more people every week than all dangerous illegal drugs do in a whole year. Let me assure you that I don't think smoking 10 fat joints a day is particularly good for you, plus it's illegal. But whether someone uses marijuana moderately (as most of its users do) or whether they use it more intensively, its been argued that by far the greatest risk associated with it today has to do with the fact that it's illegal and not with any immediate harm from the drug itself. When people are caught they go to jail, get kicked out school, lose their jobs, etc. not necessarily because the drug has made them do bad things to others but because drug laws brand them as evil criminals, as bad people who hurt or rob someone. An otherwise law-abiding person who hurts no one is considered as bad as a rapist in the eyes of the police and the courts. Truth be told, those of you who have walked the corridors of our local universities will bear me testimony; by virtue of having smoked marijuana, half the student population should be behind bars. One in four Americans, one in five Germans and one in fifty Japanese is a criminal by virtue of having smoked cannabis.
Let me break a secret that only few can; there's a level of consciousness, of awareness; call it enlightenment even, that only a preserve few ever get to be aware of in their entire lives. A majority of humans go through their entire lives without ever having experienced it. Others only chance on it, like in Near Death Experiences (NDE), or Out of Body Experiences (OBE) or in the feeling commonly referred to as dejavu; that feeling of familiarity with things, places, or even people that you have never met before. There's a mental state that individuals can attain in which certain things are revealed, certain realities are comprehended; people can feel things, see things, and hear things that would be hard to explain, or comprehend. Some people claim to have had visions, others to have heard the voice of God, others are possessed/filled of spirit(s) and so on and so on depending on your culture and/or religion. Others talk of opening the third eye, or the inner ear, or awakening the I, the SELF. The fact is that there's a state of awareness in which the human senses are so heightened and focused that we virtually can claim to have extra sensory perception (ESP); the ability to sense, see, hear, feel, recognize things that we wouldn't normally.
"When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself."
"Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?"
Bob Marley
This state in which our mind becomes absolutely calm and relaxed is also known as the state of choiceless awareness i.e. the state where we are fully aware of the moment yet our awareness is not focused on any physical or mental image/object. It is a choiceless awareness. The simple fact is that we are all born with these capabilities, but as soon as we engage the process of learning we quickly abdicate on this level of consciousness. It's known beyond doubt that a kid can hear the high pitched constant hum of molecules coursing in the air – Brownian movement; adults are also known to have this ability under certain conditions. It is also known that under certain influences, like the high of marijuana for instance, the human eye can see the fluorescent bulb blinking; some people have had the experience of feeling like their beds are upside down when under the influence, isn't this the brains ability to ignore the effect of gravity and grasp reality as it really is? Can you say beyond doubt right now that you are standing upright? – consider the earth's shape.
"A little wine sometimes, that's all. Spirits (are) bad. Alcohol wrong. Herb does grow."
"Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction."
Bob Marley
Well, if I haven't still convinced you, then try having an orgasm under the influence; it's an open secret that it's ten times more a blast. These states of awareness are attainable no doubt; they can be induced or achieved under the influence of mind altering drugs, depending on the potency – when you are high on alcohol, just before you get gibberish and nonsensical, there's a short state of alertness, but with other drugs, these state is usually prolonged. A lot of people have relied on such drugs to attain this mythical state. It is no secret that lots of very creative people seem to know this secret; that their creativity is heightened when they are in these drug induced states; musicians, painters, writers, composers etc have repeatedly found themselves hooked to these drugs in their relentless quest for this state. Am I saying that drugs, including marijuana, alcohol, coke etc can take someone to higher levels of realizing their potential and purpose in life? YES! This seems to be the case as evidenced time and again by various living examples – from Bob Marley to Michael Jackson to Tupac Shakur to Elvis Presley you name it. But is a drug induced high the only means to this mystical state of mind? NO! I am also saying that one can achieve the very same results without necessarily putting themselves at the risk of an addiction and dependency that comes with drugs. People in deep prayer, people in trances, a person in meditation can achieve the very same results.
"Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold…"
Bob Marley
Meditation, prayer, yoga, mantras, etc are all ways of focusing your mind, restraining your thoughts and looking deep into yourself. These are systematic ways of making our mind quiet so that we can contact our true identity -self, I and I, which is the source of everlasting joy, bliss and peace. Practicing them can give you a better understanding of the way of life, your purpose in life and of the divine, as well as provide you with certain physical and mental health benefits. But focusing your mind is a lot easier said than done. It may be simple enough to empty your mind of thoughts but to prevent them from coming in is a lot harder than you'd expect. This will take a considerable amount of practice to master, and one needs to be patient. Once your mind is finally clear of thought, you will feel calm yet aware; a feeling that most experts say cannot be described by words. Only experiencing it will give you a clear idea of how it feels.
As you go along with your practice, you will eventually experience a development in your physical and mental health. According to some studies, this is manifested by a generalized reduction in multiple physiological and biochemical markers, such as decreased heart rate, decreased respiration rate, decreased plasma cortisol which is a major stress hormone, decreased pulse rate, and increased EEG (electroencephalogram) alpha which is a brain wave associated with relaxation. During Meditation, one goes through a state of deep relaxation, while his mind's awareness level is increased. This results in faster reactions, greater creativity, and improved comprehension. Other benefits are:
- increased lung capacity
- improved immune system
- recharged nervous system
- reduced stress
- improved memory
- aids in the treatment of some diseases like asthma
- open-mindedness
- amplified moral virtues such as patience and compassion
- awareness towards sin, temptation and guilt
- increased faith in one's religion
These practices requires discipline, determination and patience. You won't get it on the first try, but constant practice will help you go a long way. All of your efforts will pay off someday when you attain the physical and mental health benefits mentioned above and even more.
"Man is a universe within himself."
Bob Marley
Most mind concentration techniques are designed to bring you into the present (away from the past or the future) and develop your power of detached observation, but the illusion that meditation works to dissolve is the illusion that there is an inside and an outside, there's me here and the rest of the world out there. Listen very, very carefully and you will realize that all sounds are only taking place inside you, that everything is one; this is the reality that was most profound to Bob Marley and remains so for most herb smokers – the oneness of reality, I and I, one love, Jah love, God love. That everything is only taking place inside you. You are everything. Observer is the Observed. Tat Vam Asi - Thou Art That.
If you are not getting high on something, I highly recommend that you start experimenting with deep prayer or meditation, especially very early in the morning, and I can assure that you will have embarked on a journey of experiences beyond words; the sorry state is that you never will be able to explain to anyone these experiences, because any words you choose shall always be inadequate, in the end, the best you can tell someone is – you should just try it for yourself. It's not easy I've already said; that's the reason why most people choose shortcuts with drugs. But don't give up at the first sign of discomfort. Let the mind and body know that you have the willpower and spirit to overcome their complaints.
"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!"
Bob Marley
By popularizing reggae music and its marijuana-celebrating lyrics, Bob Marley prompted many people to question what they have been told, to take a fresh look at the evidence. Bob used music to reach and teach, to spread the message of liberation, liberty and unity. Whether you may come to the same conclusions as Bob did or not, have the courage to take a fresh look at beliefs that people take for granted. Read the information that's out there. Study the arguments. Be bold enough to judge for yourself.
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