“There are many ways to calm a negative energy without suppressing or fighting it. You recognize it, you smile to it, and you invite something nicer to come up and replace it; you read some inspiring words, you listen to a piece of beautiful music, you go somewhere in nature, or you do some walking meditation.”
— Thich Nhat Hahn
Negativity is a part of human society.
Positivity is too, but negativity seems to be “winning” so far.
It’s easy to watch the news and get emotional and angry.
70% of USA politicians intentions are to provoke negative emotions in people.
It’s easy to take the negative bait of a politician – but then you’re caught like a fish.
It’s easy to be negative. It’s easy to be angry.
It’s easy to hate.
And the majority of people conform to “easy” because what is great is difficult.
It takes time to be positive.
It takes being intentional about your mental health.
It takes ignoring cruel politicians and focusing on good leaders and being a good leader.
But yea, Thich Nhat Hahn has some good ideas about how to calm negative energy:
“Anti-social behavior is a trait of intelligence in a world full of conformists.”
— Nikola Tesla
Why would anyone socialize with people they don’t even like?
Also, cultures like that in the USA are enemies of meditation.
They are an enemy of the individual being with themselves and enjoying their own company.
The USA culture wants people constantly moving, constantly consuming, constantly being busy, constantly distracted.
The “powers that be” are great at creating predictable people who obey their systems without question.
What the “powers that be” cannot stand is an empowered individual who thinks for themself.
The “powers that be” will literally break laws to break down the empowered individual, and all the mindless masses will just think that the individual was wrong for being an individual…
It’s a crazy system…if you think about it, but most people don’t think about it – they just try fitting in so they lose their individual self in hopes for acceptance, yet then they are almost never really satisfied.
Don’t lose yourself and gain the world… but most people lose themselves and the world, as they conform to what the system wants, and lose their individual self.
How can you begin taking back your individuality?
Go somewhere and be silent. No technology. No media. No music. Just you with yourself. In nature is the best place to do this.
“The slavery of fear has made men afraid to think.”
— Thomas Paine
Fear is not always bad, but too much fear is unhealthy for your brain and body.
It’s okay to be afraid of lions and tigers and bears. Oh my.
But you should not ever be afraid to use your brain – to think.
Governments go out of their way to make their own people afraid to think – and most people quietly surrender their minds – and since almost everybody does it, it’s easy to conform.
But that is irrational & impractical to give up your mind to “fit in.”
The military also uses fear to destroy the minds of the people who just joined the military. Boot camp, etc. They scream and shout. They wake people up at different times throughout the night.
They break your mind and spirit until you are so disconnected from yourself that you literally cannot think anymore. Your brain is in fear mode. Now those fearful soldiers are only obedient to their superiors and do as they say, without question.
Fear fear fear.
The antidote to fear is education.
The more you learn, the less you have to be afraid of.
But also the more you learn – the more of a threat you may appear to be to any tyrants and cruel governments.
Intelligence should not be a threat – but it is to governments who only desire power & control.
“I have no fear of depths, and a great fear of shallow living.”
— Anaïs Nin
Ralph Waldo Emerson also said “It is not length of life, but depth.”
Depth has multiple definitions, one of them is: “a point far below the surface.”
People dig into the Earth to find gold, minerals, things that will help themselves. But who digs into themselves to find gold within? Almost no one.
There is gold within you – there is gold within all of us, but most will never find or seek the gold within.
“Pearls don’t lie on the seashore; if you want one, you must dive for it.”
It’s easy to do what everyone else is doing – to follow the crowd, to conform, to let someone else tell you the meaning of life. But that is living on the surface; shallow living.
You will get by on the surface, but you won’t find or experience gold within your life.
You must dive within yourself to reach the gold, and it really does take years.
But you have to start somewhere.
Meditation is the place to begin.
You can be like the majority of people & live life on the surface, or you can begin your journey to the gold within yourself.
Are you ever walking in a public space and you pass by a person and they get in your head?
It happens to me sometimes.
I’m focused on living my life, going somewhere, and then a person passes me and then they get in my mind and I can’t seem to push them out.
I don’t usually have this problem, and it happens less, but it does happen sometimes, and I call this a sticky mind.
When I’m flowing, I’m focused, leading my life, centered within myself & accomplishing things.
When I’m sticky minded I’m distracted by people outside of myself – or noises, or anything that is not my goals and dreams…
If it happens to me, it must happen to others. Does this ever happen to you?
Anyway, something I remind myself of is that “these thoughts will pass,” and I will be centered again soon and focused.
I don’t need to fight these thoughts out of my mind – although sometimes I try doing that.
I need to just relax my mind & not take the distracting thoughts of strangers so seriously. It will pass. I will have a stronger mind. I am an empowered individual.
“Most people don’t grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.”
— Maya Angelou
Let’s face it – humans are mostly shallow.
We mostly live by appearances – the way people & things “appear” to be.
And the older people get – the more they seem to lose their inner self in order to fit in with the way things appear to be.
But the way things appear, are rarely how they actually are.
Emerson said “It is not length of life, but depth.”
If we are living in shallow, reactive, consumerist societies, where is the time for any depth?
Cultivating depth in your life is where maturing happens, and if you don’t do that, you only age – like most people.
Steve Jobs said “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”
First, understand that the majority of people on earth never find their inner voice, the inner self, and they live life reacting to life circumstances.
That is perfectly okay, but if you want to break free from the reactive ways of society, you must find your inner voice.
You have an inner voice – everybody does – but like I said, they usually lose it as they age.
If it was easy, everyone would do it. What is easy is losing your voice to conform to what’s going on outside of you. What is easy is following.
What is difficult, is leading. Especially leading from within.
People will call you crazy for having a life & mind of your own, since they’ve conformed to the shallow ways of society. But those are the people you do not want to listen to, or fit in with, if you want to have depth in your life.
Be in the world but not of it!!!
Spend time alone with yourself, away from the tv and technology – to connect with yourself. To detach from the outside world and seek the power within yourself.
Nikola Tesla said “The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude.”
If you’re never alone, it’s almost impossible to know who you really are – and I think the majority of people don’t care or are afraid of being with themselves.
Blaise Pascal said “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
If you can enjoy spending time with yourself, alone with yourself – you will begin finding depth in your life – although you may be called strange. That’s ok. I’m very strange, and I love myself.
Jiddu Krishnamurti said “It is of no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
So you can spend your life trying to fit in with shallow people, or you can take the journey of self discovery.
Psilocybin mushrooms, often referred to as “magic mushrooms,” have been used for centuries in spiritual and healing rituals by indigenous cultures around the world. Today, modern science is catching up with ancient wisdom, exploring the therapeutic and psychological benefits of psilocybin, the primary psychoactive compound found in these fungi. With research accelerating and legal frameworks beginning to shift, psilocybin mushrooms are becoming a focal point in conversations around mental health, addiction treatment, and personal development.
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1. Mental Health Breakthroughs
One of the most promising areas of psilocybin research lies in its ability to treat mental health conditions that are often resistant to traditional therapies.
• Depression: Clinical trials conducted by institutions like Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London have shown that psilocybin-assisted therapy can produce rapid and sustained reductions in depressive symptoms, often after just one or two sessions.
• Anxiety: Particularly in individuals facing life-threatening diagnoses such as cancer, psilocybin has helped reduce existential anxiety and increase acceptance and emotional resilience.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): While more research is needed, early findings suggest that psilocybin can help patients process traumatic experiences more constructively by temporarily disrupting ingrained thought patterns and allowing new perspectives to emerge.
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2. Addiction Treatment
Psilocybin has shown significant potential in treating various forms of addiction, including alcohol dependence and smoking.
• In clinical settings, patients report a newfound sense of clarity and motivation following psilocybin experiences, often citing a sense of being “reset” or realigned with their core values.
• A study from Johns Hopkins University found that 80% of participants in a smoking cessation trial were still abstinent six months after treatment with psilocybin-assisted therapy—a far higher success rate than traditional methods.
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3. Cognitive and Emotional Flexibility
Psilocybin alters activity in the brain’s default mode network (DMN), which is linked to self-referential thinking and rumination. Reducing activity in this area can help users break out of repetitive, negative thought patterns.
• Users often describe experiences of ego dissolution, where the boundaries between self and world temporarily dissolve, leading to increased feelings of connection and empathy.
• These insights can result in improved emotional regulation, greater creativity, and a shift in life priorities—benefits that extend well beyond the duration of the psychedelic experience itself.
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4. Spiritual and Existential Insights
Many people who take psilocybin report deeply meaningful spiritual experiences, even when the context is clinical rather than religious.
• These experiences often lead to lasting changes in values, attitudes, and behaviors, including greater appreciation for life, improved relationships, and increased openness.
• A landmark study published in Psychopharmacology found that over 60% of participants rated their psilocybin session as one of the five most meaningful experiences of their lives.
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5. Low Risk of Harm and Dependency
Unlike many pharmaceutical drugs or substances of abuse, psilocybin has a very low potential for addiction and physical harm.
• It is not considered physically addictive, and the body quickly builds tolerance, making frequent recreational use unlikely.
• When used responsibly in a supportive setting, the risks of adverse psychological effects can be significantly mitigated.
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Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism
Despite their benefits, psilocybin mushrooms are not a panacea. They are powerful psychoactive substances that can cause distressing experiences, particularly in unsupervised or unprepared contexts. However, with growing support for medicalization, decriminalization, and regulated therapeutic use, the future of psilocybin as a tool for healing and transformation is bright.
As more clinical trials are conducted and public perceptions shift, psilocybin may well become a central part of how we address some of the most persistent challenges in mental health and human well-being.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Psilocybin remains illegal in many jurisdictions and should only be used where legal and under appropriate guidance.
1) “There is no need to search; achievement leads to nowhere. It makes no difference at all, so just be happy now! Love is the only reality of the world, because it is all One, you see. And the only laws are paradox, humor and change. There is no problem, never was, and never will be. Release your struggle, let go of your mind, throw away your concerns, and relax into the world. No need to resist life, just do your best. Open your eyes and see that you are far more than you imagine. You are the world, you are the universe; you are yourself and everyone else, too! It’s all the marvelous Play of God. Wake up, regain your humor. Don’t worry, just be happy. You are already free!”
2) “Reality never matched their dreams; happiness was just around the corner — a corner they never turned. And the source of it all was the human mind.”
3) “Sometimes sorrow, sometimes joy. But beneath it all remember the innate perfection of your life unfolding. That is the secret of unreasonable happiness.”
4) “And so I awoke to reality, free of any meaning or any search. What could there possibly be to search for? All of Socrate’s words had come alive with my death. This was the paradox of it all, the humor of it all, and the great change. All searches, all achievements, all goals, were equally enjoyable, and equally unnecessary.”
5) “Act happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will.”
6) “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
7) “‘What do I do then, now? Where do I go from here?’ Dan asked Socrates.
‘Who cares?’ He yelled gleefully. ‘A fool is ‘happy’ when his cravings are satisfied. A warrior is happy without reason. That’s what makes happiness the ultimate discipline—above all else I have taught you.’”
8) “Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for. The warrior is here, now. Your sorrow, your fear & anger, regret & guilt, your envy and plans and cravings live only in the past, or in the future.”
9) “Like most people, you’ve been taught to gather information from outside yourself; from books, magazines, experts. Like this car, you open up and let the facts pour in. Sometimes the information is premium and sometimes it’s low octane. You buy your knowledge at the current market rates, much like you buy gasoline. Like this gas tank, you are overflowing with preconceptions; full of useless knowledge. You hold many facts and opinions, yet know little of yourself. Before you can learn, you’ll have to first empty your tank.”
10) “Wake up! If you knew for certain that you had a terminal illness – if you had precious little time left to make use of your life and consider who you are, you’d not waste time on self-indulgence or fear, lethargy or ambition. You do have a terminal illness – it is death. Be happy now, without reason – or you never will be at all.”
With Ken Thompson 