DRUGS USED TO FIGHT ISOLATION

Opponents of the proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of
marijuana are now posing variants of the "thin edge of the wedge" argument
that has been applied routinely to major social-cultural issues from
abortion (leads to infanticide) to the "domino theory" of communist aggression.

Failing to appreciate the limits social and personal decisions make and the
law prescribes, it presupposes that once something starts, it will
inevitably grow to intolerable proportions.

When thinking of drug sub-cultures, try these on: "I am unfit to live with
until I've had my first cup of coffee."

"You need a nice cuppa tea to calm you down."

"I've had a tough day, I need a drink."

Most people rely on aids to relax or be stimulated. Even some animals seek
out natural behaviour-altering drugs.

But using drugs goes beyond mood enhancement. From earliest antiquity,
people have sought ways to alter their consciousness.

It all stems from self-attentiveness, necessary to our functioning, but
often burdensome and vexatious. We are aware of ourselves; we are aware
that we are aware; and we are aware of that in an almost infinite
regression terminated only by intellectual exhaustion. While this awareness
is the crux of human consciousness, it is an isolating experience, often
making us quite uncomfortable, even desperate, to avoid it, especially at
the malignant doses in which it often manifests.

Religion and spirituality, involvement with music, dance, art and poetry,
are some of the forms we use to go beyond the bounds of self-awareness.
They provide the Zen experience at the heart of all meditative and many
contemplative practices that help us develop a sense of connection with our
non-self.

The philosopher Martin Buber described this as the difference between I-it
and I-thou. In the former, when one looks at a tree, its properties - size,
shape, beauty, type, perhaps how it can provide shade, lumber, fuel or
fruit - are perceived. The I-thou (the "thou" being an archaic form of
familiarity), emphasizes the intimacy with non-self, in which there is no
awareness of specific properties or of use value, parameters dissolved in
communion with "the other" to which we are connected in a non-rational,
non-functional way.

Obviously, not all drugs have the same effect. It is nonetheless important
to realize that drugs and drug-like experiences have always been, and will
undoubtedly continue to be, part of the human condition or, at least, the
softening of its isolating boundaries.