Dear Papabear,
What are the benefits of psychedelics, if any? I ask this because it may or may be possible certain ones may be legal someday. It's not like they are all bad; it's just ... is it right from a moral stand point to make certain ones legal in Canada? Sergie * * * Dear Sergie, Good question :-3 Some people, such as, famously, the late Dr. Timothy Leary, have promoted the benefits of drugs like LSD. There are those who say it has a spiritual effect, allowing people to experience things they could not in the mundane world. Scientists who have studied drugs such as psilocybin (psilocybin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin, and psilocin are all hallucinogens found in eleven different mushroom genera), speculate that this is because psychotropics bring down the barriers around our sense of self, our ego, and make us feel more open-minded and connected to the world around us. While there have not been any major studies on the effects of hallucinogens just yet, there have been a number of smaller ones involving a couple dozen subjects. Focusing on psilocybin, they concluded hallucinogens have benefits for both healthy and mentally ill patients. For those with various emotional and mental illnesses, the drug has been found effective for such disorders as depression, anxiety, and addiction (one study reported successfully curing 80% of test subjects of nicotine addiction). When administered to healthy patients, the drugs have notable effects on personalities. They tend to make people calmer, more creative, more focused, compassionate, tolerant--in short, NICER people! Interestingly, these effects can be noted with a single dose of a hallucinogen and can last over a year. There is an important caveat to this, however, which is that psychotropics do have risks. For some people, they can cause "bad trips," as people who dropped acid in the Sixties and Seventies used to say, which can make you go literally nuts. For this reason, should drugs like psilocybin be approved someday for medical use, they should only be administered by skilled physicians and not taken recreationally. Taking the wrong dose of these medicines is highly dangerous. So, when you ask about whether hallucinogens are good from a "moral" standpoint, I would say they are as moral as any other medication might be. There are many potential benefits for them that I don't think we should ignore and that require further research by the medical community. Hugs, Papabear
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Papabear,
After switching fursonas a few years ago, I really want to know how to get motivated to create more and more inventive art for my character, Crafty the California Coyote. How I came to know him is a long story and I wouldn't want to bore you with the details, but I have grand designs for him. And yet, I find myself often wondering if it would be even worth it to go ahead. I love him, I dream of writing children's books or marketing him somehow. I want to make this a reality but sometimes, I just don't know how. California Coyote * * * Dear Coyote, You love Crafty, right? So the only thing holding you back is your fear of not getting the approval of others for what you are drawing and writing with him as the focus. You worry that if you come up with a children's book, it won't sell, or that people will not like the art you draw. The key, then, is to lay this fear aside and not worry about the approval of others. Once you stop wondering what others will think of your work, then you will no longer be second-guessing yourself, and this will set your creativity free. Many great artists, past and present, did not get the approval (at first, or sometimes ever) of what they were doing. That goes for scientists, musicians, and other forward-thinking individuals. This is often because they were ahead of their time. No one was doing what they were doing or in the way they were doing it. But now, in retrospect, these people are considered masters and innovators. If creative people who broke the mold had censored themselves, we would not have Van Gogh's Starry Night; we might not have reached the Moon had Robert Goddard listened to the newspapers call him a mad scientist; George Lucas might not have gone through with making the first Star Wars had he allowed nay-sayers to influence him. Progress and creativity were never born from the loins of those who only did the things that were guaranteed to be approved by the mainstream. Go. Create. Have fun! And once you have something in hand you think is marketable, that's when you start worrying about how to sell it, okay? Hugs, Papabear Hello, Papabear!
I wanted your thoughts about a dream or nightmare, I had a few months ago, Since our last letter (see this column from 2016) I've done some research into chronophobia and would seem that's what I'm suffering from, there where some suggested things a person with chronophobia should do, so I took out ticking clocks or anything that would remind me of time out of my bedroom and made some lifestyle changes that would take up most of my free time, which honestly helps me sleep more easily at night Anyway to the dream. I was working, nothing unusual, familiar faces and surroundings, than suddenly something hit me, I went from standing to being laid out on the ground faster than I could think, as I lay there, I tried getting up only to realize I couldn't move, all the familiar people around me began to panic as they looked at me, didn't take long for me to realize I was dying, my eyes were open, but everything was fading to black, the familiar voices started to fade to silence, however I didn't feel any fear or regrets, my literal thought was " My time is done, let's see what's on the other side " but that's when my mate pop into my mind, than I struggled as hard as I could trying to force myself to stand, telling myself " I can't leave him, I can't die! " that's when I woke up already sitting up in my bed, in a panic I hopped out of bed looking for my mate, only to realize he wasn't there and for the first time in years I cried I had this dream while at work, it was very vivid and to this day it gives me chills, I haven't told my mate about it, but everyday I tell him I love him, since than I haven't felt fear, not even during a " bumpy " helicopter ride, but at night chronophobia sets in even more now, I wanted to know if you had any thoughts on this? Does it have a meaning or connection to my fear of time? Or maybe I'm just thinking about it too much? Love to hear from you and as always thank you for reading. Hale * * * Dear Hale, I believe this is all related to your earlier letter and your fears of the future and of aging. A fear of dying is definitely tied into these. With your apparent PTSD, I hope you will not be offended if I suggest it might be a good idea for you to explore another career besides firefighting. Have you thought about this? I am not questioning your bravery or commitment to service, but for your own sake (mental and emotional health) there is no shame in looking for something that doesn't stress you out so much. Hugs, Papabear Hello there,
I'm writing this today as I have no else to turn to for advice, no one that will listen at any rate. Despite my best intentions, I have ended up stuck between a rock and a hard place. I work about 12 hours a week in a part time job and am constantly told I am being lazy. The truth is that this is the only job I have ever been good at, but my family tells me constantly to leave and go for anything else... Believe me, I checked, and they haven't, there is nothing else around here job wise. If the rubbish hours and minimum wage wasn't enough, the place is also going under from lack of customers. Two chefs have already left and everyone else is chasing suit. If I stick around I may go down with the ship and could just be let off before Christmas. If I leave now I end up being broke and back on JSA, which I promised myself I would never do again. Is there any advice you can offer? Thanks. * * * Hi, King Rusty, Sorry for the slow reply. Can you tell me more about your current job? Are you working in a restaurant? Where in England do you live? What is your educational background? I need more information before I can give you a decent answer. Hugs, Pbear * * * Thanks for responding. I do work in the UK and I do work in a restaurant; it is more of a pub first, though, but the food is the only real reason people have continued to visit this place in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, it has gone even more downhill that when I first sent the message to you. The head chef has quit, the sous chef has left after handing in her notice and our best waitresses have left with her as they look for anything better. The place is really struggling now and with the holidays coming up I now worry about how permanent my place here is. As for my education I would say I did two years at college but harbor no real skills from my time there besides a basic math, English and IT certificates. Nothing astounding anyways. If you require addition info just let me know. Thanks! * * * Hi, again, Being that it sounds as if this job is not going to last you, the only reasonable thing for you to do is start looking for other employment (it is always better to interview when you are employed than when you are out of work). I did a little research and see that, for some reason, restaurants and pubs are struggling in the UK and many are closing. However, since that is your work background, I would start looking in food service—at least in the short term. While there might be no openings last time you checked, that can change at any moment, so keep on the lookout for openings and don’t be too picky (pickiness is a luxury you cannot afford right now). Here are some options/advice:
Good luck! Papabear |
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