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Author Topic:   Timothy Leary~~~
hippichick
Knowflake

Posts: 1981
From: The Ether
Registered: Jan 2006

posted January 29, 2007 05:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for hippichick     Edit/Delete Message
...

Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities, the political, the religious, the educational authorities who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality.To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open-mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself.

Think for yourself... Question authority

...~~~Timothy Leary~~~...

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Gemini Nymph
Knowflake

Posts: 2216
From:
Registered: Jul 2004

posted January 29, 2007 07:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gemini Nymph     Edit/Delete Message
Think for yourself.

But don't doesn't mean ignore and dismiss valid sources of information and knowledge just because they come under the heading of "authority." To question authority just because it's authority is as meaningless as following a law because it's the law. Such a mantra then becomes just as binding and oppressive! Question authority to see if it's valid or not. All authority can be validated by the truth. If it's valid, then learn from it. If not, then look else for knowledge.

There must be objective and independant meaning to your choices, meaning that seeks as its end not social acceptence, or conformity to a trend, or adherence to something some propped-up guru has spouted off 30 years ago, but in the truth and only the truth. Otherwise you are not truly thinking for yourself. You are simply reacting to what someone else has said. In which case, you're letting that other person think for you.

Many people do not understand this distinction. Many have been suckered by the presence and charisma of someone like Mr. Leary, not seeing what foolishness this begets. Mr. Leary told us to question authority, so reason should dictate the first authority we should question is his. Where is his validity as an authority to tell us that? Alas, he conveniently failed to point that out, probably because he knew better than anyone that he was completely full of sh*t.

Now that we can see the error in Mr. Leary's logic, we most certianly should question his authority. We have found it lacking on rational grounds, so its value is negliable. But what is worse, is that it leads us to question his motives. Was he sincere yet misguided, and just not bright enough to catch his own error (or understand when other pointed it out to him)? Or was he more sinister, smart enough that he was selling propaganda disguised as truth, and simply caring not what poor reasoning he put into the heads of impressionable souls, as long as it afforded him the glory?

I don't think we can know for sure what cards Mr. Leary had up his sleeve. The only thing we can know with certainty is if we do as Mr. Leary instructs, then it's his own authority we should first find questionable and likely invalid. In which case, we need to look elsewhere for the truth we seek.

Suffice to say, I think it's long overdue that we finally let go of these silly 60's gurus - we can do a better job thinking for ourselves without them.


~~~Gemini Nymph~~~

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Natural111
Knowflake

Posts: 343
From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Registered: Sep 2006

posted January 29, 2007 07:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Natural111     Edit/Delete Message
Simply, beautiful.... That quote kept me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you

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Bluemoon
Knowflake

Posts: 4456
From: Stafford, VA USA
Registered: Feb 2005

posted January 29, 2007 08:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bluemoon     Edit/Delete Message

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hippichick
Knowflake

Posts: 1981
From: The Ether
Registered: Jan 2006

posted January 30, 2007 09:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for hippichick     Edit/Delete Message
GN

I beleive Timothy Leary would have encouraged us to question his "authority."

That is ofcourse if he even thought he had any authority~~~which I am thinking not.

I still like the message behind his passage~~~

"Think for yourself..."

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