One of the first things I wrote in college and I chose to write about LSD. I got an A, Mom.

Lucy and Patrick Sitting in a Tree....

            When I was a kid, I didn’t believe in God.  I never had a good reason to believe nor did I care.  If he did exist, I certainly couldn’t conceive an all-powerful, omnipresent figure that concerned itself with humanity in a way we could consciously understand.  My parents taught me right from wrong, and there are things in life that we can control and things we cannot. God is abstract, and he/she and I co-exist independently of one another. That is how I perceived the world.  One day, I widened my gaze.  That was the day I first experienced lysergic acid diethylamide, otherwise known as LSD.

            If I had to choose one word to describe the LSD experience, it would be “epiphany.”  While attending a Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, I found myself alone in a forest, breathing.  All of a sudden, I began to ponder the symbiotic exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between animals and plants that sustains all life.  I had never considered this amazing omnipotent power that occurs before us.

            LSD brings out the best in me.  Being altruistic comes as naturally as walking or talking.  Intense feelings of empathy are usual, and strong inclinations to be honest, compassionate, and generous are commonplace.  Petty emotions like fear, jealously, and selfishness dissolve from my mind as quickly as the acid is absorbed into my bloodstream.  Imagine sharing that experience with hundreds of magnanimous individuals.  Music festivals are heaven on Earth.

            An acid trip lets me return to the wonderment of childhood.  My imagination is at its most vivid.  Everything seems new and innocent.  If one were so inclined, they could wave a stick around while pretending to be a Hogwart’s wizard and see large streaks of bright, blue lightening shooting right from their “wand.”  I feel the powerful sensation of being completely immersed in a sublime state.

            This chemical compound has allowed me to tap into otherwise unattainable levels of potential by which I experience humanity and view the physical world.  I’ve bore witness to an overwhelmingly omniscient and benevolent presence.  LSD has showed me the slightest glimpse of God.  I’m grateful for that every single day of my life.