Man, I'm listening to “This Is Your Mind On Plants” by Michael Pollan (author of “The Botany of Desire” and “How to Change Your Mind”) and it’s an incredible listen.
I love stuff that fills in gaps in the history of humanity and civilization and this is rich with it. It’s especially complimentary to the earlier work I mentioned (Botany) and every bit as eye opening regarding the ancient relationship between plants and our species. All told in a pleasant tone that delights with occasional chuckles.
I first learned of this author through a documentary on Netflix (at the time) entitled "The Botany of Desire" in which the he looked at 4 plants and their relationship to humanity.
Each topic was discussed from the perspective of how that plant used humanity to dominate the globe. I found tulips to be particularly interesting considering their claim to fame was the only one of those discussed that was purely aesthetic. Everyone knows why apples and potatoes are popular and cannabis equally goes without saying, but the achievement of such an evolutionary feat by just looking good is something to marvel.
The current work I'm listening to delves into:
...and boy howdy let me tell you it's a hell of a ride!
For instance, when I thought of coffee a few days ago, before beginning this book, I thought of aroma, flavor, whimsical mugs, you know, just the every day stuff. Now, coffee and tea are criminal mastermind GODS.
The sheer insidiousness of caffeine is something to awe at. Before I carry on, I'd like to note that I, like the author, use caffeine, and as far as I can tell love it more dearly than my own mother... she's dead anyway, though, so love the one you're with I say. Change my mind!
Getting back to the rant...
The author very eloquently points out how this chemical compound played an enormous, and key role in humanity’s journey into the modern era, as well as illuminating questions regarding which is getting the better deal. The general consensus is that has been a great boon that comes with a cost for us, but the plants that deliver this substance have certainly made the better trade.
I was equally excited to learn how easy it is to grow your own opium and mescaline producing plants. You may not know this, but the guy who proclaims to be the manifestation of Deadpool donning the Loki mask (with a little Pimp Named Slickback tossed in to smooth it all over) LOVES drugs. Not like people love their morning coffee. I'm talking heroic doses of ecstasy and grinding the world into sex pudding. The ambitious kind that promises heaven but will as easily land you in a hole. But that’s neither here nor there and I’m sure no one appreciates the flood of visual cruelty accompanying that thought enough to dwell on it any farther, so moving on…
Even more fascinating, are the subtle ways opium is treated differently than most other chemicals unfortunate enough to find their way into federal scheduling. Specifically, how opium producing plants make the transition from favorite garden ornament to felonious villain. I won’t go into details here, as I highly encourage you to take this journey of enlightenment for yourself, but I will say it seems there’s no end to the wicked intent and action of the drug warriors who’ve had a stranglehold on liberty since the declaration of the War on Drugs in the middle of the last century.
Oddly enough, I found the mescaline section to be the one I enjoyed the least and probably learned the most valuable lesson from.
While opium and caffeine have only been recently discovered, relatively speaking, mescaline producing plants have a rich history along side humanity dating back further than I’ve researched, but considering its roots in indigenous cultures one can assume the relationship is beyond ancient, possibly predating/predicating the actual dawn of our species, according to some theories.
Having said that, most of this section reflected on indigenous tribes and cultures, and I found it to be too heavily interwoven with religion to fully appreciate. While I don’t want to discount the spiritual value of these substances, I find holding to ancient rituals simply for the sake of doing so tends to convolute the purpose the ritual is supposed to serve, and this section was jam packed with it.
That’s not to say it wasn’t interesting, only that I found it to feel more like a liberal studies lecture than the informational story the rest of the work presented as.
None the less, I found it to be a delightful journey into the botanical wonders that surround us and a fantastic interpretation of the reality we don’t quite perceive, despite it lying right under our nose.
In closing, I’ll add that the author also has a book titled “The Omnivore’s Dilema”, which I haven’t read yet, but likely will at one point or another. If you’ve read it I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments.
Thanks for stopping by!
