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Here’s an alternative view: we do an ok job of science education, but a deeply unsatisfactory job of teaching people that it is OK to be themselves and likes th

Here’s an alternative view: we do an ok job of science education, but a deeply unsatisfactory job of teaching people that it is OK to be themselves and likes the stuff they like. Crystal spiritualism to me is just a reaction to the fact that people overascribe meaning to things that they like and enjoy, as a justification beyond “I enjoy it”. It goes hand in hand with the whole spiritualism around rock climbing or stand up paddle boarding or yoga - they’re all great fun, but, modern life under emphasizes the role of fun and preference and so people justify it with spiritualism.

heavenlyblue 7y ago
The simple counter-example here is: everybody likes cocaine, but nobody likes what cocaine does to you over long term, so you should probably not do it.
- ozzmotik 7y ago
  i don't particularly like what breathing oxygen does to my body over the long term but i still do that. granted, out of necessity. anyway i agree with the point you're making, with one caveat: id say it's perfectly okay to do cocaine responsibly. it's just really difficult to do so evidently! if one were to only occasionally do it then i would think that the overall negative impact of it would be significantly less than what would happen if one were to do it consistently for a long period of time. granted my experience is with methamphetamine, which is, uh... an entirely different beast! but either way. if someone likes crystals, it's ok to like them and to collect them, even to believe some woo things about them. but it's a problem when they start trying to convince everyone else that their experience is absolute and not just anecdotal. the same concept in a roundabout way goes for cocaine: if you like it, by all means, enjoy it! just be responsible with it. personally i don't like cocaine at all, just the way that it smells /s

heavenlyblue 7y ago

The simple counter-example here is: everybody likes cocaine, but nobody likes what cocaine does to you over long term, so you should probably not do it.

ozzmotik 7y ago
i don't particularly like what breathing oxygen does to my body over the long term but i still do that. granted, out of necessity. anyway i agree with the point you're making, with one caveat: id say it's perfectly okay to do cocaine responsibly. it's just really difficult to do so evidently! if one were to only occasionally do it then i would think that the overall negative impact of it would be significantly less than what would happen if one were to do it consistently for a long period of time. granted my experience is with methamphetamine, which is, uh... an entirely different beast! but either way. if someone likes crystals, it's ok to like them and to collect them, even to believe some woo things about them. but it's a problem when they start trying to convince everyone else that their experience is absolute and not just anecdotal. the same concept in a roundabout way goes for cocaine: if you like it, by all means, enjoy it! just be responsible with it. personally i don't like cocaine at all, just the way that it smells /s