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After returning from a trip to Jamaica, I've made some observations which I'd like to share with you. While these thoughts are not totally focused on entheogens, I think you'll see my point.
Jamaica is a third world country. The only fast food you'll find is Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and now, McDonalds. About one out of 1000 people have computers, and your average working class person makes less than $50 a week. They have no workers rights and very few unions, which means that they work six days a week, for ten hours a day, with no overtime or extras. Most people live in small “shacks,” many of which have no running water, bathrooms, kitchens or refrigerators. Only about one in 25 have a car. While this does not mean that nobody in Jamaica lives luxuriously, it does show that they have no middle class, just an upper and lower class system. The political system is setup for the advantage of the upper class, and doesn't offer much to the average working person. To leave the country on a vacation, you must get a visa, and that depends basically on how much money you have in the bank (most have none), or what property you own (most own none).
So ask yourself, if you worked 60 hours a week, made $50 a week, and could only afford to live in a small shack, would you have a good attitude? I wouldn't...or at least it'd take some getting used to. So what about the Jamaicans? Remarkably, you'll never hear them complaining, unless you specifically ask them about their income and living. They have a great attitude, and do not harbor grudges against the ruling classes or even against those who have enslaved them in the past. In fact, their motto is “one love, one people.” They don't have cable, they don't have the Internet, and a lot of them don't even have a pot to piss in, but yet they keep their spirits high, and their pride shines it all on.
I asked around about the local's use of entheogens, specifically the psilocybin mushrooms I saw growing in the cow fields all over the island. They told me that hardly any of them actually use them, preferring to sell them to the tourists that come looking for them. They also do not use the yellow-flowered Brugmansias that grow wild in the mountains, and as far as I could tell, they use no other entheogenic plants--except for one. As you could guess, the one entheogen they do use is marijuana, or as they call it, ganja.
How many Jamaicans use marijuana? It seems that, without actually taking a poll, judging by the people I saw smoking, about 75% of the working class males on the island smoke marijuana. They are not Rastafarians, and they do not believe that marijuana takes their thoughts to God, but they obviously look to marijuana for guidance. Although it's a generalization, most Jamaicans are in good physical shape, not fat, (although to them fat is a sign of health, and is not looked down on in society as it is in the States). Most Jamaicans that I spoke to treated ganja as a social tool, to facilitate communication, encourage “the right way of thinking,” and to relax at the end of the day. I remember thinking to myself that the Jamaicans defeat most of the marijuana stereotypes: they don't eat too much, they don't move on to harder drugs (although they may sell other drugs to the tourists, they do not use them themselves), they work harder than most Americans, and they don't have lung problems as a result of smoking all their lives. Interestingly enough, the majority of Jamaican women don't smoke...at least not in public like the men do.
Does this mean that Jamaicans have all their cards in order? Of course not... it's hard to find any group of people that all have their shit together. Jamaicans are still very male-oriented, sexist, and are extremely homophobic. But they are learning tolerance and equality, and they're willing to learn. And they maintain a positive attitude in what most would call deplorable conditions. I think we can all learn from them...
Keep thinking! Keep writing! Keep spreading the truth! |
