HIGHACRES COLLEGIAN, JANUARY 31, 1972 PAGE TWO The blue-eyed boogey man
editorial comment
(The following editorial appeared in the Daily Collegian,
January 17, 1972. It represents our views.)
Legalizing marijuana
Among the many causes which have been obscured by a sea
of publicity is that of legalization of marijuana. However, it
should not be forgotten or ignored simply because it no longer is
an eyebrow-raising topic of conversation.
The facts are clear: marijuana, as many reputable researchers
have stated, is not addicting and is in fact a relatively safe
intoxicant- particularly when compared to alcohol which,
although legal, is responsible for 30,000 highway deaths each year
and for one-third of all arrests.
Most importantly, the present marijuana laws cause more
harm to society than the substance they seek to prohibit. They
have forced users to deal with organized crime, thereby feeding
its growth; they have led to the imprisonment of thousands for an
action which hurts no one, and they have fostered a weakening of
respect for all laws.
Prohibition of alcohol was .a dismal failure in the 19205,
leading to an unprecedented wave of crime, bribery, violence and
government corruption. The same is happening today.
Even government advisory groups such as the National
Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, the
National Council on Crime and Delinquency and the National
Commission on the Reform of Federal Criminal Laws have
concluded that marijuana laws have done more harm than good.
The case of John Sinclair is an obvious example. Convicted
of violating Michigan's laws, he was given a life sentence- for
giving two marijuana cigarettes to an undercover agent. The point
is that there is no medical, legal or moral justification for sending
those who use it to jail.
Prohibition of marijuana grew out of a puritanic,emotionally
charged debate which had little basis in fact. It is time to take the
rational approach and legalize marijuana before more lives are
needlessly sacrificed on the altar of an unjust law.
Free the Guerilla
It has been over two, months since the last issue of the
Guerilla appeared at Highacres. (if you recall, the Nov. 8 issue was
passed out at the bottomof the hill after having been banned from
campus.)
It is our fervent hope that the Guerilla staff has not decided
to halt publication due to the recent hassles of the administration
and Senate, or for any other reasons. We are experiencing an
awakening at Highacres and few people are intelligent enough to
realize it.
We are dealing with more than the right of the Guerilla staff
to distribute its paper on campus; in a larger sense, what happens
here can and will affect all Commonwealth Campuses.
For those of you who have been too pre-occupied with
pinochle or ping-pong or whatever else it is that the simple folk
are constantly doing, distribution of the Guerilla has been banned
from campus. Of course, it takes little knowledge to know that
this is contradictory to the United States Constitution.
The existence of a periodical such as the Guerilla is essential
on campus to maintain a favorable balance of ideas and opinions.
We hope that this realization will soon become evident to
everyone
A proposal will be sent in the near future to University
President John W. Oswald urging the amendment of Senate Rule
111-D-8. It will be beneficial to every student, faculty member,
and administrator if this out-dated policy on underground
publications is repealed or altered.
Eigilarrp,6 Tallpgiatt
The Collegian office is located in the Memori,.l Building
Office hours are Monday thru Friday, 1-4 p.m.
BOARD OF DIR ECTORS
John Roslevich, Jr
Lorraine Drake ,••
T. W. Heppe
Richard Campbell
NEWS: Amine Cumsky, Cindy Lonoconus,
Anne McKinstry.
ENTERTAINMENT: Jean Yeselski, Leroy of
Warrington.
SPORTS: Craig Knouse, Bill Schaller.
EDITORIAL WRITERS: Mel Mundie, Richard
Rock man.
ADVERTISING: Bob Allison, Gloria
Maksimak.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Charlie Fox, Paul
Pianovich, Gary Welsh.
TYPISTS: Lorraine Drake, Francine Miller,
Cathy Motyl, Marion Stashko, Anita Thomas.
COMPOSITION: JoAnn Depretis, Lorraine
Drake, Thomas Heppe.
Letter Policy
Opinions expressed in The HIGHACRES COLLEGIAN are
those of Individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the
official views of The COLLEGIAN.
Unsigned editorials represent the official opinions of The
COLLEGIAN.
Responsible comment to material published in The
COLLEGIAN is Invited. All letters must be type-written and signed.
Faculty Members are students are invited to submit articles to
be published in a special section of The COLLEGIAN entitled
'lmpact.' Articles and other material (poems included) should be no
longer than 400 words and must be typed.
Business Manager
Production Manager
Faculty Advisor
STAFF
We have heard the voices of dissent from both individuals and groups. The voices have been
heard again and again. The news media has been criticized for allegedly providing too much
exposure to the left or to the right, and, depending on your point of view, to the vast
middle-ground. Journalistic balance, however, is not the point I wish to make here.
I am of the firm belief that the sheer redundancy of a dedicated position, pro or con, will
eventually become a deterrent. Repetitious rhetoric by the same individual or the same group
begins to grate on the nerves. The message wears thin and the receiver is less impressed with each
repeat of the sender's urgent message. One is almost forced to develop his own position early in the
campaign.
Occasionally, an all-too-familiar position is revived in a new and unusual way. The message is
the same, but the manner in which it is said is unique.
I am impressed by the unique. The message may not move me, but the mechanics can.
I was impressed by the unique way in which Carol Feraci reached President Nixon with her
message. She stood with 16 other members of the Ray Conniff Singers before a group of some 150
VlP's gathered in the East Room of the White House last Friday evening. President Nixon was
sitting just below the stage. Bob Hope and Billy Graham were among the other notables.
Carol held up a cloth sign that said, "Stop the Killing." Her voice was calm and there was a
look of determination on her pretty face as she quietly said, "President Nixon, stop bombing
human beings, animals and vegetation. You go to church on Sunday and pray to Jesus Christ. If
Jesus Christ were in this room tonight, you would not dare to drop another bomb. Bless the
Berrigans and Daniel Ellsberg."
There was a shocked silence. Conniff looked nervously to the right and then the left of the
stage. He finally gave the downbeat and the group performed its opening number.
Think of it! So many had tried so often to reach the President with the same message. So
many had failed. My inner-voice was saying,"l'll be damned! She really caught them. Amazing!"
The song ended and some members of the VIP audience began to boo. There were cries of,
"Throw her out!" Conniff did just that. It would be more gentile to say that he asked her to leave.
Carol's dismissal took some of the edge off the incident for me. I was disappointed. Couldn't
they see the beauty of her courage and conviction?
I do not imply that the President or Bob Hope or Billy Graham were among those who called
for Carol's dismissal. I am inclined to think they were not. But how I wish one of them had stood
up and defended her right to voice her opinion. How I wish one of them would have said, "I don't
agree with what you say, but I admire the way in which you say it."
You don't have to be so thoroughly dedicated to one ideal as to exclude all others. Do you?
Isn't there always some beauty?
The Boogey Man has blue eyes.
When you are constantly
living the answers to the above
questions...when you are
consciously aware that it is
ALWAYS HERE AND
NOW...you will be brought to
the "ETERNAL PRESENT...
where it all is." This realization
is the key that will unlock the
door leading to the true way to
live. So says the most unusual,
the most fascinating, the
most...WOW! It is the most
fantastic book to be placed
upon the bookshelves of the
world in quite a while.
Editor-in-chief
The book is BE HERE
NOW, and the exercise leading
this review is but one of many
enlightening exercises
contained within it. BE HERE
NOW is divided into rour
sections, the first of which is
entitled "Journey." "Journey"
is former Harvard professor Dr.
Richard Alpert's own story of
how he was transformed into
Baba Ram Dass, spiritual
student and yogi.
Baba Ram Dass, former
colleague of Timothy Leary
when they were both college
professors, begins his story by
saying: "There are three stages
in this journey that I have been
on!The first, the social science
stage; the second, the
psychedelic stage; and the
third, the yogi stage. They are
summating - that is, each is
contributing to the next..,
want to share with you the
parts of the internal journey
that never get written up in the
mass media: I'm not interested
in the political parts of the
story; I'm not interested in
what you read in the Saturday
Evening Post about LSD. This
is the story of what goes on
inside a human being who is
undergoing these experiences."
And so it begins.
Baba Ram Dass rates his
experiences with psychedelic
Editorship of
Otw 1t arrrn Tottegiatt
Open Spring Term
Anyone interested should see John Roslevich or Dean
McCallus as soon as possible .
Experience or training not necessary.
"Ask yourself: Where am
Answer: Here.
Ask yourself: What time is
Answer: Now.
Say it until you can hear
drugs and how they turned him
on to an extent and led him to
the spiritual life.
He tells of a most
interesting experience he had
under the influence of
Psyclocybin:
"A deep calm pervaded
my being. The rug crawled and
the pictures smiled, all of
which delighted me. Then I
saw a figure standing about 8
feet away, where a moment
before there had been none. I
peered into the semi-darkness
and recognized none other
than myself, in cap and gown
and hood, as a professor. It was
as if that part of me, which was
Harvard professor, had
separated or disassociated itself
from me.
`How interesting...an
external hallucination,' I
thought. 'Well, I worked hard
to get that status but I don't
really need it.' Again I settled
back into the cushions,
separate now from my
professorness, but at that
moment the figure changed.
Again I leaned forward
straining to see. `Ah, me again.'
But now it was that aspect of
me who was a social
cosmopolite. 'Okay, so that
goes too,' I thought. Again and
again the figure changed and I
recognized over there all the
different aspects I knew to be
me...cellist, pilot, lover, and so
on. With each new
presentation, I again and again
reassured myself that I didn't
need that anyway.
Then I saw the figure
become that in me which was
Richard Alpert-ness, that is,
my basic identity that had
always been Richard. I
associated the name with
myself and my parents called
me Richard: 'Richard, you're a
bad boy.' So Richard was
badness. Then 'Richard, aren't
you beautiful!' Then Richard
was beauty. Thus develop all
these aspects of self.
Sweat broke out on my
forehead. I wasn't at all sure I
could do without being
Richard Alpert. Did that mean
I'd have amnesia? Was that
by Mel Mundie
book review
BE HERE NOW by Baba
Ram Dass (Dr. Richard Alpert,
Ph.D) and the Lama
Foundation (publisher), Crbwn
Publishing, 419 Park Avenue
New York City, New York
10 01 6 (distributor), 1971,
$3.33.
what this drug was going to do
to me? Would it be permanent?
Should I call Tim? Oh, what
the hell - so I'll giVe up being
Richard Alpert. I can always
get a new social identity. At
least I have my body... But I
spoke too soon.
As I looked down at my
legs for reassurance, I could see
nothing below the kneecaps,
and slowly, now to my horror,
I saw the progressive
disappearance of limbs and
then torso, until all I could see
with my eyes open was the
couch on which I had sat. A
scream formed in my throat. I
felt that I must be dying since
there was nothing in my
universe that led me to believe
in life after leaving the body.
Doing without
professorness or loverness, or
even Richard Alpertness, okay,
but I did NEED the body.
The panic mounted,
adrenalin shot through my
system - my mouth became
dry, but along with this, a
voice sounded inside - inside
what, I don't know - an
intimate voice asked very
quietly, and rather jocularly, it
seemed to me, considering how
distraught I v;as,`...but who's
minding the store?'
When I could finally focus
on the question, I realized that
although everything by which I
knew myself, even my body
and this life itself, was gone,
still I was fully aware! Not
only that, but this aware
, was watching the entire drama,
including the panic, with calm
compassion.
Instantly, with this
recognition, I felt a new kind
of calmness - one of a
profundity never experienced
before. I had just found that
`l', that scanning device - that
point - that essence - that place
beyond. A place where 'l'
existed independent of social
and physical identity. Taht
which was I was beyond Life
and Death. And something else
- that 'l' Knew - it really Knew.
It was wise, rather than just
knowledgeable. It, was a voice
inside that spoke truth. I
Greener grass grows
by Richard Rockman
Since January 1 is now a few weeks behind us it would appear as though we have entered a
New Year. On the surface, that is. But is it really a new year?
Some of us spent New Years the same way this year as we have so many other times in the
past. Perhaps we made some New Years Resolutions to make us a more Perfect Person in the year
to come. We were sincere when we formulated them, but we have forgotten them already, haven't
we?
Many of us had a party on New Years Eve to celebrate the joys of the coming year. But today
we don't feel any more joyous than we did a week before New Years Eve, do we? Where is that
Happy New Year we celebrated?
It is here. Only we do not know it, The reason for this may be in our concept of time and our
concern for happiness. _ _ _
When we are unhappy, we say to ourselves (if we are optimistic), "things will get better," or
some such similar statement. We think of the fleeting moments of happiness we have had in the
past and we realize the future will hold similar joys for us.
At that moment of unhappiness it is possible for us to note these states of
happy-consciousness which we have had in the past and will have in the future. What, then, is
stopping us from enjoying this happy state of consciousness at the moment of unhappiness (e.g.,
now)? Nothing, really. Try it. If you are stopped it will only be due to self-imposed mental
limitations imprisoning you. And you don't want to be imprisoned, do you?
Happy New Now.
recognized it, was one with it,
and felt as if my entire life of
looking to the outside world
for reassurance - David
Reisman's other-directed being,
was over. Now I need only
look within to that place where
I Knew.
Fear had turned to exaltation.
I ran out into the snow
laughing as the huge flakes
swirled about me. In a moment
the house was lost from view,
but it was all right because
inside I Knew."
Baba Ram Dass continued
searching for spiritual
experiences through
psychedelics, continuously
increasing the dosages, but
discovered that no matter how
much insight he acheived, no
matter how high he got, he
always came down again to his
daily humdrum existence. He
decided he wanted to get even
higher, but he wanted to stay
at that point of realization
constantly. This caused him to
eventually stop using drugs and
led him on a search in India, a
search for...for what?!
I will skip over many of
his unusual experiences until,
finally, Baba Ram Dass meets
the man who isito be his guru
(spiritual teacher.)
A most amusing incident
occured when Baba Ram Dass
first discovered his guru, and
learned there was more to him
than what met the eye. Baba
Ram Dass relates:
"...I went to the car and
got the little bottle of LSD and
I came back.
`Let me see?'
So I poured it out in my
hand - 'What's that?'
`That's STP...That's
librium and that's...' A little of
everything. Sort of a little
traveling kit.
He says, 'Gives you
siddhis?'
I had never heard the word
`siddhi' before. So I asked for a
translation and siddhi was
translated as 'power'. From
where I was at in relation to
these concepts, I thought he
was like a little old man, asking
for power. Perhaps he was
"No alcoholic beverages a
here now
by Richard Rockmari
losing his, vitality and wanted
Vitamin B 12. That was one
thing I didn't have and I felt
terribly apologetic because I
would have given him
anything. If he wanted the
Land Rover, he could have it.
And I said, 'Oh, no, I'm sorry.'
I really felt bad I didn't have
any and put it back in the
bottle.
He looked at me and
extended his hand. So I put
into his hand what's called a
`White Lightning'. This is an
LSD pill and this one was from
a special batch that had been
made specially for me for
traveling. And each pill was
305 micrograms, and very
pure. Very.good acid. Usually
you start a man over 60,
maybe with 50 to 75
micrograms, very gently, so
you won't upset him. 300 of
pure acid is a very solid dose.
He looks at the pill and
extends his hand further. So I
put a second pill -that's 610
micrograms - then a third pill -
that's 915 micrograms into his
palm.
That is sizeable for a first
dose for anyone!
`Ah-cha:
And he swallows them! I
see them go down. There's no
doubt. And that little scientist
in me says, 'This is going to be
very interesting!'
All day long I'm there, and
every now and then he
twinkles at me and nothing -
nothing happens! That was his
answer to my question. Now
you have the data I have."
Spiritual insight abounds
in the rest of "Journey" and
the other three sections of the
book. Section 2 ("From Bindu
to Ojas") is filled with a
hundred or so pages of words
of wisdom printed within and
without indescribably
beautifully designed religious,
spiritual, and occult drawings.
The third section of the
book is entitled "Cookbook
for a Sacred Life." It contains
30 chapters, each dealing with
a different aspect of the
spiritual life. Some of the
topics include: yoga,
lowed on campus!"
. •~~ ~.-
transmuting energy, breathing*
exercises, sexual energy,...
siddhis (spiritual powers);
money and right livelihood,:
spiritual dance, meditation,:
time and space, psychedelics as:
an Upaya (Method), and dying.-
Each chapter has a section ofl
abundant and appropriate:
"Potent Quotes" on the.,
chapter's particular topic by:
spiritual and religious leaders:
throughout history (including
some by the Beatles and Dylan:
as well.) Also included is a*
comprehensive glossary of:
many terms not always found:
in Webster's Dictionary.
The final section of the:
book is entitled "Painted Cakes:
do not Satisfy Hunger" and if'
is a bibliography of hundreds
of books that can be of great
aid to anyone following the
spiritual path as well as those
who know little about it. The
bibliography is further
subdivided with respect to the
essentiality of the books.
You might even be
surprised to discover you may
have already read or heard of
some of them already, for
among Lama Govinda's
"Foundation of Tibetan
Mysticiam," Paramahansa
Yogananda's "Autobiography
of a Yogi," Martin Buber's "I
and Thou" and "Hasidism &
Modern Man," and the "I
Ching" is also listed J.R.R.
Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and
"The Lord of the Rings,"
Thoreau's "Walden," Robert
A. Heinlein's "Stranger in a
Strange Land," and the books
of Herman Hesse and Aldous
Huxley.
This review has, only
scratched the surface of the
wisdom contained within the
monumental work, BE HERE
NOW. One can read and re-read
the book forever. You
probably will, if you buy it.
After all, isn't forever here
now?
(I would like to express
my gratitude to the Lama
Foundation for kindly allowing
me to reprint portions of BE
HERE NOW in this review.
4 l ..