Now I can better understand Timothy Leary....

[kentuck]

The acid guru. "Turn off, turn on, drop out..." or something akin to that. Sometimes the seeming futility of it all makes one want to simply turn it off. The insaneness of it all all makes one want to "turn on" to escape the reality. And sometimes it looks like the only option is to "drop out". Of course, we know that isn't the solution, but it's a good start. :)

[wryter2000]

1. Timothy Leary

No O in it.

He got his Ph.D. at the same place I did. His dissertation is still widely cited.

[freeplessinseattle]

2. He's an icon, and I was lucky enough to see him speak 10 years ago

at my alma mater (and for only 8 bucks!).

[teach1st]

3. Turn on..

Escape reality? Heroin will do that, or alchohol. Not acid, not usually. Sometimes acid is too much reality. Turning on, at its purest, meant to explore reality without the filters. Hence the tuning in part. Tune in to what is real, to what matters. Many here are already talking about dropping out much in the manner Leary meant: exiting the consumer culture, quitting the many meaningless games inherent in consumer society.

[enough]

4. "Turn on, tune in, drop out"

Was the phrase, I think.

Right now what we need to do is turn OFF, as you say, kentuck. Turn off the false "news" and false world-view being globally spewed by mainstream culture. Tune IN to reality and live accordingly.

[mcscajun]

5. The point was...

...to first Drop Out of the routine, mindless state that is primary American culture, Turn On (using psychedelics to expand your consciousness), and then to Tune In; that is, bring your vision back into the world to change it.

Not a bad idea then...not a bad idea now. It's not something you can do all at once; simply dropping out is a stepped process. It's like clearing the earth and plowing it before you're ready to plant the seeds of the next step. And the Turn On wasn't limited to psychedelics, either; some other sacramental, transformative experience would do as well, so long as the preparation had been done and it was embraced wholeheartedly. The goal is not simply to withdraw and stay stoned; the goal is to change yourself in order to change the world.

[Wiley50]

6. I had lunch with him once

Winter of '75-'76 in Boulder. He spoke at the university and I walked up afterward, handed him a copy of the menu from our collective veggie restaurant and invited him to have breakfast before he left town. "How 'bout lunch?", he replied to my amazement.
But not half as amazed as the next day when he actually showed up. He stayed for three hours. This was during his " Space Migration" phaze and what he talked about was mostly that.
My impression? One of the most truly nice and humble people that I have ever met. Even to this day.
The world could really use a personality like Dr. Leary these days

Wiley

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[DoYouEverWonder]

8. A college buddy of mine

heard he was in town and decided to call him up. He ended working for Leary has his personal assistant for a number of years. He was definitely a very nice man in person and quite the character.

[Pepperbelly]

9. Nothing wrong with the Good Doctor's P.O.V.

Sometimes, like in the 60s, it is the most logical course for a rational mind. And friend Kentuck, I think you might have tagged our current times quite well.

[bobthedrummer]

10. Most of my many trips were great and we did the group thing with 60-80

folks ingesting the same acid-it was a groove, baby!LOL.