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.
- Potatoes
- Apples
- Tulips
- Marijuana (Cannabis)
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:
- Opium
- Caffeine
- Mescaline
...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!
I love Michael Pollan. Give me a while (it's been a solid 20 years since I've read Botany)to catch up on his works and then we can really talk shop.
I watched Botany on Netflix and at the time was stunned by the zoom photography of the cannabis plants. The entire concept of plants domesticating us blew me away, and laid a good foundation for “Sapiens” to follow up that strand of thought in my mind when discussing the history of wheat.
It was probably the first time I started to wrap my head around evolutionary biology and psychology, as well as really start connecting the dots to see that everything is indeed connected, that the whole universe is just a ball of chaos learning to put itself in order, and everything known and unknown touches everything else somewhere, sometime, however beyond notice it may seem.
I don’t recall loving “How to Change Your Mind” as much, or even whether I finished it, but this one is worth the listen.
Oh man! I'd completely forgotten that the concept of a species domesticating us came from Botany! Man, I can't wait to curl up with that book again. I don't remember much from it, really, but I do remember having so many of those "mind blowing" moments reading it.
Have you ever listened to the comedy of Bill Hicks? Reading your second paragraph made me think of this
Dude, if the domestication of us by plants blows your mind you gotta read "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari. His explanation of the magic of language shot a laser-focused beam of understanding straight into my brain.
I doubt I can do it justice here, but the short of it is magic spells are called spells because you spell them out, in the example he used, in order to create constructs we could use to expand our cooperative abilities, by way of legal contracts.
For instance, to make my point, God didn’t exist until someone wrote down who/what it is and began enforcing it’s will. In time enough “spells” were cast, that something that never existed on this earth before now held a physical presence in the form of monuments built to it, followers dedicated to it, assets it owned and controlled, and people generally willing to acknowledge and credit or blame it such that it became a real force and authority in the natural world.
Those 2 concepts changed how I see everything. I’m a multi-generational slave to the planet I live on and part of the dominant species of said planet. I’m a goddamn paradox and so are you. 🤣
God sounds strangely similar to a currency 😄
I will have to pick up this book!!
That was my example. He used corporations in his but it’s the same concept.
I remember that bit. It may have been my first introduction to him although I think the dinosaurs being the devil’s biggest trick might have preceded it via audio back in the Napster days.
"I think God put you here to test my faith."
Lol. I’d agree, except I don’t remember doing any such thing.
Lol, yeah man. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all of his work at one time or another, and was aghast when I heard out Dennis Leary stole his act. I never followed up to find out which one, though.
Mitch Hedburg was one of my faves back then, too. His vibe and presentation won me over instantly.
Yep, I used to love Denis Leary until I heard about that. Now I wish gangrene on him. Anywhere, but preferably in the nether regions.
Lol Mitch Hedburg is awesome.
You know me... I love anything that has to do with plants! I must see this documentary. I must read these books. Btw I got a library card 🤓 My human mind is very very curious indeed!
Botany of Desire is streaming on Amazon Prime but can be viewed in 3 parts here https://watchdocumentaries.com/the-botany-of-desire/
I don’t know if the book i was discussing is in a video format but the audio book is on Audible and a delightful listen. I really appreciate the author/narrator’s tone and tempo.
He also flirts with a degree of naïveté that made it that much more enjoyable for me. I mean, seriously. Of course the police want to raid your garden. They’d do it over tomatoes if they could get funded for it. 😁
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