In search for the intense happiness. Magic mushrooms.

North of Sumatra

Despite wide deforestation caused by palm plantations or corruption among entire society and lack of correct mentality to hold clean from plastic and waste the environment and cities, north Sumatra have some few places worth to visit and explore.

[1]

The heat have no mercy, equipped with cap, pants and long arm shirt was the first line to withstand ultraviolet waves and balaclava with sunglasses transformed me into road ninja or bank robber again. People with lighter skin who spend almost entire day indoors lose their ability to protect them self against ultraviolet. The evolution of things will never stop here and eventually will eliminate completely unnecessary elements from the DNA of indoor generation. Today more than 90% of our time people spend indoors[1] and if you think it is too much then probably you should know that 25% of USA citizens don't even go outside[2]. People become hostages of their own success by achieving digital progress, better and faster connection and automatization.

Gathering my thoughts and experiences about lake Toba is not arduous for me. In the volcanic mountain heights with cooler humid temperatures I took my breath to taste the soul of the rain season. I felt eased after months of dusty and bitter hot days which followed me behind step by step retaining my focus quite high even in stand by mode on the precautions against blazing sun. Fresh cold air of the rain is the biggest underappreciation of tourists who always in hurry blame the rain for destroying theirs short plans to get more things done on the traveler list. But do they think that after the list is accomplished they will be happy? Or they will feel satisfied? Or maybe they will feel exited and proud?

Magic mushrooms

[2]

Restriction laws on drugs in most of the Asia are inexplicably severe which in some places result in many years of prison and even death sentence in Malaysia or Singapore. Drug laws are applied for substances which stimulate and causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed[3]. In my world though whatever people choose to consume from purified water to various food is still predetermined  to generate changes in the body and consciousness. 

[3]

Another pathetic mentality is to prohibit things that are found naturally in wild and are part of the ecosystem in our environment like plants and mushrooms. For instance plants like tobacco, coffee, tea or nutmeg[4] it's used world wide despite harmful effects they cause if not consumed moderately. So what is the difference between cannabis, poppy or mushrooms from their legal drug fellows? Well there is no difference at all, both groups could be found in the wild growing in many parts of the world and both groups drives disconnection from the normal state of perception or altering persons's biochemistry if consumed in exaggerated amounts. So it is worth to remember that is not the substances that are dangerous but "the dose". It should be completely legal to use any kind of natural drugs which is backed by legislation to prohibit using of the substance when the threat to one's life or public is eminent as driving bus or car, high risk workplaces or disturbing social order.   Places that achieved legalization of some drugs as cannabis or psychedelic mushrooms in Portugal, Netherlands, Canada or some state in USA are coming winners in this battle against combating natural drugs with high saving in money that would be placed  to investigate all the drug cases, also eliminating gangster formation which possessed and controlled a bigger part of illegal drug market and in addition the govern earn money as well in form of tax from the whole business industry as growing, producing, selling or consuming the natural drugs which are estimated to be from 66[5] to 75[6] billion dollar by 2025 and this is only for cannabis alone.

[4]

If cannabis is official outlawed in Indonesia then the natural world of magic mushrooms are there to stay. One store dried the Cubensis mushrooms on the porch towards the main street, corpulent elderly woman selects the shrooms in portion plastic bags for curios and adventurous tourists. Magic mushrooms has prime status as part of the origin when the culture emerged as many locals told me, mind-expanding mushrooms were always persistent component over many generation among the local tradition and was used by the powerful and insane shamans to predict the future and express the will of the mighty spirits. What I heard sound exciting and intriguing to find out what was hidden behind these designed stories, maybe it has some explanation. The source of divine impulsive force was evoked by not so echoing earthy molecule compound Psilocybin and Psilocin that magic mushroom contain and in general the effects include euphoria, visual and mental hallucinations, changes in perception, a distorted sense of time or spiritual experiences it also can include possible adverse reactions such as nausea and panic attacks[7]. Whatever reason humans had in the past using the shrooms in the present a greater portion of people are looking for new experiences, to reach to other dimensions, to explore the unknown feelings and quench the thirst of euphoria.  

What and where is happiness?

[5]

Happiness, well known word without clear definition what it means and how to measure it. People describe insecure with shame and outrage what happiness mean for them and instead for each of every explanation that should bring some explanation and clarity the opposite is happening with various opinions that differ greatly. The happiness is like love, hard to describe accurately to please everyone thus impossible to measure. Do poor and rich people feel happy in the same way? Or someone who believe in god are more happy than one who is atheist? Why it is Finland the happiest place on the planet and not Indonesia? Is the happiness correlated with GDP or social security and support? 

Some indicators as high GDP per capita ans social support indeed respond for well being of people as World Happiness Report shows[8] but this is merely from an economic perspective and don't address to measure happiness on sentimental and emotional level.

One could say that to be happy is mean to feel excited or feel pleasure rather than endure pain and suffering. People often work hard, achieve goals or search agitated to gain excitement. It could be a new phone or gadget, new work or promotion, new clothes, new movie, new friend, new relationship but after not long lasting time our excitement is completely vanished, we become sad and bored that excitement didn't last longer and eventually we are again on the path for craving more excitement, more pleasure. When in the end we tried everything and nothing from the ordinary things get us further excited then some will focus on better and more intensive substances such as nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, magic mushroom or many other natural or synthetic stimulants that expose users to the addictiveness and toxicity.

[6]

Life is a constant challenge with many ups and downs, when we are on the top filled of excitement then we are most happiest and when we are on the bottom then we feel most terrible and depressed. We have small and big expectations about everything: at home, at work, at school, in the city or foreign country that makes us hopeful and delight to the anticipations with two possible outcomes: first is the excitement of fulfillment the second is disappointment of the failed expectation. But what if we don't build any majestic expectation? Can we be disappointed then? Right, we can't be disappointed of the failed expectation we didn't had which mean happiness is "neutral". For instance if a relationship does not cause suffering, pain and discomfort then it is a happy relationship, it doesn't need to bring continuous excitement and pleasure to have a happy relationship. To be happy means both not getting disappointed, feel suffer or pain and overreact to excitement or pleasure. If the feelings are only observed without intense interaction then the balance and stability of happiness could be achieved. 

The life of many people in different parts of the world becoming boring, unsatisfying or depressing with present society with monotone tasks, long working hours, community isolation, no confidence in govern, unfairness or discrimination. To escape from this madhouse people often use stimulants but this will not help to be happy, stimulants are just a short trip of excitement and ecstasy that will quickly end deep in depression in the same madhouse. Eliminating the symptoms will not cure the disease therefore pointing and eliminating the source of the suffering and negative feelings is the best option to tackle depression and get arrangement of equal happiness :)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | November 21, 2019

Source

[1]. https://www.creditdonkey.com/time-spent-outdoors-statistics.html- Time Spent Outdoors Statistics
[2]. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/15/quarter-americans-spend-all-day-inside/ - 'Indoor generation': A quarter of Americans spend all day inside, survey finds
[3]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug - Drug
[4]. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/large-doses-nutmeg-hallucinogenic-high/story?id=12347815 - Nutmeg Treated as Drug for Hallucinogenic High
[5]. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-legal-marijuana-market - egal Marijuana Market Worth $66.3 Billion By 2025 | CAGR: 23.9%
[6]. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/31/1894945/0/en/Legal-Cannabis-Market-Worth-75-6-billion-by-2025-Exclusive-Report-by-Meticulous-Research.html - Legal Cannabis Market Worth $75.6 billion by 2025- Exclusive Report by Meticulous Research®
[7]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin - Psilocybin

[8]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report - World Happiness Report

Pictures and photos

[1]. Ion Storland, Tuk Tuk, Indonesia 3 Nov 2019, View over the Lake Toba.

[2]. Ion Storland, Tuk Tuk, Indonesia 3 Nov 2019, Store with magic mushroom poster.
[3]. Ion Storland, Tuk Tuk, Indonesia 4 Nov 2019, Natural growing mushroom on the field, Psilocybe cubensis.
[4]. Ion Storland, Tuk Tuk, Indonesia 31 Oct 2019, Drying and selling magic mushroom store.
[5]. Ion Storland, Tuk Tuk, Indonesia 8 Nov 2019, Looking far at the landscape.
[6]. Ion Storland, Tuk Tuk, Indonesia 28 Oct 2019, Uncle Bondan, cat man with long hairs, hat and shirt.