Delirium

So, I ask myself, "What's wrong with feeling delirious?" I answer, "It's not always bad." I've gained great insight into the workings of my mind and the minds of others via delirium / hallucination / cognitive dissonance-- or, should I say, resonance? It's short of madness, I know. The lines blur, and you sure do get close to losing it.

Fighting delirium, however, is a lost cause. Embracing it, on the other hand, turns out to be rather interesting. Now, I'm not talking about drug-induced delirium. That's artificial and too often dangerous. Although this very minute, I know I'm encountering the artificial kind brought on by the side-effects of all the meds for chemo. If I wanted artifice, I'd go on an acid trip, though shrooms or peyote would be preferable.

But, no, in all seriousness, I'm touting the fascinating aspects of naturally occurring delirium, the kind you get from neurochemicals you produce yourself. An "easy" way to get there can involve fasting, not sleeping for a couple days, meditating / praying for a few hours non-stop, and spiritual and/or physical cleansing, like from a Native American sweat lodge. Combining these helps you get to your objective even faster. Along the way, you may even find your spirit animal or God talking to you in your very own vision quest.

Of course, the condition often means your system has gone a bit haywire-- the adrenaline rush, dopamine receptors firing, endorphins circulating. What's not to like? As long as you don't get all paranoid and run into a flight-or-fight situation, you don't suffer. You dream in a waking state. You experience synesthesia: Seeing and tasting music, hearing the tone of colors and lines-- pretty freaky cool.

The downside, and there's always a downside to peaking like that, is the inevitable CRASH. Well, so what? If you can afford the luxury of sleeping like the dead for a couple of days, even that's not all that bad.

Yet, do I dare speak of Coleridgian tripping? Hell, no! To be exact, Coleridge was on opium. Very addictive, mind-numbing, and depleting.

You're a wise pragmatist when you know how to control yourself, and recognize that you can't go around tripping every day. You'll never get anything done. And without any doubt, being naturally high on life, after all, is the best kind of high.