American philosopher, ethnobotanist, impressive free speaker and thinker. Terence McKenna is one of those cult, fringe of society figures of whom the majority of people have never heard. He’s controversial, and an exceptionally original thinker, listen to him for 5 minutes even and his erudition and incredible ability to articulate his thoughts is astonishing. He died in 2000. He was an expert on a broad range of subjects including history, biology, geology, botany, and ecology. He toured and lectured extensively on everything from language and science to shamanism and extraterrestrials. I dont actually vibe with all of his stuff, especially the alien stuff, but he is a hell of a speaker and says so much about whats wrong with our society. "Culture is not your friend" Much of his controversial status is in large part due to his vocal advocacy of mind-altering substances. A psychonaut and intellectual. I can listen to him for hours and its never boring. Often illuminating. Sometimes unbelievable. Always fascinating, occasionally just too much. An erudite genius.
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ost respected VIetnamese monk, human rights activist, Buddhist, poet, peace activist. Don't worry if you cant pronouce his name , his students call him "Thay". While visiting the U.S. and Europe in 1966 on a peace mission, Thich Nhat Hanh was banned from returning to Vietnam. On further travels to the U.S., he made the case for peace to federal and Pentagon officials including Robert McNamara. He may also have changed the course of U.S. history, because by persuading Martin Luther King Jr. to oppose the Vietnam War publicly, he helped to galvanise the peace movement. The following year, King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Later, Thich Nhat Hanh led the Buddhist delegation to the Paris Peace Talks. He is now very old, but his teachings are continuing as they always will. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live in the present moment. Dwelling in the present moment is the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.This allows us to discover that: “There is no way to happiness – happiness is the way”
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