Do You Hear The Trumpets Calling?

The word flower is not what would first come to mind upon hearing the words Angel's Trumpet and Devil's Trumpet. I guess what I mean is, most people would probably think about some Bible reference to the Book of Revelation. The Angel's Trumpet and Devil's Trumpet actually do refer to two flowers, the Brugsmania and the Datura respectively. They get their “trumpet” names from their physical appearance. Brugsmania opens downward as if it were calling from the heavens, and the Datura opens upward as if sounding from the abyss.

The thing that I find most interesting in these two flowers is their chemical make up. Both flowers are quite toxic and even deadly. They are also known for their hallucinogenic properties.

Sometimes used as a sort of drug, people will gather the leaves and flowers of these plants to boil and fashion them into a kind of psychoactive tea. The boiling process is done so that the more lethal effects of the plants’ toxins are removed. Once finished, the tea is then consumed and people just sit down and wait for the trip to start.

Many people have made a record of their trips with Brugsmania and Datura and have told of their Good Trips and Bad Trips (Also one of the reasons for their “trumpet” names). Most accounts involve having weird hallucinations that were very real. Good Trips are usually when people have conversations with other people who are not really there. Some have sat beside a non-existent campfire with strange creatures, with whom they had non-sense conversations. In general, nothing really traumatizing happened to them, unlike those who have had Bad Trips. Bad Trips are usually characterized when people experience discomfort and horrifying visions of demons and devils. Accounts have stated that it is as if their worst fears have materialized in front of them. Victims of these Bad Trips, more often than not, end up in hospitals and are admitted for a couple of days so that the poison can be flushed out of the system, sometimes the effects are permanent, some may even die.

These plants are not to be taken lightly. After reading the accounts collected at www.erowid.org, a site that promotes awareness on psychoactive plants and their possible effects on humans, I think it is safe to say that these plants are dangerous and should be avoided. Sure there are Good Trips, but would you take a risk even if you knew the consequences? Remember, Brugsmania and Datura are drugs, and though the plant itself may not be illegal (at least not in the Philippines), people can still go to jail for using it as a drug.

With all that I have said, I trust that you will think twice before doing something stupid like drugs.
It is not something worth throwing your life away for.

Lazy Paper on Martial Arts and My Life

Living to Fight

I have known no other passion other than martial arts. It is the one thing I think I cannot live without. From my five years of Karate to my four years of Capoeira, martial arts has been quite an influence in my life. Martial arts not just offers a person ways to fight or defend himself, it also gives him, what I like to call, a way of life. It is wrapped in many philosophies and theories that tell people a lot about life. Trying to understand what lessons I have learned from martial arts, I came up with three simple essentials of life: Discipline, Respect, and Trust.

Martial arts requires concentration and discipline. Without Discipline, order is lost. No order means that chaos will run amok. There will be no progress. Discipline gives us the power to overcome the laziness that comes with taking on different tasks.

A hierarchy of members exists in martial arts, respect those who out rank you. Without Respect, relationships will fail. It is one of the most, if not the most important, things in a relationship. Broken relations mean conflict between each and every person. Respect teaches us to value everything around us and promotes a harmonious life.

You need trust when training, especially with a partner. Without Trust, you only leave room for yourself. To be alone is to not have the unwavering support that friends and family give. We were not meant to be alone in this world. We cannot make it on our own; we need one another.

All these I learned from martial arts. Some see martial arts as learning how to fight. I see it as learning how to live. These three things are essentials in my life, and I share them with you. This is how I choose to live my life.