Timothy Leary as a Hero Essay -- essays research papers fc

The term â€Å"hero† brings to mind many ideas, many events, and many people. However, one face it generally fails to conjure is that of Timothy Leary. Dr. Leary managed to create a level of infamy few Americans have achieved since this country’s inception; he is the poster-child of the mind-altering hallucinogen LSD and has been labeled by many as the subversive leader of the counter-culture movement of the sixties. Not many people appreciate this great man’s long string of accomplishments, his devotion to scientific progress, or his cheery, irrepressible personality. It is a small circle of people indeed who would label this man a hero, but the truth is that Dr. Leary embodied the principles of courage, discovery, and benevolence, which none can deny are heroic trademarks. No man has shown more courage in the face of adversity than Timothy Leary. One great example of his valor comes from his early years as a cadet at West Point during the 1940’s. After indulging in a quantity of alcohol with some upperclassmen after a football game one evening, Leary found himself before the Cadet Honor Committee of West Point awaiting punishment. The committee decreed that he must avoid social contact of any kind, despite the fact that during his court-martial the charges brought upon him were hastily dropped. For nine months he survived this involuntary solitude, until finally the school asked him to resign because of â€Å"moral problems† that his punishment was causing. Leary agreed on the condition that his innocence would be announced in the mess hall. Two days later, he left West Point. Long afterward, after earning a doctorate in psychology and serving several professorships at prestigious institutions as Berkley and Harvard, Dr. Timothy Leary dev eloped an interest in what he would later become famous for: psychedelics. Originally his studies were sponsored by Harvard, but after drug abuse became a major target of the mass media and politicians, a national frenzy took place and LSD became a Schedule One controlled substance. Leary, intrigued by the success of previous experimentation with the chemical and undeterred by lack of mainstream support, continued his studies privately. This eventually led to conflict between him and the DEA, the Narcotics Bureau, and the CIA. As Nixon fueled propaganda against â€Å"acid† and the counter-culture movement, Timothy Leary championed LSD ... ...n to certain concepts has never wavered. I have relentlessly and faithfully pursued self-exploration, evolution, and innovation as the antidotes to terminal adulthood." No document has recorded an instance of Timothy Leary running into a burning building to save a baby. He never fought a war for his country, discovered a cure for cancer, or negotiated a treaty between two countries. But he was a hero his own right. Dr. Leary led a resistance to the tyrrany of Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, G. Gordon Liddy, and J. Edgar Hoover during a time when America was torn with inner conflict. His career was devoted to helping people mentally, whether they were psychiatrically ill or just in need of psychedelic inspiration. And he stood as a beacon representative of hope, freedom, and peace. Timothy Leary may not fit the conventional definition of â€Å"hero† as found in Webster’s, but to many of his and future eras, he was everything for which that four-letter word stands. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jones, Bonsey. The Biography Project: Timothy Leary. The Biography Project. 8 Sept. 04 . Leary, Timothy; Quick Biography. Leary.com. 8 Sept. 04 . Timothy Leary Biography. American Buddha.com. 8 Sept. 04 .