In his 1970 Playboy interview, the celebrated writer Robert Graves floated a nifty idea on how we should bring up young people. Interviewer James McKinley asked Graves, “Are there any circumstances under which you would condone the use of drugs by people not of a priestly elite?” Graves responded thus: Well, I have an idea which might be useful. I think that at the time Protestants have their confirmations and Jews have their bar mitzvahs, about the age of 14 or 15, children should be isolated and put under very strict discipline for three weeks. They should be fed very little and kept away from all distractions. Then they should be given the sort of treatment one got in the ancient Greek mysteries. They should be purged and frightened and then given a harmless hallucinogen. While under all that, they should be taught the moral rules of life. What exactly did Graves mean by “purged”? There are several definitions for “purge” in The...(Read Full Article)