As a result, most in mainstream western culture now believe in a scientific model of existence that says there's an absolute division between physical facts and inner fantasies. Young finds this belief arrogant . You don't need to have invested a piece of your life in psychedelics to realize that there are just a lot of different ways to look at things, he explains, pointing to how time, art, matter and nature are understood differently in various cultures. The collective reality is a fragile thing. It seems very tangible to those who believe in it, but it's a story, continues Young.
Western civilization is a story that a lot of people believe in.
And what's a little odd is that the people who believe in that story believe that's the only good story. It's just so disrespectful. It's very monotheistic. But Young doesn't advocate losing oneself in endless, schizophrenia-like interpretations of reality either. All this pondering of stories and symbols is not the endpoint, he explains.