> I'm going to mostly point out that although this is an appealing idea: that we only get out of ourselves what we put in/etc./etc. there's no reason for it to be true.

A) Meditation takes concerted effort (by definition). B) Meditaiton has been shown to increase empathy: http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/060608.htm Conclusion) You can put effort into improving yourself and improve yourself (in this case: become more empathetic toward others).

> They're compounds which have debatable (and unresearched) longer term effects on those who imbibe them,

25 years is pretty long: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_Chapel_Experiment#Doblin... But we do need more.

> and which have fairly established negative impact on people who take them and are at risk for developing a serious mental illness. (family history, etc.)

Yes. If you have a family history of schizophrenia (or other severe mental illnesses), you shouldn't try psychedelic drugs. They can precipitate schizophrenic episodes, psychotic breaks, and the like.

Other than that, I totally agree. I was just trying to clearly and succinctly discount the enlightenment-in-a-pill attitude.