And Now, Finally, we understand

It has come to my attention, in the normal circuitous way, that, according to recent research, the manufacture of opium from the opium poppy, by human beings, dates back to neolithic times when we were all living in caves, worshiping our nature gods and scratching pictures in the walls.

The application of mind-altering drugs to human conciousness at this early stage of development throws a new light on all of human achievement to this date of now. Was the enlightenment a development of pure intellect, as we are taught, or, a drug induced mirage?Was Newton's mythical apple an idea awaiting gestation or a chimera perceived only because he ingested large quantities of opiates directly prior to his experience?

It is a matter of historical record that European society, from the discovery of China, was awash with opium and its derivatives. This is witnessed by the various attempts by legislative means to control, or if all else failed, suppress its use, finally culminating in the Opium Wars in China in the second half of the 19th century.