People who use lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), commonly referred to as acid, usually report that things look more brilliant than normal. I wonder how brilliant a nuclear blast looks when you’re under the influence of acid:
WASHINGTON (AP) — One airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at the vibrant colors. A third admitted, “I absolutely just loved altering my mind.”
Meet service members entrusted with guarding nuclear missiles that are among the most powerful in America’s arsenal. Air Force records obtained by The Associated Press show they bought, distributed and used the hallucinogen LSD and other mind-altering illegal drugs as part of a ring that operated undetected for months on a highly secure military base in Wyoming. After investigators closed in, one airman deserted to Mexico.
[…]
None of the airmen was accused of using drugs on duty.
I’m actually comforted by the fact that people tasked with nuclear weapons are using mind expanding substances during their off time. My biggest worry is that people charged with nuclear weapons will act like mindless automatons who blindly follow orders and protocol. Anybody who has read either Command and Control by Eric Schlosser or The Death Hand by David E. Hoffman knows that individuals thinking independently instead of blindly following orders or protocol is the reason large portions of the world’s cities weren’t turned into ash.
Or, as in the case of Fletcher (US) or Nagumo (Jpn), acting independently, did cause many causalities and help defeat the larger plan.
That is not an outlier, a statistical anomaly. Throughout human history we find that individualism can act to the good or the bad. Books may be written, even though they be compelling, there are others of equal weight which bring consideration of other thought and processes.
Basically, sometimes it is good to go it alone, sometimes it is good to stick to the plan of others. I would choose partaking in drugs as least likely to know which to choose at any given moment.
It really depends on the drugs. Drugs like LSD can actually stimulate different ways of thinking, even after the high has worn off, which are often valuable when deciding the proper course of action.