Timothy Leary "Turn on, tune in, drop out." That saying became the slogan of Timothy Leary's mind-expansion movement. Although he graduated from both West-Point and Berkley and was a professor at Harvard, these were not his greatest accomplishments in his life. Over the course of his publicized lifetime, he became the spokesperson for the psychedelic era. His devotion to the belief that LSD and marijuana were gateways to enlightenment led to a new church, numerous prison sentences, and a following of both celebrities and the general public. When people think of Timothy Leary their immediate response is “Turn on, tune in, drop out,” his signature phrase, although its meaning has often been misunderstood. Playboy Magazine had thought its message encouraged “getting high and dropping out of school” (Marwick 311). When the magazine asked him to explain the meaning of the phrase, he replied: "'Turn on' means to contact the ancient energies and wisdoms that are integrated into your nervous system. They provide untold pleasure and revelation. 'Tuned in' means to harness and communicate these new perspectives in a harmonious dance with the outside world. "Drop out" means detaching yourself from the tribal game." (Marwick 312). This wasn't the first time his methods had been questioned. Leary was first publicly noticed, and criticized by his then fellow Harvard professors, for his interest in LSD when he and friend Robert Alpert wrote an article for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. In the article they described a circumstance according to which, in the event of war, the Russians might try to connect the American water supply with LSD. Then, when everyone in America is stoned, the Russians will take over. They explained that to prevent the scenario from occurring, everyone should take a dose of LSD so they can get used to the effects (Sterns 278). Although the article shocked Harvard staff, it did not cause his firing. Leary was fired from Harvard in 1962, just four years after he began teaching there. Leary had experimented on his own with psilocybin, a mind-altering chemical, and the university had repeatedly asked him to stop, but he refused (Brash 139). Although this angered the 2. university authorities, they could not do anything else about the matter since it was a legal substance. As he conducted... middle of paper ......Eary was dying of cancer and believed that death should be a happy occasion rather than a sad one. His last words were "Why not?" and after his death his longtime friend, John Barlow, wrote: "Timothy Leary died shamelessly and enjoying himself, as usual. He kept his promise to 'give death a better name or die trying.' " (Marwick 345). Timothy Leary influenced many people throughout his life with his contributions to society. Whether or not he supported the use of drugs makes no difference, even if they are what have stuck in people's minds. The greatest message his life taught was the will of man and the efforts a person will make to get the point across to the masses. His goal was not money, which he gave up when he lost his job at Harvard, but the belief that he was right. He truly believed that LSD could enlighten people, and his intentions were to help. Bibliography Works Cited Brash, Sarah. Turbulent years The 60s. Alexandra: Time-Life Books Inc., 1998. Marwick, Arthur. The Sixties. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Sterns, Jane and Michael. Encyclopedia of pop culture. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.