Timothy Leary “Turn on, connect, drop out.” This saying became the slogan of Timothy Leary's mind-expanding movement. Although he was a graduate of West-Point and Berkley and a professor at Harvard, these were not the greatest achievements of his life. Throughout his high-profile life, he became a spokesperson for the psychedelic era. His commitment to the belief that LSD and marijuana were gateways to enlightenment resulted in the founding of a new church, numerous prison sentences, and the embrace of celebrities and the general public. When people think of Timothy Leary, their immediate response is “Turn on, tune in, drop out,” his trademark phrase, although its meaning has often been misinterpreted. Playboy Magazine thought its message advocated “getting high and dropping out of school” (Marwick 311). When the magazine asked him to explain the meaning of the phrase, he replied: “'Activate' means contacting the ancient energies and wisdoms that are built within your nervous system. They provide indescribable pleasure and revelation. “Listening” means harnessing and communicating these new perspectives in a harmonious dance with the outside world, “Giving up” means breaking away from the tribal game. (Marwick 312). This was not the first time his methods had been called into question. Leary first came to public notice, and was criticized by fellow Harvard professors, for his interest in LSD when he and his friend Robert Alpert wrote an article for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientist. In the article, they described a circumstance that, in the event of war, the Russians might attempt to link the American water supply with LSD. Then, when everyone in America was stoned, the Russians would take over. They explained that to prevent this scenario from happening, everyone should take a dose of LSD in order to get used to the effects (Sterns 278). Although the article shocked Harvard staff, he was not fired. Leary was fired from Harvard in 1962, just four years after he began teaching there. Leary had himself experimented with psilocybin, a mind-altering chemical, and the university had repeatedly asked him to stop, which he refused (Brash 139). Although this angered the university authorities 2., there was nothing more they could do about the matter since it was a legal substance. While he led... 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 without shame and having, as usual, a good time." He kept his promise to “give death a better name or die trying.” " (Marwick 345). Timothy Leary influenced many people throughout his life through his contributions to society. Whether or not he advocated drug use makes no difference, even though that is what is remained in people's minds. The greatest message his life taught was the will of man and the lengths a person can go to get the message across to the masses. His goal was not money. , he gave it up when he lost his job at Harvard, but he believed he was right He sincerely believed that LSD could enlighten people, and his intentions were to help them.BibliographyWorks Cited Brash, Sarah Years. Turbulent Sixties. Alexandra: Time-Life Books Inc., 1998. Marwick, Arthur. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Sterns, Jane and Michael. New York: HarperCollins., 1992.