A Tribute to Peter McWilliams

“Stubbornness is also determination. It's simply a matter of shifting from "won't power" to "will power.” ― Peter McWilliams

The brightest minds are not bound to one area of expertise. True genius transcends departmentalized intelligence and runs across the board. Unfortunately, our society seems to have placed an emphasis on the narrow-minded expert. We want our athletes to play ball, our entertainers to dance, and our social commentators to discuss single topics.

Perhaps not a household name, Peter McWilliams has inspired people from all walks of life. He was raised outside of Detroit in Allen Park, Michigan. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University he found inspiration in Paul and his publication “The Realist”, which was regarded as one of the premiere counter culture publications of modern times.

Peter would quickly become an established writer himself and his diverse skill set was on display even in his early works. “Surviving the Loss of Love” was released in 1971 and took a unique look at how we deal with grief and loss. In 1974, he wrote the religious satire movie originally called “The Greatest Story Overtold” under the name Peter Alexander. The movie has since been re-released as “The Thorn.” In 1975, he and Denise Denniston released “The TM Book” (Transcendental Meditation), which enjoyed a three-week stay on top of the New York Times Best Seller List. Already displaying his varied expertise in satire, human emotions and meditation, Peter McWilliams decided to share his proficiency of computers during a period of time where distrust and a lack of user knowledge on using computers was at a high point. In 1982 he released the “The Personal Computer Book” and “The Word Processing Book”.

In 1990, Peter McWilliams returned to the subject matter that may distinguish him the most, his understanding of humanity, emotion, and coping with pain. “Life 101: Everything We Wished We Had Learned About Life in School but Didn’t” received great reviews and is still available on Amazon.com. True to his nature, the book has been heralded as deep, philosophical and yet easily understandable with a style that resembles conversation instead of condescension.

His next work would be a smooth transition into the political and social commentary realm. The 1993 book titled “Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country” was released and still receives positive reviews. The book examines what Mr. McWilliams categorizes as “victimless crimes” and how people have been hurt tremendously by consensual crimes throughout history. Another major point of the book is that overregulation of social behavior produces an environment that is ripe for black markets and organized crime. The book resonated with many, including libertarians who appreciated his views on personal freedoms.

The book makes commentary on marijuana, a victimless crime according to Peter. Coincidentally, this point would hit closer to home than perhaps he had envisioned. In 1996, Peter McWilliams was

diagnosed with both AIDS and cancer. Conventional treatments produced extreme nausea for him and Peter found relief with the use of marijuana. Two years later, he would give a nationally televised speech at the 1998 Libertarian National Convention. The speech was inspirational for many defenders of civil liberties, including those scared to embrace their sexuality. Fourteen years ago was still a difficult period to admit to being gay, but Mr. McWilliams revealed this during his iconic speech.

Peter McWilliams suffered greatly for his open views on medical marijuana. Shortly after his address to the Libertarian party, he was arrested for growing marijuana plants that he says he planned to give to caregivers in order to provide relief for patients. He believed he was targeted specifically because of how effectively he was conveying social change and the benefits of medical marijuana. At the time he was helping Todd McCormick write a book titled “How to Grow Medical Marijuana.” Federal authorities arrested both men. A judge ruled that Peter McWilliams could not mention his terminal illness or that he believed that medical marijuana was saving his life. Many believe this ultimately led to his death as he died in 2000 while out on bond. Although not officially confirmed, it is believed that Peter McWilliams died from choking on excess vomit. He was forced to avoid using marijuana or his mother would lose her house, which was used as collateral for his bail bond.

This tragic ending was not befitting of such brilliance. Peter McWilliams had a golden touch with just about anything he encountered. That is why it is so confusing that we can applaud intelligence in one field but then disregard it in another. Peter McWilliams was not going to be confined to one area and almost 12 years after his death, his influence is still strong. Julia Rose maintains www.petermcwilliams.org, a site dedicated to remembering the great activist. She mentions, as many others have, Peter’s inviting writing style and that he had a way of directly talking to people as if he knew the reader. When asked how to describe the influence he has had, she said “The fact that 12 years after someone died, it should mean something that people are being touched by his life and still reading his books.” The site has much to offer including a description of Peter’s works, quotes from Peter and many of his famous fans. There is also a video tribute by Julia, which can be accessed via the link below: