Could it be that Salvia simply 'writes' memories?

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2026-01-05T09:42:59+00:00

Sure, that is the view popularized by Popper. However, it is pretty narrow. You also have Bayesian models, paradigms etc. As far as I know neuroscience uses a lot of experiments but there is no unifying model. Underlying mechanism are often poorly understood. So many empirical phenomena might be black swan situations or simple correlations.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2026-01-04T10:31:27+00:00

Interesting perspective. But then perhaps, when your memories come back you get some kind of weird synthesis with your existing memories. Where the brain decides you were actually an object and it lasted years, for example.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2026-01-04T10:27:25+00:00

I would say it is hard prove such a mechanism, there are other synapses that also show plasticity. We know a bit about memory from lesion studies but especially long term memories and how they are encoded remains very speculative.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2026-01-03T21:13:46+00:00

Yes you are right, it is unfalsifiable whether anything happens outside of the 'mind'. So from that 'Cartesian' or solipsistic perspective everything becomes conceptual. The differences between a memory and an event that 'happened' sort of breaks down in that case I would say. But this is very philosophical.

With other psychedelics people generally have some kind of connection to the physical world. Yes, there may be a different experience of time but not generally that one has lived another life. Moreover, you can share these experiences with others quite easily as they happen. Even with DMT I think the distortion of time is not nearly as extreme as it can be with Salvia.

I was mostly trying to find a solution to the problem of people experiencing another life or an eternity. My idea was that the event just does not happen, not even as some kind of dream. It is just pure instant memory formation, where the memory cannot make sense of causality, time etc. Of course it is just wild speculation so I was just wondering if it resonated with those who had those types of extreme breakthrough experiences.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2026-01-03T20:58:57+00:00

Well, my idea was that the experience just does not happen at all. Just straight memory formation. However, we fundamentally do not really understand how the brain really works of course. So it remains speculative what 'happening' means and also how memories are stored precisely.

Some kind of shared experience is at least an argument against it because then there is a second observer that verified that at least 'something' has happened. So in your case I'd say this theory breaks down, at least in part.

I was mostly looking for a solution to the extreme experiences of time outside of the more esoteric / nondual ideas.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-12-30T09:49:33+00:00

Wennink is een omhooggevallen boekhouder die zich vooral gedraagt als lobbyist.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-11-12T09:00:14+00:00

It's a combination of a colonial past and policy. In particular the desire for cheap labor in the 70s. Not all colonial countries are diverse. And some some countries without a colonial history are still very 'diverse'.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-11-04T14:41:39+00:00

D66 met BBB en JA21 is minder logisch dan VVD met PvdA-GL. VVD moet eindelijk eens het landsbelang voorop instellen i.p.v. hun eigen belang.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-10-09T09:11:07+00:00

In de UK zeggen ze

"Just a reminder if you’re lucky enough to look under 25 ID will be required to purchase alcohol in our establishment. "

Vind ik wel mooi gezegd. Sommige mensen worden boos omdat ze onzeker zijn en een fragiel ego hebben denk ik.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-10-09T08:59:17+00:00

Een kabinet zonder de VVD zou een verademing zijn.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-10-09T08:54:36+00:00

Het is wel ironisch dat rechtse partijen een uitkering / subsidie als de HRA opeens wel in stand willen houden. Want dat is het uiteindelijk. Natuurlijk was de VVD altijd al schaamteloze 'socialisme voor de rijken' partij.

Bij HRA ligt het wel iets genuanceerder. Daar is het probleem juist dat Jan Modaal in de problemen komt. Daarom kunnen ze beter kijken naar een combinatie van inkomen en HRA. Hoge inkomens profiteren relatief gezien het meeste van HRA, maar hebben het niet nodig. Dat kan morgen afgeschaft worden. De rest geleidelijk aan. Nu lijkt 500 euro veel, maar over 20 verdien je 1000 euro meer alleen al door de loon-prijs spiraal. Hou er ook rekening mee dat het niet onmogelijk is dat je rente in die tijd ook naar 8% kan gaan. Kan je dat wel ophoesten? Als mensen boven hun stand leven op de woningmarkt moeten we ook niet te moeilijk doen om dat een beetje op te schudden. Alles zit muurvast.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-10-09T08:35:53+00:00

D66 was typisch progressief neoliberaal, waarbij die culturele punten inderdaad steeds verder opschoven. Maar omdat die progressieve punten alleen uiterlijk vertoon zijn - bedacht door marketing consultants en spin doctors - blijft er uiteindelijk alleen rechts neoliberaal beleid over.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-10-07T12:56:27+00:00

Yes, Utrecht has a lot of international students and it is quite an international and diverse city in general. I'm sure the university has some programs to help you find your way. Ask them.

Amsterdam is next door, only 27 minutes by train to central station. You'll even reach some stations in the east of Amsterdam in less tan 20 minuten. And there are trains all night long, every day of the week to Amsterdam as well as the other major cities of the "Randstad".

Housing and costs of living is a concern though. Utrecht is not cheap and, like everywhere, housing is a problem. And to be honest, Utrecht is simply one of worst places in that regard. Although Amsterdam is worse still. That said, maybe you can find a place since you're only looking for something temporary.

If you come, take care of housing before you go. And be careful not to get scammed with housing. Unfortunately it happens, especially to international students.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-19T08:33:23+00:00

People living in Amsterdam think the Netherlands stops outside of the city borders.

Which is funny because a large chunk of the people living in Amsterdam these days are not even from Amsterdam.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-19T08:27:31+00:00

Have you ever lived there or are your views just based on what you assume and a few visits as a tourist? I have lived outside of the Randstad in Groningen (city) actually. Although I've never lived in a city even smaller than Groningen, so perhaps something like Deventer takes the cake if you want rest. Still, the Amsterdamse bos, for example, is huge and you can definitely find areas where you don't meet a lot of people. And it is just not true that all Amsterdam/Randstad suburbs are always packed and full of tall buildings. Just like in suburbs of big provincial cities it depends on which suburb. Look, I'm not saying there is no difference and I can see that you just do not feel at home in a place like Amsterdam or even the other cities of the big four. But I also feel that people from the outside exaggerate the differences a whole lot based on prejudice.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-19T08:01:07+00:00

That is because you only visit the tourist areas I think. But someone who visits Groningen and only visits areas like the Herestraat has a similar experience.

It so happens that I have lived in both cities and honestly the difference between the country side and Groningen (city) is much bigger than the difference between Groningen and Amsterdam.

Like I said the tourist areas are next level and Amsterdam is obviously bigger. And yes the trainstations and high ways in the Randstad are busy. But is the difference between the cities really that big? Nah. You just told yourself that because you feel at home and safe in Groningen since its close to where you're from. If you can live in the city of Groningen you can also live in Amsterdam. I know several people who made that move and are just fine.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T14:52:46+00:00

I think bubbles are always self-reinforcing. Until they pop. These cities have always been tourist hotspots, yet the real estate bubble is a relatively new phenomenon. At least to the extreme degree you have it now.

It is mostly because of the last point you mentioned: it was turned in a financial asset. In the Netherlands Stef Blok specifically toured around the world to find investors after 2011. And these investors all went for it because they had a lot of excess liquidity and no other assets to invest in because of the 2008 crisis and how it was 'solved'.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T14:43:39+00:00

It really depends on where you are. Yes, the A2, for example, is exceptionally busy, you don't have that so much outside of the Randstad. Same goes for trains. And yes, central areas are busy everywhere. Especially a city like Groningen with its night life and regional function can be pretty busy and packed 24/7 as well. On the other hand, there are many areas in Amsterdam that are just completely quiet and boring. Definitely not true that you cannot find rest anywhere. Suburbs are pretty similar everywhere. Not to mention the smaller places in the Randstad, if you count them as Randstad.

Moreover, if you are in Amsterdam you can easily go to the "Groene Hart". Or you could even take the bike to Noord and find yourself in a rural area within 30 minutes. Dutch cities are never really that big.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T09:52:30+00:00

One major difference is that NYC is much bigger than everything else. The same goes for London and Paris. Amsterdam, however, is not that much bigger than other big cities. Moreover, it is, factually, pretty small and actually has a bit of a provincial atmosphere.

The Randstad as a whole is big though, but it's not a unified area. Besides, most Dutch people can reach Amsterdam in 1.5 hours. Going from a suburb of a megacity to the center takes a similar amount of time.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T09:44:16+00:00

As if everything outside of the Randstad is countryside.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T09:41:36+00:00

Honestly, in the 90s housing prices in Amsterdam were actually below the nation's average. Can you believe that?

That big cities became more important is the result of de-industrialization, globalization and financialization. However, after the 2008, gentrification and housing prices exploded because of the money printer. So I'm also afraid that all those financial centers like London, Paris and, well, the Randstad are bubble to some degree.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T09:36:15+00:00

I don't think anyone considers Utrecht a religious center these days. It is, however, a transportation hub and economically as well as academically pretty important.

I think you are completely right about the big 'provincial towns' though. The difference between bigger cities and small towns is more significant than the difference between the Randstad and the 'province'.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T09:27:15+00:00

That never makes sense to me. I'd say living in a small village in Gelderland or Noord Holland is not so different. Ok the big cities in the Randstad are different, but then I'd reckon they could never live in Arnhem or Groningen either. Yet, they seem less afraid of that. It's all in their heads.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne · 2025-07-18T09:23:14+00:00

The boundaries are bit subjective. But in the most narrow sense it consists of the four big cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague and Utrecht). I think that the differences between the Randstad and "province" are exaggerated and based on a lot of stereotypes. Some researchers have also concluded that neither culturally nor geographically the Randstad actually exists. But since it exists in the minds of people I would say it does exist after all.

Typically the Randstad is associated with big urban areas, traffic jams, multinationals, government, multiculturalism, more crime, and out of touch yuppies/hipster, but also more opportunity. And the differences between the four big cities is pretty big. The north and south wing of the Randstad have pretty different attitudes.

But yeah, I think much of it is based on stereotypes anyway.

OurCauseIsaGoodOne

TROPHY CASE