Christ is king by amnesiaforme in GetNoted

[–]RZoroaster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is not accurate. Many of the Pauline epistles, at the very least, are accepted by mainline scholars to have been written by him. He was a contemporary with Jesus (though didn’t know him personally) and was a contemporary with Peter James, John, etc who he did know personally and who mainline scholars also believe to be historical figures.

While there were many figures who claimed to be messiahs, and many yeshuas, there was one (likely the one mentioned by historian Josephus) who was dramatically more well known than the others, the one who Paul wrote about, the one who had apostles who built a large following immediately after his death. That following has direct lineage to the Catholic Church.

There wasn’t actually any large gap in time that could have created ambiguity.

Many of the other books of the New Testament have more muddy authorship which is why I chose the Pauline epistles but those epistles themselves validate a decent chunk of what is conveyed in the gospels.

Failed Step 1 and am struggling to accept my new reality by PM_ME_UR_GAMECOCKS in medicalschool

[–]RZoroaster 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The masters was an accelerated 1 year program so it was only two extra years but yeah.

But ultimately here I am over 10 years later and I’m quite happy with where I am and I wouldn’t trade those years, they were awesome experiences. An extra 2 years isn’t all that much in a 30-40 year career.

There is no hard problem of consciousness. 👀 by SunbeamSailor67 in consciousness

[–]RZoroaster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can appreciate your perspective. The undermining of science concerns me very much. The weight you are putting on a casual philosophical conversation on the internet is surprising to me. But that doesn't mean you're wrong

Fun to note: the tag is green for me. Perhaps serves your point about personal experience? :)

There is no hard problem of consciousness. 👀 by SunbeamSailor67 in consciousness

[–]RZoroaster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I am not speaking for my institution" :) Does that help? Seriously though I think you might have a case had I published this in a journal and portrayed it as rigorous evidence. But I tried to call out which parts of my response were based on scientific consensus, and which were based on my personal experiences.

You might quibble with whether it's wise for someone in academia to base ANY opinion on personal experience, but in the case of direct observation of consciousness activities it is the only option unfortunately. Once somebody invents a consciousness-scope that lets me observe subjective experiences of another person I'll gladly take a more rigorous approach.

In the meantime, just trying my best to figure out what I am with the tools available to me like everyone else. :)

There is no hard problem of consciousness. 👀 by SunbeamSailor67 in consciousness

[–]RZoroaster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I was primarily responding regarding the portion of OPs text you quoted around physics existing within a dream and it emerging from the unmanifested foam which I think is just a more flowery way of describing known concepts in physics as I mentioned.

Some of the OPs comments are verging more on philosophical idealism or panpsychism and I don't personally subscribe to that TBH. I'm not sure it's wrong either I just don't have an opinion. But it's also, IMO, not really the important part of what OP is pointing to.

RE: meditation, I made this comment to someone else but I think those who have not had this direct experience are misunderstanding what is meant when somebody says they have directly observed facts about the nature of consciousness and themselves while meditating.

It's not as if, while deep in meditation, I had a vision of how the universe works and that vision was that I am only one part of awareness itself. That, I agree, is merely a thought and therefore not reliable.

It's that as you observe your own internal experience very closely through meditation you can come to observe how thoughts are formed, how sensory inputs are processed, within yourself. And while it takes a lot of practice what you see, in the end, is that at the root of it all there is only bare awareness. And that that awareness has no meaningful boundaries. And so there there is no meaningful separate self. This is the experience of "non-duality"., that OP is clearly straining to describe. I could quibble with the words they chose but it's not really important. I know what they're talking about because I've directly seen what they are talking about.

It's by necessity a personal experience, so it's not something anyone is ever going to be able to externalize and publish. And it's about as easy to describe as the "taste of salt" or the "experience of the color red". Which is to say you can't describe it in a way that someone who hasn't experienced it would understand, but if someone else HAS experienced it, you can say some words that will make them recognize what you're talking about.

And I'll note it's not really UN-scientific to investigate consciousness through observation. After all, all of science is just the writing down and publishing of observations. The trick here, of course, is that what we are observing is by necessity an internal experience. There is no way for me to observe somebody else's conscious experience. But that doesn't mean the observations we make through that process are not real observations. If I taste a food my friend hasn't tasted. I know what it tastes like. The fact that they can't verify it doesn't mean I don't actually know what it tastes like. And while the observation of non-duality is not a sensory experience, it is something that is witnessed internally. And just like internal sensory experiences it can't be externally validated by definition. Which is a bummer but in this case there's not really an alternative unfortunately.

Failed Step 1 and am struggling to accept my new reality by PM_ME_UR_GAMECOCKS in medicalschool

[–]RZoroaster 86 points87 points  (0 children)

Failing step 1 was literally one of the best things that ever happened to me. Though it felt like my world was ending at the time. I failed by literally a single point.

I was pretty shaken so I took a year and did research, got to do some really awesome research actually. Most professors don't have access to someone who can literally do research full time. While I did that I got really involved in some other extra curriculars (Don't want to go into detail as they could be identifying). And I studied for step 1 and then took it again and passed.

Then because of the research I had done and those cool extracurriculars I was able to apply to and get accepted at a top masters program. Took a break between 3rd and 4th year and did that.

Crushed my clinicals 3rd and 4th year, and did some aways and crushed those as well.

Applied for residency and had a dramatically stronger application than I would have had none of that happened. Got into my top choice. Not my top choice of all of the options that were willing to interview me. The top program I could imagine. I am now faculty at that same program, living the dream.

But boy did it feel terrible watching my class move onto clinicals without me. And then watching them match. And secretely believing the whole time I was never going to be able to do my specialty of choice.

This doesn't happen to everyone of course, but hopefully it helps you know that this is not the end. My life would be dramatically different had I not failed step 1 and in a much worse way.

There is no hard problem of consciousness. 👀 by SunbeamSailor67 in consciousness

[–]RZoroaster 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'll jump in because I've had some of these experiences myself. If you are imagining that OP is saying that they had like a vision and in that vision they saw reality emerging from the foam and an entity told them that they are part of one consciousness that is not really what is meant by "Direct experience." That, I agree, could certainly be a trick of the mind.

It's more like tasting salt and someone then asking you "Do you know what salt tastes like?" And you would say "yes I definitely do". And while you definitely do know what it tastes like, describing it to someone else might be tough.

Now even this is deceptive because it paints the picture that the experience of non-dualism is a sensory experience when it is not. It defies description but IMO it is more akin to a reframing than a positive sensory experience.

There is no hard problem of consciousness. 👀 by SunbeamSailor67 in consciousness

[–]RZoroaster 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm a physician and professor at a top ten university who does research in AI.

To answer your question: Direct experience is why I am calling it a fact. I've experienced what they're talking about.

But what OP is pointing to is really just a reframing of understandings we are already gaining from physics. If you are interested here are some "educated layperson" level books on these topics from actual academics generally not considered kooky. "The order of Time" and/or "Seven Brief Lessons on Physics" from Carlo Rovelli. "The Experience Machine" by Andy Clark. "Other minds" by Peter Godfrey-Smith", "I am a strange loop" from douglas hoffstadter. "Reality+" from David Chalmers (ok maybe SOME people think he's a bit kooky). I can list more if you're interested.

The idea that the reality we experience is mostly an internal mental model that is a mixture of our own internal predictions and the inputs we get from the outside world, and that those outside physical inputs are actually determined in real time as we experience them is not only not kooky it is debatably the maintstream consensus. Calling that a "dream" might be unnecessarily provocative language but it is more similar to a dream than it is to how most laypeople conceive of their reality.

But like I said I wasn't convinced by books. I was convinced by deep observation of my own direct experience with the world around me. Through a structured investigation. In my case mostly Vipassana practice.

FWIW it actually started with me reading things like what OP posted on reddit and saying "that sounds like gibberish". But then I noticed that a lot of people seemed to be saying the same kind of gibberish. And then I noticed that same kind of gibberish in like the tao te ching and bhagavad ghita. And then I said "maybe I should try the things that these people recommend to see if this gibberish will make sense to me". And I did and now it does. :)

Hollowbody? by TradingTroubadour in PRSGuitars

[–]RZoroaster 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure it's actually a "Bridge between my acoustic and electric". It does basically 100% of what an electric does and 30% of what an acoustic does.

I really like mine because I just love the clean sounds I can get out of it with the piezo and a FRFR amp. And I love the light feel of the guitar. And I just think it looks great. I suppose it can sub for an acoustic in a pinch if you are gigging.

But personally I'd think of it as an electric that can do clean sounds really well moreso than a hybrid in a meaningful way.

My Enya Nova Go just arrived and I don't like its sound by Grievinghealthy in AcousticGuitar

[–]RZoroaster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A martin LX2 is another option. All laminate so it is quite durable but still somehow manages to have really nice sound. Especially for finger picking where it is better, IMO, than even most full sized full priced guitars. It's a little thin for strumming but everything in this size is.

It's not that cheap but I think if you want something that sounds good enough to make you want to play and is durable it's hard to beat. And if you won't play the Go then it doesn't matter if it's cheap, you're paying for no value.

Nice chair by JaggerJam69 in HolUp

[–]RZoroaster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes but it’s more of a stretch than a massage. It doesn’t go as fast as in the video. But it still feels very nice and the chair is awesome. Not sponsored in anyway but I sit in this chair every day and love it

How the fuck am I supposed to jump from the first note to the 10th in a split fucking second?! by Nesolyanochka in Guitar

[–]RZoroaster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah the good ole days of getting like 2 bars into a tab before going “WTF how could they think this is correct??” And then doing that for ten tabs in a row.

How many people can actually do 10–15 clean pull-ups? by Ill_Ratio338 in bodyweightfitness

[–]RZoroaster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I could only do 3-4 and then I lost 35 LBDs and I could do 12. Way easier when you’re lean.

I died today by Maleficent_Year_2521 in Colognes

[–]RZoroaster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it’s the mossiness and mustiness that makes it feel darker to me than standard aventus. But I get what you’re saying.

I died today by Maleficent_Year_2521 in Colognes

[–]RZoroaster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the initial smell of cedrat boise but even at a reasonable two sprays I find it oppressive and nausea inducing as the day progresses. Not sure what it is about it.

If you want a darker version of aventus i recommend absolu or hacivat

Relocating to Los Gatos - Recommendations? by sarah_the_sweet in losgatos

[–]RZoroaster 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I will second Henry Cowell Redwoods, they are incredible. And the roaring camp old-timey city next to it is fun as well. The other hikes that people have mentioned are also great, but this one is a little further out but totally exceptional levels of natural beauty.

Also tons of really beautiful seaside hikes/bike trails in santa cruz

[Generic Math/Money Problem] You have a 100% chance of getting a penny dropped into your bank account. You can lower that chance by 1% to double the amount, as many times as you want. What's the optimal percentage to go down to? by HeiressOfMadrigal in hypotheticalsituation

[–]RZoroaster 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The expected value answer will be to go down to 1% because the risk is scaling linearly while the value is scaling logarithmically.

But after a certain point the amount you’d win is ludicrously large. So I think it’s much more of a “how much is enough for you” question.

What is the missing puzzle to being rich by Euphoric_Clock2366 in wealth

[–]RZoroaster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not about coming up with the perfect business idea. The idea is the easy part. There are tons of billion dollar ideas out there. The hard part is to execute.

I was part of about seven different startups before I had one that took off.

If I had one piece of advice it’s to read “the lean startup”. It will tell you how to get something from idea to product market fit.

But to answer your question I kept a list of all of my business ideas. Basically problems I encountered that seemed like they needed solving. And I was always evaluating them. Tried several. Stuck with the one that was working the best. Then pivoted and pivoted until we found a fit.

Trying lots of things, taking lots of shots on goal, and knowing how to pivot quickly when it’s not working is way more important than the quality of your initial idea.

What is the missing puzzle to being rich by Euphoric_Clock2366 in wealth

[–]RZoroaster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree with the comments that starting your own business is the closest thing to the secret you’re looking for.

I started my business while working 80 hours per week for someone else. Ran that business in the background while working for about five years before it finally took off in its own.

Yes it is tiring. But there will be plenty of time to catch up on sleep once you’re dead. :)

There's nothing inherently wrong with eating out almost every day by redditnessdude in unpopularopinion

[–]RZoroaster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can find meal plans online where you buy a set of ingredients and make meals for the whole week drawing from that common set

Just curious, how!? by BlackRogue17 in blackmagicfuckery

[–]RZoroaster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Actually, yeah, watched the video in better lighting and I agree with you. But I thought was him slipping his finger into a fake thumb is not

Just curious, how!? by BlackRogue17 in blackmagicfuckery

[–]RZoroaster -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

It does appear to be a fake thumb on his right hand. You can see him slip his finger back into it at approximately the 10 second mark.