Back from an interesting trip

[dukkha]

Hey all,

I just got back from a wonderful trip in Europe - so I haven't been around on the forums for a while. I had a rather novel experience while abroad that I will share in a moment. However first, I would like to encourage people to visit this forum more often. We seem to be slowly picking up speed again. The old days of the old forum were pretty great. You could post a topic and expect a thread full of responses to accumulate rather quickly. It was a sport where you could always log into and feel like there was a supportive (although, not to romanticize the old days, there was a fair share of negativity and idiocy) community. So, I would like to see if we can't recreate not only something similar but something even better than before.

I myself will be around more often, actively commenting and contributing to discussion where appropriate. I would strongly encourage everyone else to do the same. We are part of a rather peculiar group bound together by a pretty damn incredibly bizarre and terrifying disorder. We can use all the support and help that we are able to offer up to each other.

Please let me know what you think about this.

On a slightly lighter note, I had a very unusual dining experience in Europe. I ate a three course meal in complete darkness - you couldn't see your hand an inch from your face. All the waitresses were blind. It was quite interesting. My girlfriend was able to, perhaps, understand what my vision is actually like. I asked her to stare into the darkness and tell me if she actually did see only black like she thought she was seeing. Upon inspection, she realized that there was in fact something else there - colors etc. What we REALLY see. Also, it was interesting to see how my mind created an image of the table, the food, the waitress, the layout of the room, the people eating next to us etc. when it didn't have any thing (at least anything visual) to base it off of.

Just wanted to share this experience with you all. I think you might be slightly interested.

Peace!

Dukkha

[pennyarcade]

Hey Dukkha, Ive heard about a restaurant like that, was that in the UK by any chance, sounds like an experience... How the hell do you know what you are eating?

[LarryC]

Dukkha,

Good to see you back. Thought you were going to be like some old members who had visited this site a couple of times and then stopped posting again.

I know you wrote on another thread. Just wanted to say we agree on the content on the previous board.

As a moderator I saw some of the most idiotic stetement and theories. I had to say something in rebuttal for any new people who may have read that crap. So many still in my head, because i had to deal with it on a daily basis.

How/when did you become administrator?

[Br0k3nS41nt]

Being a new member to this community and being there for the other forum's death I kind of like the smaller community. I hated the nutty theorists as I felt it was creating an sense of incredulity for the people who were suffering. Now, although I would like more activity, I feel as though the community is a lot more thoughtful and helpful to the people who needed it (like me).

[GuiseppeTheGreat]

I've always been more of an observer on the boards, just taking in everyone else's ideas and advice, but i think i'll be more active now.

[dukkha]

Good to hear back from everyone! So let us be dedicated to the truth behind HPPD (whatever that may actually be) yet still consider even the most outlandish theories with an open mind before revealing their fallacies and flaws.

The restaurant wasn't in the UK actually but I've heard there are some of them (not connected though) in several major European cities. I imagine there must be one in NYC at least.

Dukkha

[LarryC]

Good to hear back from everyone! So let us be dedicated to the truth behind HPPD (whatever that may actually be) yet still consider even the most outlandish theories with an open mind before revealing their fallacies and flaws.

The restaurant wasn't in the UK actually but I've heard there are some of them (not connected though) in several major European cities. I imagine there must be one in NYC at least.

Dukkha

I believe most are. But you have to admit, there were some theories on the old site that had no basis in anything. When questioned and people tried to logically discern the posters statements, the answers were sometimes less logical than the original theory but some stuck to their guns. If you remember, I was moderator for a while and saw things that were

absolutely absurd. But giving people the benefit of the doubt, communicated with those people which in many cases just made them angry for questioning them. I was doing that for the community of newcomers to show that we all have a responsibility to at least show some logic to our own personal theories.