One of the things in wich the nexus forum distinguishes itself from other substance related sites is that the nexus population is so much smarter then the crowds populating other substance sites.
It's rather funny.
A person is considered to be gifted if he/she is smarter then 98% of the population.
It seems that here, on the nexus it's quite the other way round: 98% of the nexus population is probably gifted, according to this definition.
I don't know why this is so, but it probably has to do with gifted people, generally, being more curious of nature, more prone to constantly seeking answers.
Another thing is that to gifted people, there probably is a higher awareness to the importance of the mind, instead of it being considered as merely an obvious background factor for the events of everyday-life.

I don't like bragging about how smart we are. I would say that's beneath the level of this site.
But i do think that many people on the nexus will be familiar with the insecurity that giftedness can bring: being gifted means that you're different and it also means that the rest of the population will expect impossible things of you. While not knowing the answer to all questions is for the majority of the people not an issue to get insecure about, for us, gifted people it is, because the world expects us to know everything. A third of all gifted people doesn't finish high-school (this is more or less the same in every nation), showing that gifted people are fallible, also intellectually, while the world expects you to be intellectually infallible.

When you're intellectualy in a different segment then most people, the world wants you to be, either a great succes, or a total freak.

Yet, you cannot blame most people for this, since most people tend to underestimate themselves intellectualy, to such a degree that they mythologize intellect: people look at dudes as einstein, as if they're in sort of constant psychedelic trip (the movie's 'a beautyfull mind' and 'amadeus' are good examples of this), as if they never have flashes of insight, themselves.

Anyway.........maybe i should have posted this in the 'only post if you're completely not your normal self' thread, since all these ponderings are partly the result of a synergistic formula of two psychedelic ingredients, from wich i'm starting to slowly come down now, after an amazing night.

Also you have to be reasonably smart to do the research and extract the stuff correctly! Yes a curious nature is a must... it's gourmet brain food.

Abstract thinking.

with the exception of rogan fanboys, i'm inclined to agree.

LOL

personally i think when you experience dmt or have it running through your system..like after you smoke it or take aya...that it makes you smarter...so maybe its not the smart people that take dmt...its dmt that makes the smart people.....

It also attracts elitist, or so it seems.

I have noticed this aswell.....not so much in this forum but more so the ayaforums and the aya group on tribe.net.There is also a lot of good discussion aswell but it definately has more of an elitist feel.

It's almost as if that the people with "the most experience" or that is in the "inner circle" of the amazonian shamanistic community have this air of speaking from some sort of spiritual hilltop.

I Dont mean to derail Polytrips thread on how F*cking cool this place is , but obliguhl brought up a topic i've observed.

I't seems a little strange becuase dealing with dmt/aya is such a humbling experience that i would think that elitism would not be in such abundance in some of these forums but rather humility,compassion,respect and kindness (not to say that everyone is that way all the time).

Anyway, to get back to the positive....this forum is definately a display of intelligence and kindness 98% of the time.

Innit!

I swear this stuff turns me into an articulated thesaurus for an hour or so afterwards.

The neurotransmission is humbling,
but when the mind begins to try to describe it with words and memories from this layer of reality
delusions can occur when one's perception isn't crystal clear, or clouded by beliefs.

I think this is because of the impossibility to communicate psychedelic experiences with words. Either you know or you don't. This creates a barrier between people who are initiated and those who've never tried a psychedelic. Elitism is just a way to deal with this kind of isolation, and with the angst attached to it.

I agree about the elitism. I can think of a few more explanations. People who search out ayawaska or DMT have usually tried all the more available psychedelics already, so when they find out how awesome this stuff is they can feel as if they've tried many and found the cream of the crop.

Secondly, for SWIM at least, DMT does make some people want to 'better themselves', and perhaps look down on negative or neutral behaviour such as drunkenness. It's very cerebral so there is potential for intellectual snobbery.

Thirdly, yes having experienced such a life changing thing, one can feel removed from those who have not.

Fourthly, DMT commands respect, and so there is a danger of this culture of respect translating into a hierarchy with respect for those higher up, and so the opportunity for pride to corrupt those further up the ladder.

Some of the comments on the ayawaska forums can be mind-boggling, ayawaska certainly doesn't guarantee self-awareness! Ayawaska is their thing so I expect the offenders are on a praise trip, wanting to be successful, like an athlete or a banker. The learning process is structured hierarchically, novices learning off shamen etc. But I still wonder if there is actually any more elitism than in many other aspects of society.

As we know the shamen used to use it to magically attack their enemies, so it isn't some instant-pacifism chemical. I think it is the people who use ayawaska to improve themselves psychologically that reap benefits, so it is the intent that causes the change, with the plants only a vehicle for carrying the intent. As opposed to the CIA getting high on LSD all day long in the 50s and still pursuing their malignant careers.

To be honest, I'm not sure that the hierarchical structure here is healthy- I've commented on the post-based ranks before (I think they add nothing but risk everything), and now I feel a little sorry for the poor new members some of whom actually feel moved to grovel for full membership. Luckily we have a nice person at the top of the hierarchy at the moment so it's alright for now. The current 'introductory post' system may well be a necessary evil, so that's not a criticism but an opinion on the potential dangers of such a system.