When I began my journey truth was a concept that I held close to my chest. I knew that I didn’t have the whole truth but I was certain in what I did. I wanted to be a truth-seeker and find the mysteries of the world though I never realized how bumpy the road can be. I’m going to make a statement and please don’t take it personally. “Sometimes we believe in something with such fervor KNOWING that we have the TRUTH and what we hold is false”. Unfortunate right? That you can seek so hard or be given information or a belief only to find that is simply hot air…. But fret not a fair wanderer for stumbling through the dark is what we all do. As much as we put on a good show that we know what’s going on or what we are doing it is just a show.
Sit any person down and ask them why about 20 times in one direction and you will find the limits of their knowledge. It’s not a bad thing nor is it expected that everyone is going to be right all of the time. I think it’s actually the show that is damaging our growth. Seeking new knowledge should be celebrated and we shouldn’t demean ourselves for not knowing.
We tend to treat truth like this white alabaster statue of golden dawn that cannot be touched once you find a piece you have the whole. The way that I see it is something like this: we are all stuck in a big room and it is full of a billion piece puzzle and we gotta put it together. The puzzle pieces shift and we have to try and put it together as a group. But your pieces look different to you than mine! So we argue and try to put together all sorts of methods to tame the pile. Some make their own pictures with a few of the pieces and call it good Some called god and asked for tech support. It didn’t really answer that well but the picture they made was a bit bigger. Some found that they could work together to see the true form of individual pieces but couldn’t put many together.
So we split and specialized and began to try and scan the whole pile thinking that we could maybe arrive only uncovering deeper and stranger behaviors of the pieces. More and more questions arose and it is truly a terrific mess…… Come with me, let’s dive in together.
Actuality
To begin we need to define the bounds in which we are operating. For me this is actuality. This concept is referring to the set of all sets that includes itself including all perspectives and all time as it is.
It’s the infinity of all that exists. This is the monstrosity that we are trying to understand but clearly we cannot hold onto it in one go. Besides I highly doubt any system made by us any time soon would be capable of holding all of reality. But it’s fine really it just means you have to try and be humble in the face of complexity and treat it like an adventure and exploration. It is still very much worth it for us to go in and try to understand it because even fragments of the truth are really quite powerful.
Here’s the tricky part: our experiences though crude, incomplete and biased are still part of actuality. Your perspective no matter how limited brings something of actuality to you. The sensations and interpretations you gather don’t exist outside of actuality; they are woven right into it. You aren’t separate from the whole; your personal reality is an active living part of it. Actuality isn’t some distant detached objective “out there” it includes and reflects every personal perception and lived experience no matter how small. This means that your subjective reality is both an approximation of and a legitimate part of the larger actuality.
The risk here is one of misunderstanding: some may interpret the vastness of actuality to mean that compared to it their individual experiences are insignificant. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Every subjective encounter you have with the world adds to the vast canvas of actuality. There is no “objective” world that stands wholly apart from the subjective layers within it. Rather actuality holds each of us and our experiences giving them room as genuine reflections of the real.
This understanding places actuality as both the ground and the horizon of truth. We never grasp it in its totality but we orient ourselves toward it through every truth-seeking endeavor. Science, religion , philosophy and art all serve as different ways to engage with actuality, each uncovering pieces of it from different angles. And while none can ever capture the full truth, each can deepen our connection with reality, expanding our perspective on the whole.
Since we can’t really strike at a final totality of truth it means we need to be thoughtful about our approach to understand that it’s an exploration and not a destination that you are trying to arrive at. As a result my system of understanding is just that. A system processes a construct that produces constructs of understanding. The following sections will explain all that and it starts simply and gradually increases in complexity as we begin to interconnect everything. If that is confusing it will all make sense by the end but first we must tread some familiar ground to get our bearings.
You!
We need to begin where everything starts and ends. Experience… It’s the thread that connects everything we know yet it’s so close to us that we rarely stop to examine it. What is experience? Is it our senses? The information coming from the universe? Is it our impressions, attention , thoughts , emotions? There are all of these pieces but I believe that experience can be defined by the emergent behavior of all of these things in concert! But before we put ’em together we will unfold it and look at the layers.
You could probably write entire libraries about the human information processing loop but i’m going to do a high level overview of the layers that are most important. Don’t let this analysis stop you from digging deeper into how this thing operates.
Information-> Senses -> Impression -> conscious present moment -> conscious processing (thinking) -> Action -> Information and then feed back into the system again.
Information
Information is the primordial thread from which experience is woven. It is not true nor is it meaning it’s the raw “difference that makes a difference”. A photon striking the retina, a vibration pressing against the eardrum, the subtle rise of a thought in the mind; these are all expressions of information raw and unprocessed. In its pure form information is actuality’s way of “speaking ” though it speaks in a language we do not fully comprehend.
Information is everywhere filling every corner of existence. It flows ceaselessly shifting and transforming carrying with it the potential to shape worlds. But on its own information is indifferent; it doesn’t care whether it is noticed, understood or even meaningful. It simply exists waiting for something or someone to interact with it.
This is where we step in. As conscious beings we start taking the formless stream of information and shaping it into patterns we can understand. Through this interaction information becomes more than just a ripple in the fabric of actuality; it becomes experience. The warmth of sunlight becomes a sensation of comfort, the buzzing of a bee becomes a signal of proximity, and the subtle movement of an idea becomes the spark of understanding. Information when engaged moves from potential to presence.
Yet it’s important to remember that what we perceive is never the entirety of the information available. Like a radio tuned to a specific frequency we are attuned to only a narrow band of what’s out there. Information is vastly layered and infinite; what we extract is finitely shaped by our senses, attention and frameworks of meaning.
This makes information both a gift and a puzzle. On one hand it’s the foundation of all experience, the raw material from which reality takes shape in our minds. On the other hand it’s inherently incomplete, a fragment of a larger whole that remains elusive. What we do with this fragment, how we process, interpret and act on it, shapes not only our understanding of the world but the world itself.
To grapple with information is to grapple with the nature of reality itself. It is the seed from which all understanding grows the first link in the chain of perception, thought and action. But it is also a reminder that what we know is always shaped by what we notice and what we notice is but a sliver of what is. The challenge then is not to grasp all information nor deny it entirely but to engage with it thoughtfully, recognizing its limits and embracing its potential.
Senses
Our senses are our first and most immediate connection to actuality, the conduits through which the world flows into us. They take in the warmth of sunlight, the sound of distant laughter, the sharpness of citrus on the tongue. In each moment they deliver the raw material of experience grounding us in reality with vivid immediacy. Without them we would float untethered in a void unable to orient ourselves or engage with the world around us.
Yet as remarkable as they are, our senses are far from perfect. They are filters not mirrors, narrow windows that allow us to see just enough to navigate but never the full scope of actuality. Vision shows us only a thin slice of the electromagnetic spectrum leaving ultraviolet light radio waves and infrared heat invisible to us. Hearing captures a narrow range of vibrations while sounds too high or too low pass us by entirely. Even touch which feels so immediate is shaped by thresholds and adaptation fading into the background when it grows too familiar.
Then there is distortion. Our senses don’t simply record the world; they interpret it and in doing so they can mislead. A shadow becomes a threat. A mirage promises water where there is none. Even a flavor on the tongue can shift based on our expectations more than memory. The brain eager to make sense of incomplete data fills in gaps and constructs patterns often sacrificing accuracy for efficiency.
This duality of our senses as both gateways and barriers is a reminder that every experience we have is mediated. They give us the world but never the whole of it translating actuality into something we can grasp while leaving much in shadow. It’s not a failure; it’s an elegant adaptation, a way to focus on what matters most. But it also means that the reality we perceive is always a partial one shaped as much by what our senses ignore as by what they reveal.
To understand the world then is not merely to trust what we see, hear and feel; it is to recognize the boundaries of these senses to hold their insights lightly and to wonder about the vastness that lies just beyond their reach.
Impressions
When information reaches us still raw, unfiltered and abundant It doesn’t stay that way for long. The human mind, ever vigilant and endlessly creative, begins its work almost instantly: processing, shaping and interpreting. What emerges are impressions of the first layer of meaning applied to the world as we perceive it. These impressions are not a direct representation of reality but rather the mind’s attempt to organize the flood of sensory input into something coherent and significant.
Think of impressions as the mind’s brushstrokes on the canvas of experience. They don’t faithfully replicate what is “out there ” but they render it in a way that feels immediate, real and often deeply personal. A sound might simply be the vibration of air molecules. Yet by the time it reaches us it could have become a memory, a warning or a source of joy. Through impressions reality begins to take on meaning not as it exists in itself but as it resonates within us.
Impressions emerge through a seamless and dynamic process where the mind transforms raw sensory data into meaningful experience. First it recognizes patterns finding order amidst chaos; shapes and colors arrange themselves into “a face ” and sounds blend into “a melody.” Next it assigns value giving significance to these patterns based on context and past experience; what might otherwise be neutral becomes “beautiful ” “dangerous ” or “comforting.” Finally each impression is infused with emotional color shaping how it feels to us. The warmth of sunlight might evoke relaxation while a sudden loud noise could trigger fear. These steps unfold so naturally that we often fail to notice them yet they are fundamental to turning the raw data of existence into the rich meaningful tapestry that defines human experience.
Impressions are vital. Without them the world would be overwhelming an endless torrent of unrelated signals. By prioritizing certain patterns and discarding others impressions make the world navigable. They guide our actions, draw our attention and shape our interactions with reality.
But impressions are also inherently limited:
They are shaped as much by our internal context, our memories, biases and expectations as by the external information they process. A dog might be a source of comfort to one person and a source of fear to another not because of the dog itself but because of their respective histories. They filter reality, often reinforcing what we already know while obscuring what might challenge us. This makes impressions helpful for focus but prone to error misunderstanding and bias.
This dual nature, helpful but lossy, reflective but distorted, creates a gap between what is and what we perceive. Within this gap lies both our greatest potential and our greatest challenge: to navigate reality while understanding that our impressions are not the whole truth.
Impressions are not static. They are moments of relationship, the meeting point between external information and internal interpretation. When we hear a bird sing it’s not just the soundwaves we perceive but their interaction with us: the memories they evoke, the emotions they stir, the attention they capture. In this way impressions are not just reflections of the world but creations of the self.
This relational nature means that impressions are inherently subjective. They are shaped by who we are, where we are and what we are focused on. Yet this subjectivity doesn’t make them meaningless. It makes them alive, dynamic and personal. Impressions are the foundation of our experience. They show us that reality is not something we simply observe but something we actively participate in. Every impression is a dialogue between actuality and the self, a moment where the infinite complexity of the world becomes something tangible and meaningful.
By understanding impressions we begin to see ourselves more clearly. We recognize that our perceptions are not truths but interpretations shaped by the interplay of external forces and internal frameworks. This awareness invites humility, curiosity and a willingness to question not only the world but also the lenses through which we view it.
Through impressions the raw becomes real, the abstract becomes personal and the infinite becomes something we can hold if only for a moment. It is here in this first layer of meaning that the world begins to take shape within us.
Presence
The present moment is the point where everything comes together with the infinite complexity of the world and the immediacy of your awareness. It’s where information becomes sensation, sensation becomes impression and impression forms the core of your lived experience. The present moment isn’t static; it’s alive and dynamic, a constant interplay between the world and your processing of it. It’s where actuality takes shape in a way you can feel and respond to.
In this space raw data from the senses, light striking your eyes, vibrations reaching your ears, textures brushing against your skin are transformed into a coherent experience. You don’t just perceive data; you experience a sunset, hear a melody or feel the warmth of a friend’s gaze. The mind is not passive in this process. It actively engages layering memories, emotions and interpretations onto the sensory inputs turning them into something rich with meaning. Every moment you are both receiving and shaping the world as it appears to you.
This alchemy of the present moment is where the abstract becomes tangible where the infinite becomes personal. Your attention decides what gets noticed and what fades into the background. Your memories influence how you interpret what you perceive and your emotions add depth and color to each moment. These layers make the present not just a reflection of the external world but a deeply personal creation. Far from being a mere observer you are an active participant in crafting your reality.
Yet the present moment also reveals something profound about our relationship with the world: it’s deeply relational. You are not separate from the reality you perceive. Instead you are entangled with it creating and being created by it in every instant. What you see and feel is as much a reflection of your inner world as it is of the outer one. This interplay between what is and how you engage with it shapes the essence of experience.
The present moment is everything. It’s the only place life happens, the past is memory, the future a projection. Now is where actuality becomes real where meaning takes form and where we find ourselves fully alive. In this convergence of everything you’re not just a witness but a creator shaping and being shaped by the world in a continuous dance of connection and meaning. It’s here in the immediacy of now that life unfolds.
Thought
Once impressions have shaped the raw data of our senses into something meaningful the mind doesn’t stop there it begins to think. Conscious processing is the layer where impressions are examined, compared and sometimes challenged. It’s here that we start to engage more actively with the world considering alternative interpretations weighing beliefs and applying reasoning to the impressions we’ve formed. This process allows us to move beyond the immediate emotional resonance of an experience and ask deeper questions: What does this mean? Why is it important? What should I do about it?
Thinking is where our awareness engages most deliberately with impressions sorting through them like an artist deciding which colors to blend. It allows us to connect patterns across time, recall memories and imagine potential futures. Through this process impressions can evolve into concepts, beliefs or plans of action. For example seeing a frown on a friend’s face might evoke an immediate impression of concern but conscious thought enables you to consider: Are they upset with me? Or are they simply tired? By thinking you begin to interrogate the initial emotional response allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the situation.
Conscious processing is where human flexibility shines. Unlike impressions which often arise instinctively, conscious thought allows us to pause, reflect and even change course. It’s where conflicting interpretations can coexist long enough to be weighed and reconciled, where beliefs can be tested against new information and where actions can be planned with intention rather than impulse. Yet it’s also a space where biases and preconceptions can take hold shaping how we analyze and interpret our impressions. This is the dual nature of thinking: it empowers us to explore and adapt but it also risks reinforcing the very patterns we seek to question.
In conscious processing the mind steps into its role as a navigator moving through the currents of impressions and possibilities. It’s here that experience becomes something we can shape with purpose where the raw flow of life becomes the foundation for decisions, beliefs and actions. This is the moment where the mind moves from simply experiencing the world to actively engaging with it.
Action
Action is where thought and intention become movement where ideas and decisions manifest in the world. It is the point at which the internal processes of awareness and deliberation flow outward transforming potential into reality. If impressions are the spark and thought is the fuel then action is the fire, a creative force that reshapes the world around us.
Action begins as the culmination of a feedback loop. The mind processes impressions, interprets meaning and weighs possibilities. Once a conclusion is reached action takes what was internal and expresses it externally. This could be as subtle as adjusting your posture in response to discomfort or as profound as initiating a conversation, building a structure or setting a long-term goal. Action is where intention meets the dynamic ever-changing nature of actuality.
But action is not a simple one-way process. Every action generates ripples influencing both the world and the self. A decision to speak may alter a relationship an effort to create may inspire others and a choice to remain still may create space for reflection. These outcomes in turn feed back into the loop of experience reshaping future impressions and thoughts. Action is not an endpoint; it is part of a continuous cycle, a dance between self and world.
Action Dynamics
Action exists on a spectrum from reactive to intentional. Reactive actions are instinctual born of immediate impressions. A loud noise triggers a flinch; a sharp word provokes anger. These actions are fast, automatic and often necessary for survival. They require little conscious thought but may not always align with our broader goals or values.
Intentional actions on the other hand are deliberate. They emerge from a reflective process where thought interrogates impression, considers context and imagines outcomes. Intentional action is slower, more mindful and aimed at shaping the relational field in a meaningful way. It is where the human capacity for foresight, creativity and ethical reasoning shines. For example, instead of reacting with anger to a harsh comment, intentional action might involve pausing, considering the other person’s perspective and responding with kindness or clarity.
The beauty of action lies in its ability to bridge the internal and external worlds. It is through action that we test our thoughts, refine our beliefs and engage with the unknown. Every step forward offers new data, new impressions and new opportunities for growth.
Feedback and Adaptation
No action exists in isolation. Each one generates feedback that informs future decisions. A word spoken reveals its impact in the response it provokes. A plan enacted reveals its flaws in execution. Through this feedback loop action becomes a learning process constantly adapting to the complexity of the world.
Consider a simple example: learning to play a musical instrument. Each note played provides immediate feedback, its sound, its harmony (or discord) with others and its effect on the listener. Over time this feedback refines the player’s technique, deepens their understanding of music and shapes their emotional connection to the art. The same principle applies to all forms of action from the smallest habits to the grandest projects.
Action is inherently iterative. Mistakes are not failures but data points opportunities to recalibrate and try again. This iterative nature makes action both challenging and rewarding requiring resilience, curiosity and a willingness to embrace uncertainty.
Action as Creation
At its highest potential action is not merely reactive or functional, it is creative. It is the act of bringing something new into the world whether that be an idea, a relationship , a work of art or a system of thought. Creative action transforms the relational field introducing patterns and possibilities that did not exist before.
To create is to participate actively in the unfolding of reality. It is to say “I am here and I choose to shape the world in this way.” This act of creation is both deeply personal and profoundly interconnected. It is the ultimate expression of autonomy within a web of relationships, the merging of individuality and universality.
In the end action is where the abstract becomes tangible where the infinite potential of thought finds form in the finite world. It is the bridge between what is and what could be a reminder that while we cannot control everything we can always choose how we engage with the world. And in that choice lies the power to grow to connect and to create.
This action then creates new information in the world to be fed into other systems or just dissipates to leave room for new life. So this is our window in the world. It’s brilliant honestly that we can know ourselves enough to understand this connection. Through this connection we can then perhaps reach out and touch actuality……..
WOAH WOAH WOAH! Hold the phone.
Talk about the woo-woo alert here. Is this guy hearing himself? Sure it’s a connection but aren’t you making a whole shit ton of assumptions and just glossing over all the rigor? Didn’t you hear? The world out there just is and you’re trouncing all over our dualistic history. Come on dude Descartes already solved this one.
Ah yes Mr. Skeptic. I’ve been expecting you.
And let me tell you I’m thrilled you’re here. See if it’s doubt you seek then doubt you shall have. You want rigor? You want a battle-tested framework?
Let’s dance.
Because here’s the thing: the system I’m offering you doesn’t just tolerate radical doubt it thrives on it. If you want to take this apart piece by piece, challenge every assumption and leave no stone unturned, I’m right there with you.
But fair warning radical doubt doesn’t just destroy. It’s also the birthplace of something extraordinary. So buckle up because if we’re going to do this we’re going all the way down.
Garbage In Garbage Out
Let’s not mince words here: information itself is suspect. What is information really? At its core it’s just difference that makes a difference but who says those differences correspond to anything real? For all we know every single data point could be fabricated. A cosmic prank. A masterfully crafted simulation. Hell the very act of calling something “information” could be a misstep, a human imposition on chaos.
And let’s say there is something “out there” feeding this information. How do we know it’s being transmitted accurately? Maybe what we get is a butchered lossy version of the original signal distorted beyond recognition. Information isn’t neutral; it’s filtered, shaped and packaged by forces we don’t fully understand. Whatever we’re receiving it’s probably more artifact than actuality.
Moving from raw information to the senses doesn’t improve things, it makes them worse. Your senses aren’t windows; they’re funhouse mirrors. They distort filters and outright ignore most of the data coming their way.
Think about it: vision captures a tiny slice of the electromagnetic spectrum. Hearing only picks up certain vibrations missing both the ultralow rumbles and the supersonic whispers. Even your skin, your most immediate point of contact with the world, only feels pressure, temperature and pain leaving vast realms of experience untouched.
And then there’s the brain’s eager hand in misrepresentation. Shadows become threats, patterns appear in noise and your mind happily fills in blanks that were never there. Every sense you rely on to navigate the world is compromised from the start delivering an incomplete biased and often flat-out inaccurate picture of reality.
If the senses are flawed impressions are even worse. They don’t just distort reality, they distill it by boiling the complexity of existence down to a few subjective highlights.
Every impression is steeped in bias shaped as much by your past experiences, emotions and expectations as by the world itself. What you think is “the truth” is often just your brain’s attempt to make sense of incomplete data. It’s a guess, a working hypothesis dressed up as reality.
And let’s not forget the emotional baggage. A shadow isn’t just a shadow; it’s “danger.” A face isn’t just a face; it’s “friend” or “foe.” These judgments aren’t impartial; they’re survival mechanisms, quick-and-dirty shortcuts designed to keep you alive, not give you an accurate picture of the world.
The so-called “present moment” is a fraud. You think you’re living in the now but what you’re actually experiencing is the past, a delayed reconstructed version of reality pieced together by your slow clunky nervous system.
Your brain takes time to process information. By the time you see, hear or feel something it’s already happened. The “present” is nothing but a lagging simulation, a stitched-together guess at what reality might be doing.
And don’t even get me started on attention. You’re not even aware of most of what’s happening around you. Your focus is a spotlight in a vast dark theater illuminating only the tiniest fraction of the stage. The rest of the true present is left in the shadows unknowable and unreachable.
If you’re clinging to thought as the last bastion of truth let me break that illusion too. Thinking is messy, biased and prone to error.
First, it’s always post-hoc. By the time you’re consciously processing something it’s already been filtered through your senses and impressions. You’re working with distorted incomplete data from the start.
Second thought isn’t objective, it’s shaped by beliefs, emotions and cultural context. What you think is “reason” is often just rationalization, a clever way of justifying the conclusions you’ve already reached.
And finally thought is painfully limited. You can only hold so many ideas in your head at once and only juggle so many concepts before the whole system crashes. Your grand theories and insights? They’re built on a shaky foundation of cognitive shortcuts, approximations and blind spots.
So there you have it:
Information? Suspect.
Senses? Flawed.
Impressions? Biased.
The present moment? Illusory.
Thought? Limited.
The entire loop is riddled with cracks, a fragile structure barely holding itself together. If this is the foundation of your reality then reality itself must be precarious teetering on the edge of collapse ready to fall apart under the weight of its own contradictions. Get fucked…. Mic drop
…. Well are you quite done? …
What I was going to say was that in order to find truth we must first throw all we know into the fire. To sacrifice a belief in the fires of doubt is one of the most powerful tools that we have at our disposal. If we can rip to shreds this badly the very portal into the world that we have. It shows us the fragility of the beliefs that we hold. This ability to deconstruct belief may feel like an affront but it is actually our greatest ally in the pursuit of truth. Without this we would forever cling to outdated beliefs and be stuck in stagnant quicksand. Though doubt is like a sharp knife and not the only tool in our belt. If it is all you wield then there will be no ground to stand on no beliefs to hold at all.
So now that we are at the bottom no belief no thought no assumptions lie before us. If you wallow here you won’t make anything at all. The first step is to build some foundations, preferably some undoubtable ones.
Even now in this space of radical deconstruction there is something undeniable, something that cannot be burned away. It is not a belief. It is not a thought. It is not an assumption. It is simply this:
*gestures dramatically to the world around us*
the experience of being here now.
There are experiences.
This is our certainty. This is our starting point.
You cannot doubt that there are experiences without already experiencing the doubt itself. The very act of questioning proves its own foundation. Whether it’s the sensation of your breath, the faint hum of an unspoken thought or the overwhelming rush of confusion in the face of uncertainty, experience is present. It is the thread that cannot be severed no matter how sharp the blade of doubt.
Experience is not just the bedrock of your personal world; it’s the ground of our existence. It doesn’t matter if the information coming in is distorted or if your senses are faulty or if the world is some elaborate dream or simulation. Something is happening. Whether it’s a whisper or a roar a flicker or a blaze experience persists.
It doesn’t promise us the truth. It doesn’t claim to be perfect. It doesn’t even explain itself. But it is. And that simple is-ness is enough. It is the flickering flame in the abyss the one thing we can hold onto as we rebuild.
Think about it: everything we call knowledge, every model, every belief, every story begins here. Without experience there is no foundation for thought, no data for reason, no canvas for imagination. Whether we’re talking about the soft glow of a sunrise or the sensation of a nagging doubt gnawing at the edges of our mind it all starts with this raw immediate encounter with experience.
Experience is the raw material of reality. It is what we work with, what we shape and what shapes us in return. It is not the end of the journey but the beginning. It is not the answer but the ground from which answers grow.
What makes “there are experiences” so profound is not its simplicity but its universality. It does not require you to believe in a god or trust in your senses or even accept the reality of the world around you. It simply is. And in that is-ness it holds a quiet unshakeable power.
This is not to say that experience is perfect or that it reveals the whole of actuality. Far from it. Experience is fragile and fleeting. But even in its fragility it stands as the one thing we cannot deny. It is the candle in the storm, the first step out of the void
Foundations
There are experiences (Certain)
There are patterns in those experiences (Observation)
We can use distinctions and relationships to predict outcomes (Curiosity)
A substrate exists that supports these experiences (Assumption)
Other entities have experiences of this substrate (Assumption)