UncleSunny
Well-Known Member
I'm one of those skeptical people when it comes to the paranormal or conspiracy based thinking. Penn and Teller are big heroes in my book for debunking the mediums and faith healers who rip others off with scams. Jon Edwards (the Crossing Over douche) claims that even if what he does isn't real, it's okay because it helps people cope with their losses.
However, I understand that a big part of medicine is just comforting the sick and the placebo effect.
I think that telling a dying person that everything is going to be alright is a good thing; I think what Jon Edwards does is just plain criminal. It's a fine line. Attempting to cheer someone up who is sick is different in my mind than bringing up memories of loved one and lying about it to elicit a T.V. worthy emotion. That's entertainment, sick entertainment, and nothing more.
What I am suggesting is that a lie isn't necessarily always a bad thing, but a person should have good reason to be lied to. Early Shaman and doctors who really didn't understand things like germs and viruses often brought people back to health by making them believe they would be fine, which made them positive and more willing to fight sickness. Certain foods had "Magical" properties, because they had stuff in them like vitamin C or whatever that helped cure what ailed ya, plus you were making God happy. In this, religion and medicine go closely hand in hand. A man of God has blessed you, and there is magic behind you now; these things make you feel better, and feeling better helps you beat sickness.
Now, here's where I get all stoner on ya.
This placebo effect is very real, but it's dangerous to use generally because it is, in reality, based in bullshit. Now, what if you could cut out the middle man, and "lie" to yourself? What if you made up the magic in your life? Not ways to cure your Cancer by wishing it away, but smaller, more manageable things.
For example, Let's say you are a single person who finds flirting one of the hardest things you have to do. Your mind builds up all kinds of worse case scenarios, you feel vulnerable, you rehash bad experiences...That is something that is all in your head.
so, aside from drinking and smoking your inhibitions away, you can convince yourself that you have a magic secret...that by eating 12 green M&Ms while spinning around 5 times before you go out will make you magnetic and likable. Find some trinket in a shop somewhere and pretend that it is a charm that can make you a better public speaker. You'll be calmer because of your ace in the hole, and generally, calmer people speak more easily.
This is the meat that superstitions and spirit mediums exist on: our need for some external edge. My point is that we can still benefit from that edge without being taken advantage of if we create those edges internally.
When you create the lie yourself, you have control over it. It takes practice to convince yourself completely while still being aware that you're full of shit, but often times it's easier to know that you are full of shit than someone else. Other people can be charming and seem infallible; you know your own dark side.
I'm not suggesting that you forgo modern medicine and let yourself die because prayer and M&Ms will save you. I am saying that there is something completely real to magic because Belief has a power. How much better would we be, how much more interesting would life be, if we spiced up our rituals and just pretended a little more. With a rational mind, I can know that there are no magical incantations, but a "I'm sorry honey, I love you..." has worked miracles for me.
Spirituality takes the mundane and makes it glorious, Science takes the glorious and makes it mundane. Perhaps we can take that "Sick Entertainment" and entertain ourselves because we are in on the joke. Take the best of both science and spirituality (not to be confused with Scientology) and just look at mundane things and infuse them with your own mysticism. You already have rituals, you brush your teeth every morning to keep away the gingivitis demons that live under your tongue and teeth...why not spice up your ritual to include twisting your ears gently to tune yourself into good fortune? If it's done with a rational mind, you can go as crazy as you want to, and crazy people appear to be having a lot more fun than the sane ones, right?
However, I understand that a big part of medicine is just comforting the sick and the placebo effect.
I think that telling a dying person that everything is going to be alright is a good thing; I think what Jon Edwards does is just plain criminal. It's a fine line. Attempting to cheer someone up who is sick is different in my mind than bringing up memories of loved one and lying about it to elicit a T.V. worthy emotion. That's entertainment, sick entertainment, and nothing more.
What I am suggesting is that a lie isn't necessarily always a bad thing, but a person should have good reason to be lied to. Early Shaman and doctors who really didn't understand things like germs and viruses often brought people back to health by making them believe they would be fine, which made them positive and more willing to fight sickness. Certain foods had "Magical" properties, because they had stuff in them like vitamin C or whatever that helped cure what ailed ya, plus you were making God happy. In this, religion and medicine go closely hand in hand. A man of God has blessed you, and there is magic behind you now; these things make you feel better, and feeling better helps you beat sickness.
Now, here's where I get all stoner on ya.
This placebo effect is very real, but it's dangerous to use generally because it is, in reality, based in bullshit. Now, what if you could cut out the middle man, and "lie" to yourself? What if you made up the magic in your life? Not ways to cure your Cancer by wishing it away, but smaller, more manageable things.
For example, Let's say you are a single person who finds flirting one of the hardest things you have to do. Your mind builds up all kinds of worse case scenarios, you feel vulnerable, you rehash bad experiences...That is something that is all in your head.
so, aside from drinking and smoking your inhibitions away, you can convince yourself that you have a magic secret...that by eating 12 green M&Ms while spinning around 5 times before you go out will make you magnetic and likable. Find some trinket in a shop somewhere and pretend that it is a charm that can make you a better public speaker. You'll be calmer because of your ace in the hole, and generally, calmer people speak more easily.
This is the meat that superstitions and spirit mediums exist on: our need for some external edge. My point is that we can still benefit from that edge without being taken advantage of if we create those edges internally.
When you create the lie yourself, you have control over it. It takes practice to convince yourself completely while still being aware that you're full of shit, but often times it's easier to know that you are full of shit than someone else. Other people can be charming and seem infallible; you know your own dark side.
I'm not suggesting that you forgo modern medicine and let yourself die because prayer and M&Ms will save you. I am saying that there is something completely real to magic because Belief has a power. How much better would we be, how much more interesting would life be, if we spiced up our rituals and just pretended a little more. With a rational mind, I can know that there are no magical incantations, but a "I'm sorry honey, I love you..." has worked miracles for me.
Spirituality takes the mundane and makes it glorious, Science takes the glorious and makes it mundane. Perhaps we can take that "Sick Entertainment" and entertain ourselves because we are in on the joke. Take the best of both science and spirituality (not to be confused with Scientology) and just look at mundane things and infuse them with your own mysticism. You already have rituals, you brush your teeth every morning to keep away the gingivitis demons that live under your tongue and teeth...why not spice up your ritual to include twisting your ears gently to tune yourself into good fortune? If it's done with a rational mind, you can go as crazy as you want to, and crazy people appear to be having a lot more fun than the sane ones, right?
