Saturday, January 24, 2004
Email conundrum
It happens all the time; someone you haven't heard from in a while writes you a vivacious letter, full of news and questions, begging for a fast response. You write back in kind... and NEVER hear from them again. Alternately, YOU write the first letter, get an enthusiastic reply, write again... and they never write back. WHY?
Why does someone who obviously wants to interact with you, who even INITIATES contact, find it impossible to write more than ONE email? How can someone go from intense interest to being unwilling to show even basic courtesy and give a one-line reply with a reasonable excuse? What goes through a person's mind when they get that letter back from you that makes them decide to NOT reply? "Oh wow, she wrote me back, what a sweet letter this is... into the trash with it so I can go watch TV"?
Let's face it; the ultimate unknown will ALWAYS be certain facets of human behavior.
Why does someone who obviously wants to interact with you, who even INITIATES contact, find it impossible to write more than ONE email? How can someone go from intense interest to being unwilling to show even basic courtesy and give a one-line reply with a reasonable excuse? What goes through a person's mind when they get that letter back from you that makes them decide to NOT reply? "Oh wow, she wrote me back, what a sweet letter this is... into the trash with it so I can go watch TV"?
Let's face it; the ultimate unknown will ALWAYS be certain facets of human behavior.
Friday, January 23, 2004
Feminine intuition
Few will deny the ability of the female of our species to "know things" beyond what we can see and logically analyze, but if you ask anyone to DEFINE the phrase "feminine intuition," their reply will generally sound like a definition for telepathy and then sputter out, because they don't actually believe in telepathy... not by that name, anyways.
Part of the reason for the popularity of the idea of feminine intuition comes from the sexism that has been ingrained in human societies for thousands of years; men didn't want to accept that women were thinking and reasoning, so they labeled intelligent utterances by women as being the results of "intuition," thought of as something akin to animal instinct, in the same way that slaves who learned to speak multiple languages, read and do math were said to just be parroting or playing tricks, rather than having LEARNED anything. You'll STILL hear men, and even women (sadly), refer to something that a woman has figured out as being a result of feminine intuition, where they'd see the same thing figured out by a MAN as being a result of intelligence and logical thought
Intuition in general exists in both genders, of course. Probably the best definition I've seen of that was on an episode of STTNG, of all places; Geordi was trying to explain what a "hunch" was to Data, and Data summed it up as something along the lines of "filling in the blanks in the equation with your own experiences," and that's just what we're doing when we're trying to figure out a situation that we don't have all the info about but that we can relate in any way to things we DO know. An important facet that was NOT addressed in that scene is our ability to gather massive amounts of information about people from their body language that we aren't aware of consciously, but that we automatically include in our analyses of them; this is a part of intuition that looks a little voodoo-ish but is in fact a survival ability that most animals have. Since it has been shown that women ARE more adept at "reading people" than men are (which was important for the survival of women back in caveman days, because they depended on the good graces of the men that hunted for and protected them and their children), this accounts for part of "feminine intuition"; women get this ability due to the way our brains are set up (with far more cross-connections between the halves), while the differing setup of the male brain gives them their superior abilities in things like spatial relations, which made them better hunters (neither brain arrangement is SUPERIOR-they were both necessary for the survival of the species).
Since a woman can think "wake up" to her sleeping baby and have it quickly wake up, while a man can't do that, it's obvious that women DO have some sort of abilities beyond what men have, and there's no reason to think that it's limited to just babies; this is where the sometimes spooky part of feminine intuition comes into play, where we can pick up on things that we should have no way of knowing and freak our men out. There doesn't really need to be a special name for this, as it's just a form of telepathy, but the fact that women are consistently better at it suggests that maybe they should be looking on the X chromosome for at least SOME of the genes for psychic ability. I'd be interested to see if pregnancy hormones "switched on" or "turned up" some of these abilities in the same way they trigger lactation; a mother certainly needs the extra perception far more after she has produced a helpless infant.
It's becoming clear to me as I write these essays that the very fact that a significant portion of the description of each element of the overall "engine of karma" is based on explainable things is a big part of why people refuse to see or believe in karma; it's too easy to dismiss the parts that CAN'T be explained once most parts ARE explained, just as it's human nature to dismiss the "details" once we know the big picture (or THINK we do) in so many other areas of our lives. The biggest thing that keeps people from seeing the truth, though, is simple fear, fear that if all these unseen forces are at play we're like little kids moving through a world we don't understand, at risk on every side from things we know nothing about.
Sure, the unknown can be scary, but there's NOTHING to fear in the truth; things are what they are, whether we know about them or not, and knowing is ALWAYS better.
Part of the reason for the popularity of the idea of feminine intuition comes from the sexism that has been ingrained in human societies for thousands of years; men didn't want to accept that women were thinking and reasoning, so they labeled intelligent utterances by women as being the results of "intuition," thought of as something akin to animal instinct, in the same way that slaves who learned to speak multiple languages, read and do math were said to just be parroting or playing tricks, rather than having LEARNED anything. You'll STILL hear men, and even women (sadly), refer to something that a woman has figured out as being a result of feminine intuition, where they'd see the same thing figured out by a MAN as being a result of intelligence and logical thought
Intuition in general exists in both genders, of course. Probably the best definition I've seen of that was on an episode of STTNG, of all places; Geordi was trying to explain what a "hunch" was to Data, and Data summed it up as something along the lines of "filling in the blanks in the equation with your own experiences," and that's just what we're doing when we're trying to figure out a situation that we don't have all the info about but that we can relate in any way to things we DO know. An important facet that was NOT addressed in that scene is our ability to gather massive amounts of information about people from their body language that we aren't aware of consciously, but that we automatically include in our analyses of them; this is a part of intuition that looks a little voodoo-ish but is in fact a survival ability that most animals have. Since it has been shown that women ARE more adept at "reading people" than men are (which was important for the survival of women back in caveman days, because they depended on the good graces of the men that hunted for and protected them and their children), this accounts for part of "feminine intuition"; women get this ability due to the way our brains are set up (with far more cross-connections between the halves), while the differing setup of the male brain gives them their superior abilities in things like spatial relations, which made them better hunters (neither brain arrangement is SUPERIOR-they were both necessary for the survival of the species).
Since a woman can think "wake up" to her sleeping baby and have it quickly wake up, while a man can't do that, it's obvious that women DO have some sort of abilities beyond what men have, and there's no reason to think that it's limited to just babies; this is where the sometimes spooky part of feminine intuition comes into play, where we can pick up on things that we should have no way of knowing and freak our men out. There doesn't really need to be a special name for this, as it's just a form of telepathy, but the fact that women are consistently better at it suggests that maybe they should be looking on the X chromosome for at least SOME of the genes for psychic ability. I'd be interested to see if pregnancy hormones "switched on" or "turned up" some of these abilities in the same way they trigger lactation; a mother certainly needs the extra perception far more after she has produced a helpless infant.
It's becoming clear to me as I write these essays that the very fact that a significant portion of the description of each element of the overall "engine of karma" is based on explainable things is a big part of why people refuse to see or believe in karma; it's too easy to dismiss the parts that CAN'T be explained once most parts ARE explained, just as it's human nature to dismiss the "details" once we know the big picture (or THINK we do) in so many other areas of our lives. The biggest thing that keeps people from seeing the truth, though, is simple fear, fear that if all these unseen forces are at play we're like little kids moving through a world we don't understand, at risk on every side from things we know nothing about.
Sure, the unknown can be scary, but there's NOTHING to fear in the truth; things are what they are, whether we know about them or not, and knowing is ALWAYS better.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
"The Prodigal Effect"
Have you ever seen people who had horrible things happen between them (usually caused by the gross mistreatment of one by the other), but who haven't seen each other in a while, run into each other unexpectedly and greet each other as if they were long-lost friends?
Have you ever known someone who behaved atrociously for ages who gave a (generally NOT heartfelt) apology and/or cleaned up their act a little, and suddenly got treated as if they'd orchestrated world peace instead of just stopped being such a lousy person?
Have you ever seen someone treat another person badly for a long time, and then as soon as they toss them a few kind words the "ex-victim" is falling all over them and treating them like a dear friend?
What's going on in each of these cases is what my husband calls "The Prodigal Effect," after the story of the "Prodigal Son"; I'm not an expert on Bible stories, but the basic concept here is that the son is a screwup, and as a result takes off for a long time... and when he returns, he's greeted by his father with JOY, and a party is thrown for him. The other son, who's a good and hardworking man, is understandably upset, because HE has never gotten a party as reward for all of his hard work and good behavior, and here the other son is being lionized for being a screwup and running away.
This story would be ridiculous if it didn't accurately describe one of the illogical, counter-intuitive but undeniable facets of human nature; people tend to not only forgive, but give special attention and approval to, those who have behaved badly but later on ask for forgiveness (even withOUT any signs of actual regret or any intention to make up for what they did) and/or start acting properly (or at least somewhat better) and/or just go away for a while and then return acting like they want to be part of the group again. The REALLY galling thing here is that, for this effect to kick in, the former wrong-doer must generally behave as is he thinks he did no wrong, which means that a GOOD person who does something bad and feels sincerely guilty and full of regret will tend to NOT get this effect working for them; they may be forgiven, and even have their wrongs eventually forgotten, but no parties will ever be thrown for them.
I CAN see how, in the days when humans lived in small tribes in a hostile, scary world, this behavior would serve to give a wrong-doing man incentive to return to the tribe and behave, so he would then help bring in food and protect them, rather than helping a different tribe who held no grudges against him, or maybe just dying alone in the wilds.... but.... BUT.... as a lifetime good-doer, I just have to say that this effect REALLY SUCKS. I'm sure that anyone who's ever seen someone who mistreated them, even if they were spurned at first, later be welcomed back into the group as if nothing ever happened, and even treated with special friendliness, will agree.
If you try to point out that this person has a track record of bad behavior and has given no actual reason to be treated as a friend again, you, who have never done any wrong (presumably) will suddenly be heaped with criticism and seen as a bad person for not being willing to give instant and undeserved forgiveness, while the wrong-doer will be held up as a saint being mistreated by evil YOU; it sounds outrageous, but it happens every time.
Naturally, the long-run effect of a prodigal being taken back into the fold is that they will take full advantage of the opportunity to abuse members of the group once again... and then everyone will react with shock, because the cold hard truth is that most people don't grasp the simple concept that a wrong-doer saying "sorry," or behaving a little better, or running off and then returning, does NOT mean that they've had a personality change or will act any different than before.
I'm not suggesting that you should NEVER give anyone a 2nd chance; if someone used to be a good friend, and they have something to bring to your life, AND you can keep in mind that, although they MAY have grown and matured into better people, you need to keep an eye on them until you're sure, go ahead and take them back (this does NOT apply to romantic relationships, though, which you should virtually NEVER give another chance to when there has been bad behavior).
And... wouldn't it be nice if, once in a while, we gave special attention to those who have NEVER done us wrong?
Have you ever known someone who behaved atrociously for ages who gave a (generally NOT heartfelt) apology and/or cleaned up their act a little, and suddenly got treated as if they'd orchestrated world peace instead of just stopped being such a lousy person?
Have you ever seen someone treat another person badly for a long time, and then as soon as they toss them a few kind words the "ex-victim" is falling all over them and treating them like a dear friend?
What's going on in each of these cases is what my husband calls "The Prodigal Effect," after the story of the "Prodigal Son"; I'm not an expert on Bible stories, but the basic concept here is that the son is a screwup, and as a result takes off for a long time... and when he returns, he's greeted by his father with JOY, and a party is thrown for him. The other son, who's a good and hardworking man, is understandably upset, because HE has never gotten a party as reward for all of his hard work and good behavior, and here the other son is being lionized for being a screwup and running away.
This story would be ridiculous if it didn't accurately describe one of the illogical, counter-intuitive but undeniable facets of human nature; people tend to not only forgive, but give special attention and approval to, those who have behaved badly but later on ask for forgiveness (even withOUT any signs of actual regret or any intention to make up for what they did) and/or start acting properly (or at least somewhat better) and/or just go away for a while and then return acting like they want to be part of the group again. The REALLY galling thing here is that, for this effect to kick in, the former wrong-doer must generally behave as is he thinks he did no wrong, which means that a GOOD person who does something bad and feels sincerely guilty and full of regret will tend to NOT get this effect working for them; they may be forgiven, and even have their wrongs eventually forgotten, but no parties will ever be thrown for them.
I CAN see how, in the days when humans lived in small tribes in a hostile, scary world, this behavior would serve to give a wrong-doing man incentive to return to the tribe and behave, so he would then help bring in food and protect them, rather than helping a different tribe who held no grudges against him, or maybe just dying alone in the wilds.... but.... BUT.... as a lifetime good-doer, I just have to say that this effect REALLY SUCKS. I'm sure that anyone who's ever seen someone who mistreated them, even if they were spurned at first, later be welcomed back into the group as if nothing ever happened, and even treated with special friendliness, will agree.
If you try to point out that this person has a track record of bad behavior and has given no actual reason to be treated as a friend again, you, who have never done any wrong (presumably) will suddenly be heaped with criticism and seen as a bad person for not being willing to give instant and undeserved forgiveness, while the wrong-doer will be held up as a saint being mistreated by evil YOU; it sounds outrageous, but it happens every time.
Naturally, the long-run effect of a prodigal being taken back into the fold is that they will take full advantage of the opportunity to abuse members of the group once again... and then everyone will react with shock, because the cold hard truth is that most people don't grasp the simple concept that a wrong-doer saying "sorry," or behaving a little better, or running off and then returning, does NOT mean that they've had a personality change or will act any different than before.
I'm not suggesting that you should NEVER give anyone a 2nd chance; if someone used to be a good friend, and they have something to bring to your life, AND you can keep in mind that, although they MAY have grown and matured into better people, you need to keep an eye on them until you're sure, go ahead and take them back (this does NOT apply to romantic relationships, though, which you should virtually NEVER give another chance to when there has been bad behavior).
And... wouldn't it be nice if, once in a while, we gave special attention to those who have NEVER done us wrong?
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
No good deed goes unpunished?
That just doesn't make SENSE, does it, that good deeds would be regularly PUNISHED? It doesn't seem to mesh with how karma works, either, but we can all list plenty of examples of this unfortunate phenomenon.
A major part of karma is balance, and, although giving and do-gooding are WONDERFUL things, karma is alot like a hot tub; if you pump out more water than you're putting in, you can end up with too little for comfort, or even none at all, and if you keep trying to run the pump when it's sucking the dry bottom, BOOM. Conversely, if you're putting water in faster than you're pumping it out, it will eventually overflow in an out-of-control manner, and that water is just lost. We can easily grasp that if you're a taker you'll end up losing some of what you've been taking eventually, not just material things but intangibles like peace of mind, and, most importantly, the people who gave to you, who end up giving up and walking away in disgust... but can giving without thought to getting back REALLY be bad for you?
It's simple to see how giving too much of your $ can harm you, since you need enough for your OWN life, and giving too much time up for the needs of others can obviously have a negative impact if you don't have enough to care for yourself; that's just common sense. If you give without getting back and this makes you feel hurt, unappreciated, unloved, unworthy, etc, it doesn't take Freud to see that you're going to suffer-that's Psych 101 material. If you're giving because you don't know how to bond with people, and you're essentially hoping to bribe them into liking you, you're also headed for a fall, because your giving isn't blinding anyone to reality, and only unpleasant people will be willing to hang around with you. Saddest of all, people tend to be resentful rather than grateful if you give too much to them when they don't have an equal amount to give to you, and resentful people don't give good treatment to the objects of their resentment. None of that is karma.
Have you ever noticed that you NEVER hear the wealthy and privileged complaining that the endless good deeds THEY do are being "punished," but that you ALWAYS hear them talking about the necessity of "giving back," even when they got their $ through hard work and so don't actually owe anyone anything, not even ethically speaking? They're a good example of karmic balance; they're taking alot in, and are giving alot out. If you think about it, most of the good things WE do that are appropriate and done with a good heart give us some sort of reward (even if it's just the warm glow of giving) rather than "punishment"... but what about the exceptions?
The good deed that gets punished is usually in the form of a favor, and usually for someone we know only a little or not at all; they don't often have an opportunity to give back to us, and, with no emotional investment, not much incentive to either. Karma DOES usually provide a reward for us, but, especially in the case of people who are too easy of a "touch" when asked for favors, and/or a little too willing to jump in and help because it's "just the right thing to do," if karma doesn't have a reward that can easily be sent along, such that "giving without getting" puts you out of balance, "drains your hot tub," leaving you with an "empty spot" that seems to scream for SOMETHING (karma, like nature, apparently abhors a vacuum), karma will drop a BAD thing into that space rather than let it be empty.
Doesn't that sound AWFUL, not to mention contrary to what every major religion says should happen? The thing to remember here is that karma is NOT an old man in a bathrobe dealing out rewards and punishments based on behavior, but a complicated "engine" that processes energy in ways that are consistent but not always "fair," in the same way that the person who eats a healthy diet, stays thin and exercises can still get heart trouble... ALL of the forces of nature have that built-in unfairness to them, and all we can do is accept it and make the best we can of the whole thing.
A major part of karma is balance, and, although giving and do-gooding are WONDERFUL things, karma is alot like a hot tub; if you pump out more water than you're putting in, you can end up with too little for comfort, or even none at all, and if you keep trying to run the pump when it's sucking the dry bottom, BOOM. Conversely, if you're putting water in faster than you're pumping it out, it will eventually overflow in an out-of-control manner, and that water is just lost. We can easily grasp that if you're a taker you'll end up losing some of what you've been taking eventually, not just material things but intangibles like peace of mind, and, most importantly, the people who gave to you, who end up giving up and walking away in disgust... but can giving without thought to getting back REALLY be bad for you?
It's simple to see how giving too much of your $ can harm you, since you need enough for your OWN life, and giving too much time up for the needs of others can obviously have a negative impact if you don't have enough to care for yourself; that's just common sense. If you give without getting back and this makes you feel hurt, unappreciated, unloved, unworthy, etc, it doesn't take Freud to see that you're going to suffer-that's Psych 101 material. If you're giving because you don't know how to bond with people, and you're essentially hoping to bribe them into liking you, you're also headed for a fall, because your giving isn't blinding anyone to reality, and only unpleasant people will be willing to hang around with you. Saddest of all, people tend to be resentful rather than grateful if you give too much to them when they don't have an equal amount to give to you, and resentful people don't give good treatment to the objects of their resentment. None of that is karma.
Have you ever noticed that you NEVER hear the wealthy and privileged complaining that the endless good deeds THEY do are being "punished," but that you ALWAYS hear them talking about the necessity of "giving back," even when they got their $ through hard work and so don't actually owe anyone anything, not even ethically speaking? They're a good example of karmic balance; they're taking alot in, and are giving alot out. If you think about it, most of the good things WE do that are appropriate and done with a good heart give us some sort of reward (even if it's just the warm glow of giving) rather than "punishment"... but what about the exceptions?
The good deed that gets punished is usually in the form of a favor, and usually for someone we know only a little or not at all; they don't often have an opportunity to give back to us, and, with no emotional investment, not much incentive to either. Karma DOES usually provide a reward for us, but, especially in the case of people who are too easy of a "touch" when asked for favors, and/or a little too willing to jump in and help because it's "just the right thing to do," if karma doesn't have a reward that can easily be sent along, such that "giving without getting" puts you out of balance, "drains your hot tub," leaving you with an "empty spot" that seems to scream for SOMETHING (karma, like nature, apparently abhors a vacuum), karma will drop a BAD thing into that space rather than let it be empty.
Doesn't that sound AWFUL, not to mention contrary to what every major religion says should happen? The thing to remember here is that karma is NOT an old man in a bathrobe dealing out rewards and punishments based on behavior, but a complicated "engine" that processes energy in ways that are consistent but not always "fair," in the same way that the person who eats a healthy diet, stays thin and exercises can still get heart trouble... ALL of the forces of nature have that built-in unfairness to them, and all we can do is accept it and make the best we can of the whole thing.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
"Soul mates"
The title is in quotes because the entire concept is utterly ridiculous. People shriek in horror when I say that, because it's so very important for them to believe that their relationships have some magic extra quality that will ensure their longevity and happiness... just as they believed the same thing for all the other relationships in their lives with people they ALSO called their soul mates. Why does it never occur to them that they don't get any benefits from declaring someone to be their soul mate, that people thus labeled are just as likely to break up with them? Why does the fact that they know countless people who also call every relationship partner a soul mate, even those who are only around for a few weeks, not affect their beliefs either?
Interestingly, this endless prattle about soul mates didn't exist back in the days when people married their childhood sweethearts right out of school and got busy with life; this is of course not a coincidence. The more common it becomes for people to have endless short-term relationships before marriage, and then have the marriage fail, the more people are desperate to find those magic words that will allow THEM to be one of those lucky enough to have what virtually EVERYONE had before the sexual revolution; a relationship that will last until death do them part. "Abra cadabra, hocus pocus, this is my soul mate."
Of course SOME couples who claim to be soul mates DO end up as life partners (statistically, it HAS to happen sometimes), but that doesn't mean that any special name should be attached to them; after all, the overwhelming majority of couples who stay together "forever" do NOT call themselves soul mates. People stay together because they are compatible and mature, with realistic expectations and a willingness to work and sacrifice... things that used to be common in the past, but are rare in these days of eternal childhood, instant gratification and me-me-me-ism.
Of course, there still COULD be such a thing as soul mates even if many people use the term in error, and it's not hard to imagine different "types" of souls, or rather types of that portion of the soul that relates to emotional makeup, and maybe we can perceive them unconsciously, analogous to the way we can smell whether or not a person is genetically compatible with us (it's a chemical released in sweat that we react to), and that thus some people ARE "programmed" to be better matches for us than others... BUT, for the human race to continue, there couldn't be too many types, or too many people wouldn't mate, so it's not like this could narrow the field of possible mates down to as low as even a million out of the 6.1 billion people in the world, much less narrow it down to ONE (who wouldn't be likely to ever be on the same continent as you, much less meet you).
If you've found someone who really does it for you, that's terrific; show yourself worthy of that precious gift by putting in the thought and effort to keep things going, rather than convincing yourself that you're all set because that person is your "soul mate."
Interestingly, this endless prattle about soul mates didn't exist back in the days when people married their childhood sweethearts right out of school and got busy with life; this is of course not a coincidence. The more common it becomes for people to have endless short-term relationships before marriage, and then have the marriage fail, the more people are desperate to find those magic words that will allow THEM to be one of those lucky enough to have what virtually EVERYONE had before the sexual revolution; a relationship that will last until death do them part. "Abra cadabra, hocus pocus, this is my soul mate."
Of course SOME couples who claim to be soul mates DO end up as life partners (statistically, it HAS to happen sometimes), but that doesn't mean that any special name should be attached to them; after all, the overwhelming majority of couples who stay together "forever" do NOT call themselves soul mates. People stay together because they are compatible and mature, with realistic expectations and a willingness to work and sacrifice... things that used to be common in the past, but are rare in these days of eternal childhood, instant gratification and me-me-me-ism.
Of course, there still COULD be such a thing as soul mates even if many people use the term in error, and it's not hard to imagine different "types" of souls, or rather types of that portion of the soul that relates to emotional makeup, and maybe we can perceive them unconsciously, analogous to the way we can smell whether or not a person is genetically compatible with us (it's a chemical released in sweat that we react to), and that thus some people ARE "programmed" to be better matches for us than others... BUT, for the human race to continue, there couldn't be too many types, or too many people wouldn't mate, so it's not like this could narrow the field of possible mates down to as low as even a million out of the 6.1 billion people in the world, much less narrow it down to ONE (who wouldn't be likely to ever be on the same continent as you, much less meet you).
If you've found someone who really does it for you, that's terrific; show yourself worthy of that precious gift by putting in the thought and effort to keep things going, rather than convincing yourself that you're all set because that person is your "soul mate."
Monday, January 19, 2004
The power of prayer aka focused thought
Studies have shown that brainwaves change in a consistent way when we pray, and that they change in the SAME way when we practice things like meditation and the sending of white light; although we may SEE these mental exercises as being unrelated, they're actually just different names for the same mental process-focusing our thoughts on a desired goal.
Studies have also shown that sick people who are prayed for are more likely to get well, even when they don't KNOW that they're being prayed for, and that bacteria cultures grow faster if they're prayed for. While one might be able to make a case that God (or Allah, Buddha, whatever) is more likely to heal a sick person when people pray them (icky thought-a deity that answers prayers based on some sort of tally), it's just not realistic to believe that God is accelerating the growth of BACTERIA because people prayed for it, especially when so many important prayers go unanswered... what's happening here is that the energy of focused thought is creating results.
Reversing illness in a complicated organism would naturally be harder than just increasing the growth of healthy single-celled organisms, so it would make sense that the prayed-for bacteria ALL grow faster, while the prayed-for sick folks are only more likely to get better, NOT guaranteed to. I'd be willing to bet that if they tested the size of the groups that prayed, they'd find that a bigger prayer group brings about a bigger result, although the extra benefit might die out eventually, in the same way that only so many people can be trying to push a stuck car before any additional people aren't going to be able to get in there and apply force.
When people are practicing magic, such as voodoo or Wicca, or placing curses, they DO often get results that are well beyond what chance would provide; this is because the various spells and rituals and such are just other forms of focused thought, and these sorts of people tend to practice their techniques, which gives them more "power."
Part of how karma leads to people getting retribution for their evil acts is the thoughts of their victims, and outraged onlookers, wishing them ill. Underdogs and others who achieve beyond what they should rationally be able to always talk about feeling, even feeding off of or feeling strengthened by, the good thoughts and caring of those who wish them well, and that's more than a figure of speech. Focused and intensely-felt thoughts, whether positive or negative, DO have power... and that's a good thing to keep in mind if you wish someone particularly well or ill, or if you're the one who needs good thoughts or might be incurring bad thoughts.
The energy of thought is part of the engine of karma; the various ways to focus your thoughts, including visualization, affirmations, and "positive thinking," allow you a way to have more control over karma as it impacts your life... just be careful what you wish for, because, as so many stories in different cultures warn, you might get it, and discover that you didn't really want it, or that the price of getting it was too high.
Studies have also shown that sick people who are prayed for are more likely to get well, even when they don't KNOW that they're being prayed for, and that bacteria cultures grow faster if they're prayed for. While one might be able to make a case that God (or Allah, Buddha, whatever) is more likely to heal a sick person when people pray them (icky thought-a deity that answers prayers based on some sort of tally), it's just not realistic to believe that God is accelerating the growth of BACTERIA because people prayed for it, especially when so many important prayers go unanswered... what's happening here is that the energy of focused thought is creating results.
Reversing illness in a complicated organism would naturally be harder than just increasing the growth of healthy single-celled organisms, so it would make sense that the prayed-for bacteria ALL grow faster, while the prayed-for sick folks are only more likely to get better, NOT guaranteed to. I'd be willing to bet that if they tested the size of the groups that prayed, they'd find that a bigger prayer group brings about a bigger result, although the extra benefit might die out eventually, in the same way that only so many people can be trying to push a stuck car before any additional people aren't going to be able to get in there and apply force.
When people are practicing magic, such as voodoo or Wicca, or placing curses, they DO often get results that are well beyond what chance would provide; this is because the various spells and rituals and such are just other forms of focused thought, and these sorts of people tend to practice their techniques, which gives them more "power."
Part of how karma leads to people getting retribution for their evil acts is the thoughts of their victims, and outraged onlookers, wishing them ill. Underdogs and others who achieve beyond what they should rationally be able to always talk about feeling, even feeding off of or feeling strengthened by, the good thoughts and caring of those who wish them well, and that's more than a figure of speech. Focused and intensely-felt thoughts, whether positive or negative, DO have power... and that's a good thing to keep in mind if you wish someone particularly well or ill, or if you're the one who needs good thoughts or might be incurring bad thoughts.
The energy of thought is part of the engine of karma; the various ways to focus your thoughts, including visualization, affirmations, and "positive thinking," allow you a way to have more control over karma as it impacts your life... just be careful what you wish for, because, as so many stories in different cultures warn, you might get it, and discover that you didn't really want it, or that the price of getting it was too high.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
When life gets surreal
Yesterday I had one of those times when the normal flow of life becomes derailed, and suddenly I felt like I was in a waking dream. There was an item that I'd searched for in vain for most of a decade without success, and I headed to the 10 billionth store where it might in theory be located without any particular hope. We found a parking spot right out front, and as we pulled into it we saw that there was a huge red sign out front advertising their best sale of the year; it had an inexplicably eerie feeling to it, sort of like deja vu (except this was NOT a specific event that I'd experienced before), and sort of like how you can feel thunder in the air right before the storm hits. I walked through the door, looked to the left... and there it was. I made a beeline for it, sure that it would have to have flaws that would spoil the find, but its design turned out to be perfect. My husband, whose taste in everything normally opposes mine, loved it too, and, although we went through the rest of the store to theoretically check to see if there were any superior versions, we both knew that we'd found what we'd wanted for so long, and for a great price in the bargain. The entire rest of the evening, we kept referring to the whole thing with disbelief, because after all the endless effort we'd found what we wanted the moment we set foot in the store, and on sale... it just didn't seem possible.
There doesn't appear to be a name for this sort of event, although it's not that uncommon; some goal is insanely, irrationally difficult, and then suddenly it's dumped effortlessly and unexpectedly in your lap, often in a better form than ever anticipated, you can FEEL it happening before the pivotal moment comes, and that feeling of karma unloading can last for hours after the event. It's as if, sometimes, karma doesn't "pay you back" for your efforts towards a reasonable goal in a timely manner, and, when this mistake gets big enough, something bursts like an overfilled balloon and suddenly you have resolution... is it any wonder you can FEEL it coming, and feel the energy long after?
There doesn't appear to be a name for this sort of event, although it's not that uncommon; some goal is insanely, irrationally difficult, and then suddenly it's dumped effortlessly and unexpectedly in your lap, often in a better form than ever anticipated, you can FEEL it happening before the pivotal moment comes, and that feeling of karma unloading can last for hours after the event. It's as if, sometimes, karma doesn't "pay you back" for your efforts towards a reasonable goal in a timely manner, and, when this mistake gets big enough, something bursts like an overfilled balloon and suddenly you have resolution... is it any wonder you can FEEL it coming, and feel the energy long after?
