Sunday, September 28, 2008

It's how you tell it that counts.

The often bizarre world of the paranormal is quiet at the moment. People have no time to worry about things moving on their own or strange lights and sounds. There are much bigger concerns.

I have already been told (offline) that this proves the non-existence of the paranormal. If it were real, they argue, we would all see it all the time. My argument is that maybe you are seeing it all the time but your mind is occupied with other things, such as trying to budget for a life where prices are going up exponentially and incomes are not.

It all hinges on one thing, really. Can people's perceptions be twisted by a few distractions and some clever manipulation to the extent that they aren't sure what they are seeing, reading, or believing?

Here are two links. One is something we all need to worry about, the other is nothing to worry about at all.

Which is which?

First impressions, please. A little thought will make the difference clear but remember, most people don't apply such reasoning. Most will go with those first impressions.

Then, perhaps, think a little about your day. What do you remember of travelling to and from work? What happened at lunchtime? Who did you see? What were they wearing?

Memory and perception are nowhere near as good as we like to think. Just because you can't remember the colour of your boss's tie doesn't mean he wasn't wearing one.

Or does it?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

tooooo funny and equally scary that phone call!!!
but generally I think the feds are not that upfront so the other is probably the more serious concern.

tom sheepandgoats said...

“There were dreams which foresaw the death of certain persons, clocks which stopped at the momenht of death, glasses which shattered at the critical moment. All these things had been taken for granted in the world of my childhood. And now I was apparently the only person who had ever heard of them.,”………..Carl Jung, who had several spiritualist experiences when he was young. Ever read much of him?

Romulus Crowe said...

No more takers?

Sorry, Anonymous. Dihydrogen monoxide has the chemical formula H2O. It's water. Around 80% of university students (even a few chemists!) fall for that one because it's so well done. An object lesson in manipulation of perception.

Tom - those things still happen. I was aware of my grandmother's death, at the exact time it happened, even though I was sitting on a railway station hundreds of miles away at the time. I had an urge to phone home because something 'felt' wrong, but this was in the days before cellphones so I couldn't. It was later that evening that I found out what that feeling meant.

The difference now is that it's no longer culturally accepted to mention it.

There was a time when such things were accepted, but if anyone says anything like that now, they'll just be marked as 'crank'.

As some readers have just marked me.

It's okay. I'm used to it.

astrologymemphis.blogspot.com said...

You want first impressions. Okay; I opened the first one and wondered what the stuff was, and kind of guessed it was nothing, but decided to open the second, then decide. The second one is truly scary. Thanks to our current idiot president, it's becoming more of a reality every day. I cannot wait to see him leave office! And if another Republican is elected this time, I'm seriously considering moving to Canada.

Romulus Crowe said...

Our government is up to the same thing. They want a database to record and store every Email, every phone call, every webpage visited...by everyone!

They also want us to carry an ID card which will have our photo and fingerprints recorded on it. As far as I can see, all it will prove is that you own your face and fingers. I can't see any other use for it at all, other than control of the population.

Implanted chips can't be far away. I just hope it can be crippled with a magnet. I certainly intend to try.

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