Monday, August 24, 2009

Magic


“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Arthur C. Clarke
“Any sufficiently badly-written science is indistinguishable from magic.”
Aaron Allston

I do not like to look at things in a scientific manner and don’t like to look at them in a superstitious manner either.
I always like to look at things in a rational manner.

By that I mean that I do not believe in magic and supernatural as explanation for the spiritual occurrences.
Magic and supernatural are just labels we attach to things we do not understand.
There is nothing super or sub natural.
God itself is as natural as nature can be.

Of course I do not take the scientific point view on spirituality either.
Just because you say something doesn’t exists you can’t make it disappear.
I’m sorry but the world we live in is not only a material world; it is as much or even more a spiritual world and the scientific community will have to come to grips with that reality sooner or latter.

If we look of some of the things that we thought were “magic” a long time ago, like talking bushes and magic mirrors that showed images from far away, we realize that they are not “magic” anymore.
We send pictures through radio waves, talk on telephones, make birthday cards that sing and fly to the moon.

“That is no magic” you will say “That is just technology” but try to explain that to a tribesman living in the Amazon jungle and he will tell you that it is magic.
Walking on water is magic to us not because it is supernatural but because we don’t understand how it is done.
Once you understand how something is done, it is not magic any longer.

We know so little about the human mind and about the spiritual world.
Actually know more about our oceans and about the universe than about our mind.
We have not even scratched the surface of the spiritual world.
We are about were alchemist were before modern chemistry arise:
90% superstition and about 10 % knowledge.

So you might look at this and see a dismal situation.
Or you can look at it and see a great opportunity.
Ether or we have a lot of work ahead of us.
I hope you are practicing your meditation technique ;)

9 comments:

Eco Yogini said...

Interesting post :)
I guess I believe in magic as a word that represents the joy and discovery of all things. Once lose that sense of joy and delight, that the world is full of potential, we lose a sense of growth.
it all depends on what language you choose to use- which shows how important language is for us :)

Blessings!

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

Would a tribesman really think that modern technology was magic? I suspect they'd work it out as a tool pretty quickly.

But again - science doesn't necessarily mean that magical things can't happen. One of the arguments for an organised universe governed by a God is that the chain of events that led us to where we are were too complex to have happened at random - but mathematicians have shown in court that the odds of dealing a specific hand of cards are about the same

Doesn't change the fact that you still have those cards and, for my money at least, doesn't make it any less magical

Science can explain how and why a tree grows in a particular way - but it doesn't make it any less amazing

Quantum_Flux said...

Good stuff BOH. I realized this once when I watching UFO Hunters Episodes from the History Channel. One guy from the midwest said he say a flying house in the sky. Obviously houses don't fly, right? Well anyway, most people would just laugh at the guy and call him stupid, but UFO Hunters took his description seriously, at least the thing in the sky whatever it was must have been shaped like a house. But still, lol, made me think of a wicked witch wizard of Oz kind of thing.

Mariana Soffer said...

What is the difference between scientific thinking and rational thinking? I do not know it.

There is a saying in my country that sounds nice here, but not in english which says: "Whiches do not exist but that there are some is real"

regarding the spirit and things surrounding it, I learn thanks to a great man that:
The spiritual portion of mans being, the place that is ever immortal and present is where, to me at least, where the foundation for all TRUTH and beauty begins. Truth being defined as that which is as it is regardless of anyone's thoughts or theories or proofs on the matter. It will still be what it will be.

Once the perspective of the individual is changed from being a physical being to a spiritual one the definitions of physical beauty change as well. The synaptic responses will change and the measurements also will change.
And the beauty of it all is, is simply that no measurement will ever quantify the immortal or eternal nature of mans spirit only the responses to the change in perspective.

Be well my friend

Ted Bagley said...

Some sat that Buddha had a twitch, but I say he just winked a lot.

Quantum_Flux said...

....anyhow, so I'm convinced that all miracles are just flying houses.

TALON said...

Interesting. Of course, I do believe there is magic in life itself...but that's just me :)

Diego said...

This goes to the heart of some very important Buddhist thought. The cause of human suffering can be brought to the door of greed and ignorance. We can even have greed FOR ignorance. Not a good thing in my opinion.

Unknown said...

@ Eco Yogini – True – magic can be many things for many people.
I believe in the magic of music and art as well in the magic of love and friendship :)

@ Pixie - It is like the kids and Santa Claus: Sooner or latter they all figure it out.
But is that good or a petty? Good question!

@ Quantum – LOL – That is a good one :)

@ Mariana – Of course you now.
Rational defines truth as:
“Truth being defined as that which is as it is regardless of anyone's thoughts or theories or proofs on the matter. It will still be what it will be.”
Science defines truth as: Whatever can be proved by the scientific method.

@ Ted - I winked until I got the twitch ;)

@ Quantum – LOL Yes they are!

@ Talon – There is magic all around us and I believe no matter how deep we will go in our understanding we will always find even more magic.

@ Diego – That is so true!
Ignorance is the very root of human problems.