In which I am frustrated by wishful thinking

[jan_andrea]

There's a discussion going on at The BabyWearer about "The Secret" -- that money-making enterprise that basically says "wishing makes it so".

Argh.

If I hear "If you believe it, it's true for you!" one more time, I will scream. There are things that are objectively true, and objectively false. The world does not rest on the back of a tortise. The sun does not revolve around the earth, and there are no epicycles. The Virgin Mary does not miraculously appear in your grilled cheese to bring you a Sign. Believing these things doesn't make them happen!

I don't know why I bother :P Except that pseudoscience (someone brought up "What the Bleep do We Know" which is full of stupid) and magical thinking make me crazy. The universe is what it is, people! Just thinking about it -- no matter how strong you think your brain is -- doesn't change one damned thing about it! You have to *act*. And if you don't act, then you can't expect anything to change.

But I know, people will believe stupid things no matter how great the evidence to the contrary. Someone, please tell me to unsubscribe from the thread.

Comments

[alabamadragon.livejournal.com]

Goodness, what an absolutely massive amount of total crap. There's mental power...yes, you can affect things like your health if you're positive about the outcome (placebos, anyone?) , and being depressed will make you physically ill. BUT - Just thinking about the winning lotto ticket isn't going to make it appear in my wallet.

If things like this were true, everyone would already be doing it, no one would work for a living, and the state of Texas/Bushworld would encompass the entire world.

[brunahildm.livejournal.com]

BUT - Just thinking about the winning lotto ticket isn't going to make it appear in my wallet.

Well, there go my plans for the weekend!

[jan-andrea.livejournal.com]

LOL

What are your plans for next weekend, btw? St. Patrick's day? Wanna come over for boiled food (or not boiled, if preferable) and Guiness? Or are you already bespoke?

[brunahildm.livejournal.com]

Sounds awesome! Saturday night?

[jan-andrea.livejournal.com]

Yup!

[jenrose]

You mean you're not going to pay the tax on people who can't do math?

[brunahildm.livejournal.com]

Well, see, I had already planned this fabulous trip I was going to take with the winnings I was SURE I'd get, but now... I guess I'll just go to the movies.

[jenrose]

Heh, good thing you didn't spend the money on lottery tickets, you can afford the movies... :)

[jan-andrea.livejournal.com]

I thought your post there was excellent, and it's too bad M. ignored it :P

[jenrose]

*shrug*

No skin off my nose.
I can pontificate, they don't have to listen. ;)

[jan-andrea.livejournal.com]

That is the awesomest icon ever.

Just for the hell of it, I tried something similar a while back -- visualizing positive things, etc. and I don't think my positives were any higher than they would have been had I simply sat on my ass and whined.

It's when the idiots start going on about vibrational energy and allied garbage that my brain pulls a Homer -- "You can stay, but I'm out of here!" -- and I slink away in disgust :P