Delaware Is Closed Today November 13, 2006
Posted by The Probabilist in : [Articles], Communication, Entertainment, Society, Psychology, Investing, History , 2 comments
There was a funny and intriguing example of human behaviour in a book I’m currently reading. Apparently, in 1963 the well-known TV show Candid Camera decided to test the power of authority and the written word. The prank involved setting up a big sign on the boarder of Pennsylvania and Delaware saying that “Delaware is closed today”. Next to it was a table with a few respectable looking men wearing suits and ties whose job was to tell people that Delaware is under repair, they don’t know the specifics and that the motorists should try again the next day.
Well, many drivers simply drove on without questioning the sign, but some did. They talked with the men what this was about and decided to turn around. Some even turned around promptly just by seeing the combination of the sign and the “authoritative figures” sitting at the table. One driver faintly asked if Jersey is still open. I hope the rest of them didn’t worry too much about how granny was doing over in Delaware.
Ok, so what’s the lesson of the story? Whenever you sign a contract, negotiate a deal or are told to comply to spoken or written word which you don’t fully comprehend, make sure that you do before you take action. Don’t let an “expert” sway you with grand words, professional jargon or authoritative, bureaucratic policy statements if they don’t make sense to you. On the flip side, don’t use these methods yourself either when there’s a good chance they will only make a person sceptical or confused.
Take for instance your personal finances. The more people you tell that you have extra cash to invest, the more investment vehicles you’ll encounter and everyone will have their truly best opinion on what you should go for. Now I’m not saying most of them are automatically bad advices, but a description of a car isn’t quite the same as driving one. It’s especially tricky when suddenly there are tens or hundreds of signs saying “This is open today” or That is closed today” and you don’t even know who put them there in the first place - or to whose benefit.
So keep your eyes open for the road signs, educate yourself on understanding which ones fly sky high when a storm is brewing and find out who stands behind productive, honest and stable advices that fit your requirements.
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Lucid Dreaming: Levitation November 1, 2006
Posted by The Probabilist in : [Articles], Consciousness, Creativity, Dreams, Entertainment, Weird, Abilities , add a comment
Defying gravity is commonly the first unnatural act you successfully master in the dream world. Last night was a bit different for me since I discovered the very basic issue that is required to start flying/levitating. I didn’t try levitation on spot because gliding forward seemed more exciting and useful.
At the beginning of my dream I just found myself doing it along a sidewalk close to where I live in the middle of the pitch black night when no one saw me. However, at the end of the road it was daytime, I was walking and I met a friend. We walked alongside back the way I came and thought that it’s time to prove to him that I can levitate. First, I concentrated on my steps while walking. Then I took a couple small jumps and noticed myself gradually gliding towards the surface - it was time. I took my last leap into the air, crossed my legs and put my hands together and found myself moving in the air at the same speed he was walking. After about half a kilometer there’s a 45 degree turn to the left. I simply leaned my body slightly to the left and found myself capable of turning.
My confidence rose as I felt that I’m now mastering this ability. That’s when the challenges started appearing. My friend took hold of me and asked me what I was doing. I decided not to let this distract me and he suddenly let go of me and said “Oh, ok”. My guess is that he thought I was meditating or something. After this a steep hill was up ahead. This was a major challenge indeed. While I did manage to float over it almost touching the ground, when the hill ended I bounced up high in the air and panicked slightly. This time I really lost control and my arms and legs were kicking about as I tried to aim for a tree. Just as I took hold of some branches my dream ended.
So what does it really take to do something like this? It’s not just about taking small jumps and a final leap into the air. No, it’s about taking a leap of faith. Without the belief that you’re actually capable of doing what you wish, it won’t succeed. If you’re a skeptic and want to prove it isn’t possible then that’s the only proof you will find. I like to think that this single issue will hold true to all the abilities I wish to experience while dreaming.
The reason I named this skill levitation is because it is scientifically explained as forces that repel each other and that’s how it felt as well. When walking it was like the surface or gravity itself was one magnetic polarity and I the other, which causes me to touch the ground. However, when I took the leap of faith I changed my body’s polarity to the same as the earth which caused me to float in the air. The upward movement while passing the hill forced me to be so close to the surface that eventually where the hill ended and the surface flattened out I bounced up sky high.
What also struck me as odd in this dream was that I usually switch places very often, but not this time. I was levitating almost for two kilometers in the same neighborhood I know and my friend was there the whole time. Chronologically it was also more congruent with the waking world once I really started focusing on what I was doing.
I still wasn’t able to distinct this experience as a dream though. My mind was strictly focused on the task and proving to myself and my friend that I could do it. This has given me a ‘chicken or the egg’ question for the dream world. Am I supposed to first do unnatural things and this causes me to realize it’s a dream or will I first notice I’m dreaming and this causes me to realize I can do unnatural things? So far at least in my own experience it’s leaning towards the first alternative. Nevertheless, this is all getting increasingly exciting and more fun to experience even as it’s just starting to unfold.
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