Back in April, Pamela Gerloff posted something on her Psychology Today blog that was pure secular New Thought: You Mean Anything Is Possible? Subtitle: “How to radically expand beyond the limits of your mind.”
She starts, naturally, with an anecdote: a professor of hers named Lester managed to think his way out of a heart condition by “systematically let[ting] go of every negative emotion he was experiencing.” And of course, “after he had attained this state he found that he could heal people and fix objects, such as broken TVs, merely by ‘seeing them as perfect.’”
Stephen Law recently felt compelled to comment:
Are you actually suggesting that if we really, really believe we can fly by flapping our arms, and jump of the roof, then we will fly? Surely this takes the “power of positive thinking” too far?! [...]
One danger of this sort of nonsense is that it leads to blaming people for their own illnesses. If you’re ill, it’s your own fault! Banish those bad thoughts. You just need to *think* your way to health.
Gerloff’s response was largely unhelpful, and ended with the statement: “By the way #2, if people can levitate–as has been demonstrated–then why shouldn’t they be able to fly?”
Walk away, Stephen. Just walk away.
Sh17, it’s a shame, they are many good writers in Psychology Today, sad they have to be in same place with those other loonies.
The impossible made possible. Sounds like Coke Zero.
maybe ms. gerloff should try imagining that she can think rationally.
Alright, Pamela. Go up to the rooftop and show us how it’s done….
I dare ya.
(Idiot.)
A proper test of the theory requires a starting elevation of at least a hundred meters so that you have time to adjust your attitude on the way down. The roof of a 25-story building serves this purpose nicely.
LOL! Would the velocity be terminal at that height…
*snicker*
About 45 m/sec, or almost exactly 100 mph on impact, neglecting air resistance. Probably more on the order of 40 m/sec or 90 mph in the real world, unless you’re jumping from a building on the Peruvian altiplano.
It also depends on whether you do the sky-diver pose, or the cannonball.
By that notion, I suppose we could all imagine heart disease on our enemies? Seriously, if wishful thinking actually worked, everybody visiting Vegas to gamble would win. The folks running Vegas would soon be out of business if wishful thinking could change the world.
The only time that wishful thinking is useful is when it motivates people to get off their ass and work hard toward accomplishing realistic goals. No amount of positive thoughts or “systematically letting go of every negative emotion” is going to cure heart disease. Only cardiac stem cells can cure heart disease — positive thoughts have virtually nothing to do with it.
No, see, the casinos hire lots of people to wish REALLY HARD, so they manage to out-wish all their customers.
Casino owners were smart enough to hammer into our mind the idea that the house always wins. When you go to Vegas you have this idea always at the back of your mind so you’re belief is not strong enough to change the law of probability or even worse you may be pushing them in favor of the casino.
If we could change the law of probability by our will alone, then we’d pretty much qualify as gods.
We’d also be very rich, if we had any brains to go with our probability-warping powers.
Well, all it takes is faith and trust, and something she forgot…PIXIE DUST!
That’s just plain silly. Everyone knows that if your broken TV starts working again it’s the work of God, not your mind.
Did someone told her Wish cost exp points? (ok this one was sad)
I was going to make EXACTLY that same joke.
Pfff…. XP points, that’s for sissies! In the older editions of AD&D it cost you one year of your lifespan.
Oh, and I’m surprised that Ms. Gerloff didn’t connect the dots between wishful thinking and quantum woo. I’m sure that would make her story all the more plausible.
Shush! You’ll put ideas in her head.
But they do say nature abhors a vacuum…
Which is why there’s this effect. Just don’t tell them it creates something out of nothing. Otherwise, their heads might ‘splode *ducks*
At least there will be no brain matter at my clothes *sigh*
But they do say nature abhors a vacuum…
I always though that should read: “Nature whores out a vacuum.”
You heard it here first, folks.
Pfff…. XP points, that’s for sissies! In the older editions of AD&D it cost you one year of your lifespan.
Somewhat ironically, the XP cost is generally steeper in real terms for characters, but less so for players. I mean, how much XP do you think the average non-adventuring wizard hanging out in his tower contemplating his navel earns in a year?
Are we using the “over-time navel contemplation” rule chart? if so, it can really add up.
especially if he is thinking positive things about said navel.
LOL.
You two do realize that you are insane? ;-)
Besides, the correct answer to Elemenope’s question is, of course, 42 XP.
Aaaaand, there are no non-adventuring wizards in foxholes… errr… ivory towers… errr… whatever
if he’s spellcasting daily, and the DM (like mine) gives XP for appropriate spell use, it can actually stack up fairly well
Two guys going to Vagas.
“Just remember man, believe and believe and it will happen, believe we will win and we will win”
An hour later and $2000 dollars down.
“Your not believing! Believe! Believe!”
“I am believing.”
“believe harder! Believe harder!“
Apparently to Jesus it was easier to make a mountain fly rather than a person: “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Mark 11:23.
Yoda could have done it. Totes.
The Amazing Randi is handing out money for empirical demonstration of this – there should be a stampede now that the secret (pun intended) is out.. Except that empirical requirements x’s out the positive vibes, and then the negative vibes double and that makes Sylvia Browne cry.
***Fucking goddamned stupidity… Willful self deception…
If she really believed hard enough for people to believe her,then it would happened,wouldn’t it?
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This reminds me of Richard Bach’s books like “Illusions” and “One.” It amazes me that people actually believe this crap.