Quote:Quote:Magical Realist Wrote:LeighaThis is interesting, and I've always enjoyed reading your posts, especially on the science forum because it's refreshing to read thoughts that go against the grain. (But, I understand the angst that many have over pseudo-science, etc) Just curious, what do you think drives your belief in the paranormal? I don't disbelieve in it, but sometimes, I fear that I may be easily convinced in believing something, without ''rational'' evidence to support it. Do you believe that you reason towards your conclusions, or do you rely on emotions/feelings/guesswork when it comes to the paranormal?
Being honest with myself, I see my worldview more determined by my emotions than by reason. Even the news we watch slants reality towards a storybook like drama where good guys win and bad things rarely happen. Yet we know everyday there are thousands of horrible random accidents, mutant births, terminal diseases, suicides, killings, and senseless assaults that don't get reported. I like to think the world is more orderly than it is, that what happens usually happens for a reason, and that human rationality rules over everything. It comforts and assures me to think this. But deep down I know it's not true--that chaos and randomness are breaking out all around us unseen and undiscussed.
(ehh cant unbold this paragraph)
while its fresh in mind, i wanted to note...
4 things
1. increased communication
2. increased news focussing on bad events increasing over all quantity of bad events communicated inspite of any increase or decrease in actual bad events.
3. minimalsing of social networking connections.
4. awareness expansion
1. age of communication
everyone has a cell phone (more like most western workers and young adults have atleast 2 cell phones & a laptop)
2. increased reporting of bad events
(crime reporting increase)
-many not soo reputable news agencys(& those purely competing for money/clicks & the extremists) compete to be the first of the worst reporting the most horrific events possible and to keep that type of shock content flowing to attract those people who wish to view it(quite a large number of people).
-as society becomes more civilised you get a marked increase in crime reporting.(talk to a criminologist or specialised police/investigator).
3. as people get older there is a tendency for them to reduce their level of social activity as an interaction with a wider range of people.
this amplifys the content value of individuals inside the social circle.
thus various negative events become more prevailent on the minds hapiness as they lack the statistical variation of good expereinces that comes with larger numbers of interactions.
There is also groups like new parents
Political extremism
Religous Extremism
Profiteering
all of which reduce the variant of social interaction and normalise it as a process of lying to themselves(mostly).
probably why new parents make such an easy sales con for many companies.
4.
the more you know the more you realise must be going on that you dont know
the more you know the more you know you dont know...