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Nor are they as rare as one might think. My own encounters with precognitive dreams, synchronicities, telepathy and other paranormal phenomena suggest that we need only pay close attention to our experience to detect the presence of some of these (and keeping a dream journal, as Swedenborg did, is a good way to do this). Most of us experience some form of the paranormal without even recognizing it, which suggests that rather than a special "gift" possessed by only the few, these powers are a part of human nature—submerged, yes, but still present and on occasion active.
I used a hypnosis technique in the paragraph before last that starts with “By now you are wondering . . .” The hypnosis technique involves demonstrating that I know what you are thinking at the moment you are thinking it. If I guess right, this creates a little bond between the author and the reader because it feels like I know you as well as I might know a friend. It’s like I’m in your head. That type of personal connection makes whatever I write seem more interesting to you because you naturally care more about a friend than a stranger. Hypnotists use the same method to create a quick connection with the subject. If I tell you what you are thinking at the exact moment you are thinking it, I can create the illusion that our minds are somehow connected. And once connected, and comfortable with the connection, the subject is more likely to let the hypnotist later operate the controls.
“War is the ultimate finite game. Religion is the ultimate infinite game,” said Jim Carse last night. “Evil does exist: it is when an infinite game is absorbed utterly in a finite game. All evil is an attempt to eliminate evil.”
SALT Summaries, Condensed Ideas About Long-Term Thinking
Stewart Brand
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