Dear Wisdom:

Well, like I wrote on the other thread, he has no idea what’s behind that short message from you, and I don’t know how he would have reacted if he had an idea. For him it could be just a “hi”- after all, he has no way of knowing. This is making me think, if it was destiny wouldn’t he know what’s behind the “hi”- makes me think of destiny as another type of magical/ convenient/ feel good thinking that is not realistic.

As to your post on Joe’s thread, i didn’t want to answer there so not to make our communication take over his thread. Here is what you wrote: “… maybe it is all a ploy to make lots of people greedy and selfish”- It is a ploy when someone is trying to sell something, to financially profit from people employing magical thinking, absolutely. “or just batcrap crazy” – that too.

“…does this only work for certain people?’ like how some people are just born gifted, is this part of a gift?” people who are “gifted” with athletic or musical talent by their genes. And they develop such genetic talent through practice and perseverance.

“… maybe selectively, by god, we’re able to do certain things or just…more special?” god has nothing to do with our genetic talents. Not more than a zebra being born with a long, long neck. Is it more special than an … elephant who doesn’t have a long neck? Maybe the zebra thinks (if it thought) those ears are quite cool!

“…it would be lovely as hell if we could just think of all the good things we want and have them, but as far as my 19 years go, i don’t even know. i don’t know if it’s real or just a fantasy thing.” Yes, it would be lovely if we could make things happen by simply thinking about it. That would be magical, not real. Life is real though, not magical. You are not the only one, Wisdom. I too had big dreams. i told you: being rich and famous. I too thought about it and felt a lot about it, wanted it desperately. But it didn’t happen because thinking doesn’t make things happen, plus I do not have a genetic gift to … match my dreams.

“and only lately am i trying things on my own so i won’t know the answer until i get answers myself.”- This is the independent thinking Wisdom I wrote about earlier today!

“but as far as i’m concerned, it’s a scheme and only leaves everybody stuck in their dreams day and night. in their dreams and their nightmares at the same time.” – beautifully articulated: “stuck in their dreams… and their nightmares at the same time”- wow! Well phrased! This is what magical thinking brings us, dreams and nightmares.

Better see reality as it is: it is not as beautiful as our dreams, but it is not as bad as our nightmares. it is hard at first to see things as they are but you get used to it. It is not as bad as you think… definitely not as bad as the nightmares that interrupt the dreams of magical thinking!

anita