I am going to surprise most of you by NOT being snarky. "Magical thinking" is a valid way of modeling the universe for most "kids" today. It has the virtues of being simple and being sufficiently accurate for navigational purposes. It is analogous to plotting a state in the United States as being a flat plane rather than a small patch on the surface of a sphere.
Magical Thinking
Magical thinking is defined in this essay as "The belief that I can change reality if I want something sufficiently. If I want something with enough intensity then processes that are beyond understanding activate and the object of my desires magically appears in my hand."
Suppose I desired an exotic honey from flowers that bloomed only in Jairampur during the month after the monsoons stopped. If enough other people desired that same honey and were willing to pay for it, then it would be possible to buy it on Amazon.com.
That is the magic of Capitalism.
If the economy is rich enough in resources, then the government intervenes and makes that honey available to every citizen regardless of their personal economic resources.
In this case the government stands in for the parent who bought his kid a pony because they they were rotten POS and begged and pleaded and held their breath.
So the child who is chronologically an adult is repeatedly validated in their belief in "Magic".
Frustration
What is frustrating to the adults in the room is that government interventions are nearly always toxic to the "...processes that are beyond understanding..." that create the market for the exotic honey.
The central planners (parent of the parent/child) assume that the honey will always show up like the tides or the rising-and-setting of the sun. (Visualize Sandy Cortez, bartender)
While others might argue, it is my gut-feel that magical thinking can only exist in the box outlined in red. If the economy slides too far to the left then it sinks into low-resource mode (Cuba or Venezuela for instance). Magical thinking evaporates when dreams of a ham sandwich prove insufficient to create a stale, moldy donut.
Magical thinking also struggles to survive in places like South Korea and Singapore, bastions of frenzied economic activity.
"Magical Thinking" and it's results are very real.
ReplyDeleteThey are also ALWAYS temporary. Eventually that
ugly bitch reality shows up and upsets the magical
apple cart. We are on the verge of seeing that apple
cart get tossed....big time. In a way most people have
never witnessed. The "magical thinking" has prevailed
for a very long time. Now that the pendulum has started
swinging back it must do so in to an equal measure.
And that's going to be ugly.
We created two generations who believe that throwing tantrums "creates" things.
DeleteIt is what they want to believe and they have ample evidence that is how things work.
Odd. I've been considering the concept that we might have to "lose" a generation or two to restore sanity. Not all of the generations, because there are always some who don't use magical thinking.
DeleteI guess I'll be one of those ugly somebodies when they show up on my doorstep having a coniption fit after things have went pear-shaped, inside out and castors up, and no one will serve them their double milk light coffee soy grande latte.
Things that make you go hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI must confess that as a parent I was guilty of telling my children that they could do anything if they played by the rules, planned their work and worked their plan.
I was young and naive.
You might want to add "and hide their winnings" to the list.
DeleteThe Progressives cannot steal it if they cannot find it.
Right on! The barter system is coming back. I think precious metals will start showing up in transactions within a year or so due to hyperinflation.
DeletePaper trails disappear with regularity in the lower economic brackets.
I've used firewood, fishing tackle, firearms and tools as currency personally.
I'm looking forward to the first time someone offers to pay me in silver or gold. Waiting on the icebreaker...
Hmppppfffff. They indoctrinate the kids with pretty lies now. Most of their parents were too. The worst of it is that if you don’t magically get what you want… it’s because somebody is oppressing you or emitting bad magical rays or juju. And they MUST be punished!
ReplyDeleteI've seen magical thinking. In fact, I know a "life coach" who advocates it. She literally tells her client to imagine the universe supplying whatever it is they want. (I suppose the reason I am not a "life coach" is that no one will pay me to tell them - "you want xxxx, get off your ass and work for it!"
ReplyDeleteA subset of magical thinking is believing in the magical power of government. For example, many people believe that the US can go to 100% renewable forms of energy totally without cost if the government were merely to mandate it. I have no doubt we could do it but electricity costs would be an order of magnitude higher than they are now. But the magical thinkers believe that government programs have no costs.
Unfortunately, I've met some of those people...
DeleteThe US will NEVER get to 100% renewable energy, but that won't stop them from destroying the country in the attempt.
But their view is the same on any subject - it will happen if the government mandates it, regardless of economics, or even the laws of physics. Are these the people who tried to repeal gravity several years ago?