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Where Does the Magic Go as We Grow Older? (2020)

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Re: Where Does the Magic Go as We Grow Older? (2020)

#21

Post by cosmic_cheese »

swayvil wrote: post #17

I think your awareness shrinks. (And by awareness I mean attention. What you direct when you pay attention. What you concentrate when you concentrate. What gets jerked around when you are distracted). You spend your whole life focusing on the important stuff / ignoring the unimportant stuff. In this way you slowly whittle your reality down to a nub. Also, much that was half-visible or vaguely-visible or almost-invisi…

I agree that this is probably a major contributor. The human mind has only so much mental bandwidth available, and mere existence in modern society demands much of it. Whatever is left over is slowly consumed as responsibilities accumulate.

I believe that this loss is somewhat reversible, however. Whenever I take a vacation that serves as a hard break from practically all of my responsibilities, I notice that the color and details of the world begin to trickle back in. If only it were practical to remain in that state for extended periods.

Re: Where Does the Magic Go as We Grow Older? (2020)

#22

Post by swayvil »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #21
swayvil wrote: post #17

I think your awareness shrinks. (And by awareness I mean attention. What you direct when you pay attention. What you concentrate when you concentrate. What gets jerked around when you are distracted). You spend your whole life focusing on the important stuff / ignoring the unimportant stuff. In this way you slowly whittle your reality down to a nub. Also, much that was half-visible or vaguely-visible or almost-invisi…

I agree that this is probably a major contributor. The human mind has only so much mental bandwidth available, and mere existence in modern society demands much of it. Whatever is left over is slowly consumed as responsibilities accumulate. I believe that this loss is somewhat reversible, however. Whenever I take a vacation that serves as a hard break from practically all of my responsibilities, I notice that the col…

Hmm yes, that's the question. What are methods for reversing the shrinkage? How do you intentionally open your awareness to the invisible reality?

I think a loss of control is called for. Ya, travel might do it. Also drugs, meditation...?

Or it could even be thrust on you, an accident or disaster. A sudden violent involuntary expansion of awareness.

Re: Where Does the Magic Go as We Grow Older? (2020)

#26

Post by er453r »

When I was a child I had a mild case of synesthesia. I would often see colors or feel textures when hearing sounds. Touching different textures would trigger memories associated with the sound-texture pair... A wild trip for an adult, but at that time I thought everybody perceived the world that way.

I have also had a feeling for Magic. An unmistakable tingling, in my brain, when I learned/discovered something new. It was the best feeling in the world - it kept me exploring and learning the unknown.

All of that started getting weaker somewhere in my teens. Then it completely disappeared when I was around 20. I still hold the memories, the codex of sound/color/textures, but nothing triggers it. Nothing triggers the Magic sense. It all just faded away.

I would do anything to feel it again.

Re: Where Does the Magic Go as We Grow Older? (2020)

#28

Post by johnea »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #18
johnea wrote: post #11

WTF?! Seriously... It doesn't sound like the individual writing this article has actually grown at all. Why are the millennial generations so lost in make believe? The reason the "majic" went away, is because it never existed! It was a figment of your childhood imagination. The real failure of those lost in make believe is that actual reality is about a billion times more enganging and offers about a trillion times t…

I would posit that the imperative to “grow up” is in fact part of the problem. As children become adults they’re repeatedly told to “be realistic” and follow well-worn paths taken by numerous others in attempt to avoid “failure”. Don’t do the thing you’ve dreamed about since you were a kid, become a doctor/lawyer/developer/etc. Don’t discover yourself and explore the possibilities, stick to what’s “safe”. This system…

Nice effort at defending life in make believe! But it just doesn't hold water.

Referring to my original post:

--- The real failure of those lost in make believe is that actual reality is about a billion times more engaging and offers about a trillion times the opportunity to see expanded horizons. ---

No one has to give up "natural sparks" or "achievable goals", in fact so much is gained by "facing reality" that loss of fictional childhood dreams is a welcome release that allows realization of real plans and aspirations.

The idea that living in Dungeons and Dragons world is going to enable anyone to change the real world is just... childish.

Grow Up! The real world will be there waiting for you. Because, that's all there actually is...

Re: Where Does the Magic Go as We Grow Older? (2020)

#29

Post by cosmic_cheese »

johnea wrote: post #28
cosmic_cheese wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would posit that the imperative to “grow up” is in fact part of the problem. As children become adults they’re repeatedly told to “be realistic” and follow well-worn paths taken by numerous others in attempt to avoid “failure”. Don’t do the thing you’ve dreamed about since you were a kid, become a doctor/lawyer/developer/etc. Don’t discover yourself and explore the possibilities, stick to what’s “safe”. This system…

Nice effort at defending life in make believe! But it just doesn't hold water. Referring to my original post: --- The real failure of those lost in make believe is that actual reality is about a billion times more engaging and offers about a trillion times the opportunity to see expanded horizons. --- No one has to give up "natural sparks" or "achievable goals", in fact so much is gained by "facing reality" that loss…

My point is that people cannot manifest that which they cannot imagine, and the system as it’s currently structured crushes imagination and packs it away into the box of “childish” fiction. All those opportunities you’ve mentioned get boxed up along with that, because they don’t align with any of the paths prescribed by society. They’re viewed as unreachable fantasies.

People still have a drive to procure agency in their lives though, and so instead of pursuing opportunities in real life (which they’ve been told is unrealistic), they live them out in mediums that give them permission to do so, like video games, TV shows, and books.

So ironically, if we want to encourage people to get their head out of the clouds and pursue their goals, telling them to grow up is the least productive thing one could possibly do. A much more productive message would be one of empowerment — that dreams don’t have to remain dreams, that it’s ok to take risks, try things, and potentially fail, and that everybody has some amount of power to shape their own reality.

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