Bending spoons and PMT
Thursday, October 21st, 2004 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
robinturnerProvoked by watching a documentary on Uri Geller and reading about a friend's pre-menstrual moods.
We want to believe that Uri Geller can bend spoons because we want to believe that things can happen because we want them to.
We are disturbed by hormonal mood-swings because we want to believe that our emotions are a reliable reflection of our experiences, or because we don't like the idea that we can't control.
As Epictetus said, there are things which are in our hands, and things which aren't. But distinguishing between the two is tricky.
We want to believe that Uri Geller can bend spoons because we want to believe that things can happen because we want them to.
We are disturbed by hormonal mood-swings because we want to believe that our emotions are a reliable reflection of our experiences, or because we don't like the idea that we can't control.
As Epictetus said, there are things which are in our hands, and things which aren't. But distinguishing between the two is tricky.
