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I've never understood high magic, I don't think I wanted to because I never saw the value in it other than training or preparing one's own mental prowess.
I understand low magic and the power it conveys because I have an good grasp of causality. If only people would understand how fearsome some low magicians are when combined with knowledge, money and power.
My biggest failing is not being able to plan to play the long game. I was always taught to not plan too far ahead so my plans would be more adaptable when circumstances changed.
For instance I was taught to think three moves ahead in Chess, but no more because of the shifting sands and over commitment to a plan can bring about one's undoing.
For instance one can plan for for an retirement of ease, but have a heart attack next week wiping out the American's retirement fund...
The reason for this long boring post is; most people who look behind the curtain see low magicians working their craft. But the esoteric things remain mysterious to them because they can't see the workings of high magic or its effects. Thus making low magic more common.
I guess a lower level of high magic would be like going to church, making friends and feeling happy that the deity loves you. So you drink in moderation and avoid liver cirrhosis later in life...
Or you volunteer at a soup kitchen and make a difference in a homeless person's life to feel good about yourself. That way you stop worrying about any problems you may have and focus on solving other people's problems for a stress free night.
:blah: I think I'm locked into finding causality where there isn't any.
I'm hopeless! :D
Quoting: NowIhavetothinkofaname 76315915 High magic isnt for everyone and as you point out where is the proof it works? Its just another faith based exercise on it's surface. No different than a catholic ceremony with all its incense and chanting and kneeling. The general idea being that if it's done correctly and earnestly then it makes you standout and grants you a more personal audience with your deity.
Yes ppl underestimate lower magic, mans magic, and all its nuisances. Most of us know who Chris Angel is and have seen his videos of various kinds of mentalism, slight of hand and misdirection. Even knowing who he is and that he is tricking you he still can do it in impressive fashion. Imagine dealing with someone with his skill who never admits he is performing magic tricks on you or needs their ego to take credit for tricking you ? They would be devastatingly effective. That kind of manipulation is known as black psychology.
There's a middle ground for your Longview problem dude.
Let's say you're going to climb a mountain. Your longterm plan is to climb the mountain right? No matter what you know what direction youre headed even if you don't know exactly how you're going to do it. So it is with keeping a long game. You just keep plodding towards the goal until a plan creates itself out of your circumstances.
The only way your plan to climb truly stops is if you turn around and come back down. Otherwise your plan is just stalled.
Or you can be that weirdo who stopped halfway up and now lives on the side of the mountain and won't go up or down out of indecision
But indecision is a completely different problem than not planning ahead
Thanks a bunch dood! You've helped me a lot and it's not just me who owes you a debt of gratitude.
There's dozens of lurkers who aren't chatty and your usual pets. Who would no doubt begrudgingly admit you've helped them if only they would get over their issues and take the time to listen to you or at least stop ranting! :D
You've saved me a lot of time by convincing me not to look into high magic. If I can't see the causality I'll never really get it.
As for low magic, as I understand it. It's more than just psychology and mind games, or even magician tricks although that is certainly part of it. I know some people with access to tools at their disposal which offers them the capacity to use the force of the state as their own power. That right there is some seriously scary stuff, which makes me wary of people using low magic because of the level of force some people possess. But I will Google Black Psychology! :D
And again you're right about developing goals and working towards them by using mountain climbing as an example. I guess I've been heavily conditioned to value adaptability over long term thinking.
For instance I may make climbing a mountain a goal and save up for it. But those sort of goals seem so distant as to be dreams as opposed to immediate objectives.
I do have a goal of one day owning a unit in regional Australia, because regional cities have amenities and are much cheaper than the capitals. First I go bankrupt and use the cost of living minimalization to save up a deposit and slowly pay off the unit. I have $400 in Ripple and who knows where that will go!
But I've started saving money and moving to a regional city that offers cheap rent is a start to building up that deposit. But it seems like an intangible dream and not something that will come to fruition any time soon so I don't focus on it.
Besides even if I do buy that unit, there's no guarantee I wont die from heart disease sometime over the next 10 years...
I think I was taught the adaptability because we're not guaranteed another day on Earth let alone 20 years to pay off a unit. There's so many different ways to die, from heart attacks to cancer to accidents to governments failing to civil war!
All we can do is hope for the best and plan for the worst.
