What Makes A Magic Trick Works?

It is said that man, to survive, has always needed something or some belief to hold on; be it science, religion or magic. Man without a belief lacks hope (Walker, 1997). Lack of hope makes a man vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances. To avoid this vulnerability man has been holding onto different belief systems.

Think back to a time in class when there was an open-ended discussion. The teacher would start the discussion with a question or topic and the class would respond accordingly. Usually each question or topic had multiple points of view. The discussion would start when a peer would state their point of view and then another would either support that idea or contradict it with something else. There would be no right or wrong answer, but it would bring to light many suggestions most people in the class would not have thought of on their own. New ideas are born through discussions and opinions. Thinking about and accepting other’s opinions is how we grow and mature. That doesn’t mean we have to agree with them, it just means we have to give their opinions some thought and respect them. Maybe they

interpretations it is stated that what we view within our minds are just rifts between reality and

It will always be a challenge for humans to differentiate the illusion and the reality, it

Regularly I see that when I talk to people they have a set view on what is true and what is false. When explaining new concepts, ideas, or beliefs that do not necessarily fit the popular view, people often disregard it with a closed mind. From a young age people are taught what to say and do until it becomes meaningless and cliche. When something no longer fits this normality people do not know how to react thus reverting back to

A long time ago the difference between perception and reality was defined as the act of understanding in contrast to the act of being real. Reality could be tricky; most of us including myself depending on scenarios of our lives tend to give in to ideas which are not applicable to reality as a whole. The best example of this is written in the short story “All Over” by Guy de Maupassant. In which his main character Lormerin is very self conscious and narcissistic also Lise de Vance, a former old love plays a big role in hurting Lormerin ego and opening his eyes by showing him, his real self. Many would say that when reality knocks it could be harsh and confusing. In the next couple of

Reality is often contrasted with what is imaginary, delusional, (only) in the mind, dreams, what is false, what is

I often asked myself why it's so easy for me to talk about a large number of social issues with my close friends and family, yet when it comes to voicing my opinions to others, I am wary. It seems as though I'm only comfortable with voicing my opinions about controversial social issues to those who also share the same views as I do. Rather than stepping out of my comfort zone to talk about these issues directly to those who oppose my opinions, I retreat to instead reading about the opposing sides. In retrospect, I've noticed that discussing issues with those who agree with you is like “preaching to the choir.” I believe that being involved in an open dialogue with those who have different opinions from my own is a much more effective way to induce progressive thought. In attempting to discover a reason for why this may be the case, I cannot help but think that it is in part due to my upbringing. My mother has always been very reserved when it comes to discussing controversial issues with others. In addition, she would

Although the reasons which people shun others can change over time, one of the most fundamental reasons people shun others is the presentation of radical and new ideas. Oftentimes, one who posits a new idea which seems extremely outrageous compared to the social, scientific, or religious norms of the time can cause the person putting forward the idea to be shunned from society.

We all need to see our version of our reality reflected back to us by others. It takes an exceptional person to retain their understanding of their identity when others question it, deny it or even set out to destroy it. Many of us cannot withstand such an assault on our sense of self, submitting to the strong, dominating personalities who want to shape the world in their own image. However, it is not only others who have the capacity to bring our fragile sense of reality undone; maintaining one’s self belief also requires withstanding the doubts of self.

What we think is reality will ultimately become our reality if we believe certain things about an individual; he/she begins acting in exactly that way.

When others dictate what we should think, feel and do, it eats away at our confidence. We begin to distrust our own instincts and we lose the ability to decipher what we really believe in versus what society, for example, wants us to be believe in. Although standing up for your beliefs seems difficult, the more you practice on it, the more you empower yourself. You build more confidence. Doing what you know is right takes guts; it takes guts to express an unpopular viewpoint. However, the more you tap on your guts, the more confident you become. We wouldn't be human if we didn't make the effort to step up and voice what you know is

In a culturally diverse world, it is difficult for individuals and communities to express thoughts and opinions to one another well. It is especially difficult when it comes to disagreements and differences regarding religion. To overcome this struggle, it is important to be open-minded, accepting, understanding, and respectful of everyone – whether they have the same or different beliefs. Each religion has its own set of traditions, practices, and beliefs. Because of this, individuals of different religions may not agree with one another, often resulting in conflicts.

Jack Blattner AP English 1/15/15 Mr. Martin Certainty and Doubt William Lyon Phelps said, “If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible,” while Bertrand Russell said, “I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.” These two perspectives could not be more opposite and give true insight into the belief systems of each of the authors. Many people, particularly people with a strong faith in God and a belief that a higher authority is involved in their everyday lives, strongly feel that their faith and beliefs will allow them to achieve all of their hopes and desires. Even in the face of tragedy and inexplicable cruelty and hardship faced by millions of people in the world, the faithful believe that God’s will will ultimately prevail, and that belief is often unshakable.

In world of sports, magic plays a big part in not only the lives of those participating in the games, but of those spectating as well. In the reading, “Baseball Magic”, Gmelch(2012) describes magic as, “practices, notably the use of rituals, taboos and fetishes or good luck charms, designed to gain control over the supernatural p(267).” Many players in the game of baseball have multiple different rituals or good luck charms they use every day in order to achieve the peak performance. Most commonly, players use these the most when on the pitcher’s mound or in the batter’s box. These are the most difficult tasks in baseball and the players will take any good luck they can get in order to perform at the top of their game. In the article ritual is defined as “prescribed behaviors in which there is no empirical connection between the means and the desired end (Gmelch 268).” Even though these actions do not have any direct correlation to how the players perform, these players still practice them habitually because they believe that they will play better. Gmelch, describes in his article, how Wade Boggs would eat chicken before every single game in his major league career because he believed it would help him achieve optimum performance in the game later that day. Good luck charms, or fetishes are also very common in baseball. Many believe that these objects coincide with their good performance, thus many players keep these good luck charms with them. One example that I thought was