Two quick thoughts. Just humor me.

Quantum Prayers

First, assume that prayers and wishes are fulfilled occasionally. Second, only consider prayers and wishes that have a low probability of occurring. Third, as a rational thinker, believe that the universe is logical and governed by predictable laws and measurable phenomena. Fourth, believe that most phenomena have physical manifestations such as electrons to electricity or photons to light. Based on these assumptions, this means that prayer and wish fulfillment, as rare as they may be, can be described by laws and these phenomena can be objectively measured. Furthermore, that means it may be possible to manipulate the mechanisms of wish fulfillment in a reliable way to one’s advantage.

Origins of Coincidences

You know that feeling when you just “know” something is going to happen? Most of the time nothing happens, but every now and then, something does. 1.) What if seemingly coincidental thoughts don’t originate from our minds, but a manifestation of the future occurrence retroactively enters our minds? 2.) What if a potential occurrence that has a strong likelihood of eventually occurring creates that feeling in us? If the event doesn’t come to pass, the sensation goes away and we forget about it. Occasionally though, everything lines up perfectly and the premonition is fulfilled.

It may be easy for one to simply attribute these instances to chance, God, destiny, or whatever else, but we can’t stop there. Before we understood that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun, “we’’ attributed the rise and fall of the sun to the will of deities. Before we understood how climate works, thunder was the byproduct of deity fights and electricity was the wrath of God. If we had remained content believing that these phenomena could be attributed to unknowable forces, then we might not have learned as much about the world as we have.  If we don’t seek for better explanations, we may be delaying the discovery of even greater truths.

(Photo Credit: Freeimages.com/Alan Eno)