Posted on August 4, 2019
(First Sunday of August)
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| Yesterday was National Grab Some Nuts Day. Not sure how this chipmunk knew!!?! |
In the U.S., there's a "National Day" for this and a "National Day" for that - and of course most of these so-called national holidays are not official in any way. In the world, same thing: there are "World Day of ____" and "International Day of the ____" - with many of these dates having no official status anywhere.
Naturally, schools and banks and governmental offices are not closed on unofficial national, world, or international days.
Some of these "holidays" fall on a particular date - the same date every year - and some fall on "the first Monday of March" or some such movable date. I noticed that SIX different things are supposed to be celebrated on the first Sunday of August. One of them I've already written about; see "National Doll Day" under "Also on this date" below.
Here are the other five:
Here are the other five:
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| (1) American Family Day |
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(2) Friendship Day
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| (3) National Kids' Day |
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| (4) National Psychic Day |
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| (5) Sisters' Day |
Wow!
If you have a great relationship with a kid sister who happens to be a psychic - well, you've got it made! Shower that sister/friend/psychic with love and attention. Make her a card, pick some lovely flowers to present to her, and make her a special breakfast.
I'm pretty much kidding, but notice that there is definitely some overlap in the holidays listed above. Kids mostly grow up in families, and sisters are family members. Family and friends are both important - and sometimes family members are friends, of course! - and kids are the future. The one thing that stands out as being a bit different than the others is the psychic day.
A psychic is a person who is supposed to have unusual powers such as being able to tell the future, communicating with the dead, or knowing things that should be unknowable - like what someone else is thinking, or who did a crime with absolutely no witnesses.
The thing about a psychic is that her or his powers are supposed to be impossible to explain by the laws of nature.
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| Some magicians don't call themselves "magician," but instead use the label "illusionist." |
In other words, we aren't talking about a magician; she or he does illusions - tricking the eye into believing that something impossible happened - and magicians always mention that they really ARE illusions and tricks. (Magicians don't claim to do "real magic.")
Also, we aren't talking about a really observant person, a sort of Sherlock Holmes, who can deduce all sorts of things from clues that most of us wouldn't notice.
Unfortunately, it seems that there is no such thing as psychic powers, no such thing as clairvoyance, telepathy, or other ESP powers. Apparently, fortune telling, prophecy, palm reading, crystal gazing, oracles, astrology, and tarot cards don't work to foretell the future. It seems that people cannot really communicate with the dead.
Unfortunately, it seems that there is no such thing as psychic powers, no such thing as clairvoyance, telepathy, or other ESP powers. Apparently, fortune telling, prophecy, palm reading, crystal gazing, oracles, astrology, and tarot cards don't work to foretell the future. It seems that people cannot really communicate with the dead.
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| For years and decades and more than a century, people claiming to communicate with the dead have held spooky séances with poor lighting and dramatic performances by a "seer." Many people, including well-educated people and even scientists, reported seeing weird lights, ghosts, and "ectoplasm." But magicians such as Harry Houdini caught on to a variety of tricks and props that were used to fool people. |
These flat statements are made not because all of these powers have been proven NOT to exist - you can't prove a negative! No, rather, I am saying that psychic powers don't exist because there is no evidence for any of them. There have been many tests of such powers, and the results have always been in one of two categories:
Either the person claiming to have psychic powers truly believes her/his claims, or she or he is a fraud.
Those who actually believe they have psychic powers sometimes subject themselves to tests. In most cases, they are not able to demonstrate their claimed powers to scientists and magicians. One or two of the failed psychics were disappointed with their own lack of performance, but most shrug it off with explanations that skepticism in the room ruined the test or something like. Some people proudly demonstrate their ability to know things they should not be able to know - but are then shown that, in reality, they used keen observation skills and picked up subtle cues from other people in order to figure out, say, where a person lives or what disease someone has.
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| Some people have tried to win the million-dollar prize and were disappointed when their claimed power failed them. |
Frauds don't subject themselves to tests, generally speaking, but there have been many skeptics, especially magicians, who have exposed their lies and trickery.
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| So-called psychics sometimes work with entire audiences and start with really general statements, wait for someone to acknowledge a "hit" ... and then continue to fish around for more hits by using more general statements, common names and causes of death, and so forth. |
Notice that when a magician does a "magic trick," she or he admits it is a trick - she or he doesn't claim to actually saw people in half, to actually disappear into thin air, to actually pull rabbits and doves out of hats. But when a psychic claims to really, truly speak with the dead or to know someone's medical diagnosis from their aura - and that'll be $200, please - but that psychic is really just making stuff up or has a conspirator who found out the diagnosis the normal, everyday ways - well THOSE sorts of tricks are very different. Tricking people for fame and attention - tricking people for book sales or money - tricking people who are grieving and vulnerable - that's super bad behavior, isn't it?
Here are a few kid-friendly resources to learn more about this topic:Junior Skeptic
Two Neuroscientists Walk Into a Psychic Fair
Watch the TV shows Psych or The Mentalist on Amazon Prime. NOTE: Both shows are murder/mystery/detective shows. The Mentalist can be graphic, upsetting, violent. Psych is much lighter and a comedy - but it still often pertains to murder!
TV shows such as Adam Ruins Everything, Bullsh*t, and Last Week Tonight have exposed the fraud committed by some psychics. Check them out on YouTube, broadcast TV, or streaming.
Birthday of sharpshooter Lillian Frances Smith
(First Sunday of August)
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