Magnets must have seemed like magic to ancient people. When my daughter raised this point last week it caused me to think about the definition of magic. If something is happening that nobody can explain using objective reasoning, is that magic? I say, “nobody”, because let’s face it, I can’t explain how magnets work and you can’t either. Somebody can, though, I’m sure. Disease used to be considered a result of some unseen force brought on by one’s character or a societies moral standing or some other subjective thing.

I wonder what our magnets of today are. I wonder if someone’s daughter 500 years from now will say something like, “mind melding must have seemed like magic to people a long time ago.”

Here is an example of something that seems to happen a lot in my life. Some of you know that I have been struggling a bit in trying to create my role here at work. It’s a new client and a new project and things are not exactly settled. That’s really what I gotta be me and Forest or trees? were about. I decided to forego a piece of the program that seemed to me to be risky and set up for failure (Forest or trees? ). I was going to start the process of carving out a role for myself on other parts of the program (I gotta be me ). Then I checked my email last night. The client has asked me to help with the risky part. Makes me feel good that they need my expertise to help lower the risk. But why on the day that I decided I wouldn’t have a role on that part did they decide otherwise? Mysticism.

There are better examples. Like when you and your spouse decide something at the same time. Like when you pick up your phone to call someone and it rings because that same someone is calling you. There are dramatic stories when someone will swear that they became aware the moment a loved one died many miles away.

Magic or serendipity? Maybe 500 years from now somebody’s daughter will say, “mind melding must have seemed like wild coincidences to people a long time ago.”