Quote: Originally posted by decithinker on September 02, 2004
I am finding this thread very intriguing. I just recently started trying to pick lottery numbers and have had moderate success. I had this belief that you can bend odds with psychic powers, but that the lottery's odds were too great to overcome. Much like we have physical limits to lifting weight, we have psychical limits to how far we can bend dvents. Adreniline may be a key factor to overcoming these odds that you haven't considered(Think about it). I am taking a chance by telling you all this, since I believe that your disbelief of it may interfere with my future efforts, so please don't go around throwing negative thoughts at me. Ok here goes.
You touch upon an interesting point that needs elaboration. You are talking about bending the odds, and equating picking lottery numbers to winning an Olympic gold medal. Not something easily done, right? But that's not necessary.
Look at me. I am an atheist, lifelong skeptic and non-believer in anything psychic. So let's say that I can't swim, never could, never got near water.
Somebody says that some people can swim. I see them, but I don't know how they do it. So I get in the water, paddle around, and right now I am to the point where I can lunge, my feet leave the ground for a second or two, before my head goes under, and I stand up again. I am not swimming yet, but I am getting the feel for it. I am very far away from winning a gold medal, very far, but I am not that far away from being able to paddle along the edge of the pool.
My point is: I should be able to notice that I am getting SOMEWHERE, right?
Right now I seem to be able to do about 3 times as good as random, if I can keep these results going. Say with a little practice I could double that? Then I would be 6 times as good as random? I can tell you that: If I can repeatably do that, watch me practice. Three more years and I go to the Olympics.
The problem is: Right now I have not yet convinced myself that swimming is possible at all.