"Do You Believe in Magic" or "Keeping Your Inner Child Alive"

[Doc Hoof MD]

There is a quote I read somewhere a while back. I can't remember it exactly but it went along the lines of this: "Science and Religion are just two ways of explaining the same thing. Some people subscribe to one while others subscribe to the other. I would like to think that I could subscribe to both."

That is the way that I view it.

Now on to the Easter Bunny. If he isn't real then who hides the eggs in my yard every year?

[TenthSpeedWriter]

I recall having a wonderful and drawn out conversation with one of my favorite community writers about this very topic.

What I've found in life is that after a certain age, there's no-one really telling you what to find magical. It becomes easy to slip into cynicism, and to deny how amazing even the most simple of things are. Just imagine how astounded an alchemist of centuries past would of our periodic table of elements, or how utterly fascinated an early machinist would be with something as mundane as an internal combustion engine. Even a hundred years ago, the little devices we fold up and tuck into our pockets would have been nothing short of unimaginable.

To me, magic is something very, very powerful which we haven't yet begun to understand the fundamental ideas of. Modern technology would be astonishing to someone from another era, sure; but, on the flip side of that, I'm sure that in a world with Harry Potter-esque magic, the finest elements of spellcraft would seem as dull and academic to some people as the driest textbook.

If you want to see the magic in something, take a moment to consider just how much astonishing knowledge has gone into it. That's why I'm an engineering major; the stuff I learn each day might strike some people as dry and uninteresting, but I find it utterly engrossing. I can now explain how objects interact physically; I can explain how particles move in certain fields of force, and predict how nature will react to our different actions. One day, I'll use all of this to raise great cities from the earth, and lay highways and bridges and tunnels leading across the land, and mesh our world with the natural one... and I am never not in awe of that.

(TL;DR: My Little Geek: Engineering is Magic)

[Apolline Allura]

I'm in the same boat - trying to find a reason behind everything. I'm agnostic, believing that a God does exist in some shape or form but whatever it is is completely incomprehensible by humans. But at the same time I'm a bit of a Methodist because that's the way I was raised and I accept that it's a way to help people lead their own lives. However, I don't understand the whole relationship with God part of it - what exactly that's supposed to mean and how people go about it (heck, I don't even understand why people pray). (Anyway, enough on religion I guess... `^^)

So yeah, I try to find a method to just about everything and if I can't, it'll bother me forever - it's a curse, lol. Yet at the same time, I spend just about all my free time involved in some sort of game or cartoon. Maybe as as an escape from real world stuff since I'm always thinking in that area more than I should? I dunno. To myself, I call myself the mature child, lol. I'm easily entertained, whether it be a cartoon or maybe something random I see animals doing, and I laugh all the time. And as far as Santa goes, I definitely believe in him after this year. I desperately wanted a friend for Christmas (yes, I did consciously wish this in my mind) - I'm a loner who's always socially awkward and find it hard to get close to others and I was away from family this year so I had no one. Only a few days before Christmas I somehow managed to ask a friend out on impulse as if it were completely natural to me, which it never has been, and then feel completely comfortable and myself the whole time I was with him. I've been hanging out with him ever since - something that I've only ever been able to do with my siblings. Santa must have "gotten my letter," lol.

Ditto. Save for the fact that the magic has been beat out of me growing up.

[Guest HipsterRarity]

Ditto. Save for the fact that the magic has been beat out of me growing up.

Noooo! By all means, beat it back... in? It mustn't be lost!

[Parker_Izing]

Magic is basically an arcane way to label energy and matter transmutations under circumstances not plausibly explained by at the moment's science....

So, lighting and electricity was magic ages ago, but now science got it explained, today's unexplainable stuff labeled as magic, would be future's facts, so yep, I believe in magic, the alternative is accepting science as not longer useful...

About the inner child, I doubt anyone left this behind, I feel like the same as with 5 yo, with vast superior knowledge and understanding of our society, so I'l not start a shriek fest in church or the cinema... My inner child is alive, but restrained.

[Chonico]

One of my favorite hobbies came from a childhood dream.

I do card tricks.

The idea of magic has always fascinated me. Especially when I was a child. I believed we all had this secret power to make things happen. Most by accident, like wishing for rain and it starting to rain. But, if somepony realized they possessed this power and applied themselves to it, then they could create the most wonderful of things. Magic tricks were something I always wanted to learn when I was a kid. I believed they were the embodiment of the "fun" aspect of this power because what I saw always filled me with cheer and made me laugh.

Even as I got older and learned the sad truth about the tricks I saw, I still wanted to learn and tried my hoof at many magic tricks. Out of all, I never took to any as much as I did to card tricks. Little by little I applied myself and learned the ins and outs of certain tricks. From simple pulls and glides, to complex mathematical games. I've tried my hoof at many card tricks and although I've failed at some and continue to practice them, there are plenty of tricks in my bag to make people smile, become stunned, or simply laugh.

In a sense, I view this as a form of magic, if you will. Through my willing actions, I can make people laugh and enjoy themselves, just like I used to when I was a kid.

Still, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a small part of me hoping my initial beliefs were true and that out there, somewhere, there is somepony that knows all the secrets to real magic. And that perhaps, one day, I'll bump into them and give them a show.

[brianblackberry]

I'm agnostic, believing that a God does exist in some shape or form but whatever it is is completely incomprehensible by humans.

That isn't agnosticism, that is deism.

I don't believe in any form of magic, gods, spirits, or ghosts. I am a strict rationalist who through examination realized that everything in the universe has a physical and materialistic cause and reason, and everything is driven by and conform to the various laws of physics and chemistry.

I am also imaginative, so I can lose myself in the magical world of Equestria where magic and mystical beings are as real and explain as much as science does in reality. I can do this because it is my escape, my refuge from the daily grind of life, my little innocent pleasure, that magical world and its adorable, wonderful ponies.

I admit, it makes me strange, but perhaps we all need that escape and find it in our own ways.

[weesh]

I don't believe in any form of magic, gods, spirits, or ghosts. I am a strict rationalist who through examination realized that everything in the universe has a physical and materialistic cause and reason, and everything is driven by and conform to the various laws of physics and chemistry.

I am also imaginative, so I can lose myself in the magical world of Equestria where magic and mystical beings are as real and explain as much as science does in reality. I can do this because it is my escape, my refuge from the daily grind of life, my little innocent pleasure, that magical world and its adorable, wonderful ponies.

I admit, it makes me strange, but perhaps we all need that escape and find it in our own ways.

I do not find that strange as much as depressing. Ponies should be the sprinkles on the frosting of the cupcake of life.

[Parker_Izing]

Ponies should be the sprinkles on the frosting of the cupcake of life.

Now droningly saluting you...

[weesh]

Now droningly saluting you...

I almost said "frosting on the cake of life" and decided to give it some pony flair. But I realized that real life shouldn't just be cake, but should have frosting as well. Thus it was a short logical leap to ponies being sprinkles. The realization that sprinkles and ponies both come in a variety of fun colors was an exciting moment to me.

[Guest EoLPinkie]

I do not find that strange as much as depressing. Ponies should be the sprinkles on the frosting of the cupcake of life.

WoooooooOOOOOOOOOO CUPCAKES! Of course I believe in magic and Santa Hooves and vamponies and other fantasy magicky stuff! Just because I can't do magic doesn't mean it doesn't exist! I haven't stopped trying though, I'll get it someday. Besides, a scientist pony said that if I mixed all these chemicals I'd be in for some magic! Here goes!

[ChancellorPuddinghead]

I believe in the Holy Trinity.

Yugi

The Pharoah and

The Heart of the Cards

[Tamerlane]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C Clarke

[MochaMocha]

Perhaps I'm a bit of a head-case in this area.

When it comes to real life, I am an atheist, and believe that everything that occurs can be explained in some measure of logic, one way or another. Cause and effect and all that. I believe life, at least on Earth, has no particular point or end goal.

All that said, this isn't the way I want to look at life. That's why I spend the majority of the hours of my days in a daydream state, immersed in worlds of fiction where impossible and unlikely things do occur, and with great regularity. These fictional worlds are the places I was meant to be born into - places where genres define the rules of reality, characters are properly developed and shaped, and there is a fairly large chance that some kind of overarching deity does exist. If not that, then karma at least plays a massive role. Good always triumphs over evil. The Power of Love is scientific fact.

So, to summarise, although I see the world as a bleak and logical place, that's exactly why I avoid it. In the words of Owl City, 'The Real World is a lovely place, but I wouldn't want to live there'.

My exact feelings. You said it perfectly.

[starswirlthebearded]

I'd say yes, but bear with me on why. So, I am an atheist and don't believe in anything magical, as I feel everything has a logical explanation. But that does not mean that the world is not magical. Yes, many things can be explained, we know why they happen and how. But consider this. We are talking on an internet forum through an advanced network of servers, because we are living, and we are living thanks to numerous biological systems that have a lower failure rate than any device ever conceived by man. The molecular processes, signaling channels, neuronal interaction... I could go on. I think that is pretty magical and miraculous, and the fact that we are constantly discovering new things, and our inability to recreate things that nature does so easily is just astounding.

The universe is a magical place, no matter how much we think we know or can logically explain. The further I go into science, the more apparent this becomes.

[brianblackberry]

"We’re Johnny-come-latelies. We live in the cosmic boondocks. We emerged from microbes and muck. Apes are our cousins. Our thoughts and feelings are not fully under our own control. There may be much smarter and very different beings elsewhere. And on top of all this, we’re making a mess of our planet and becoming a danger to ourselves… The trapdoor beneath our feet swings open. We find ourselves in bottomless free fall… If it takes a little myth and ritual to get us through a night that seems endless, who among us cannot sympathize and understand?… We long to be here for a purpose, even though, despite much self deception, none is evident. The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is then determined only by our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life’s meaning. We long for a Parent to care for us, to forgive us our errors, to save us from our childish mistakes. But knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring fable… Modern science has been a voyage into the unknown, with a lesson in humility waiting at every stop… Our commonsense intuitions can be mistaken. Our preferences don’t count. We do not live in a privileged reference frame… If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal…" - Carl Sagan

That is how I view things. As for ponies and the sprinkles on the cupcake of life, I generally agree, FiM brings me joy during times where I may not otherwise have any,

[weesh]

That is how I view things. As for ponies and the sprinkles on the cupcake of life, I generally agree, FiM brings me joy during times where I may not otherwise have any

Because you missed the frosting, you missed my point by a mile. I do not believe for one moment that joy is absent from real life and that escape is necessary. In direct contrast, the greatest joys of my life are in the relationships and adventures that embrace the world around me. Things that provide any sort of escape are pale facsimiles of the real world. Sure they can be entertaining, but they are also dangerous. Ponies are wonderful supplemental material to an already fulfilling life but if they are the only joy you have in life then you are subscribing to a risky world view, no matter how famous the proponents of it are.

[Guest HipsterRarity]

Goodness, this discussion is discussion is going much further than I ever imagined. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everypony again for their contributions, I'm absolutely sure that I can't be the only one who finds this immensely intriguing. I largely agree with a few of the previous posts about how technology becomes synonymous with magic at a certain advanced level, but seeing as how I'm rather technologically challenged when it comes to the actual make-up of machinery, I tend to simplify things for myself and just accept what I cannot explain. I'm certainly no Twilight in that regard!

[brianblackberry]

Because you missed the frosting, you missed my point by a mile. I do not believe for one moment that joy is absent from real life and that escape is necessary. In direct contrast, the greatest joys of my life are in the relationships and adventures that embrace the world around me. Things that provide any sort of escape are pale facsimiles of the real world. Sure they can be entertaining, but they are also dangerous. Ponies are wonderful supplemental material to an already fulfilling life but if they are the only joy you have in life then you are subscribing to a risky world view, no matter how famous the proponents of it are.

It is wrong to assume that FiM is my only joy in life, I also think you misinterpret what I mean by "escape". I mean escape as in the same way watching a movie is an escape, or playing a video game, because we are mentally immersing ourselves in a fantasy universe where we can at least watch and most interact and create characters for, where we can be someone we can't IRL. There is nothing wrong with that, and it certainly doesn't mean one has no joy in their real life. Fantasy is healthy, not dangerous, it is only dangerous if it consumes you but I am a productive member of society with a social life (including this place), and fun hobbies (which include the sciences) so I am fine with my fantasy escapes.

What I say about "FiM brings me joy during times where I may not otherwise have any" is that the show and the community around it has help in times of depression, but it doesn't mean I never experience joy outside of this place.

[starswirlthebearded]

Goodness, this discussion is discussion is going much further than I ever imagined. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everypony again for their contributions, I'm absolutely sure that I can't be the only one who finds this immensely intriguing. I largely agree with a few of the previous posts about how technology becomes synonymous with magic at a certain advanced level, but seeing as how I'm rather technologically challenged when it comes to the actual make-up of machinery, I tend to simplify things for myself and just accept what I cannot explain. I'm certainly no Twilight in that regard!

I am totally twilight in that regard. But as I said, nature is plenty magical. Even if you understand it, it doesn't make it any less amazing. Find me any machine that runs better than a nature counterpart (I bet you can't). I love advanced technology, but we are a ways away from beating mother nature.

This universe is amazing. It's the reason I went into science.

[Ancre]

The world is marvelous, and even outside of science there's a lot of magic !

For example, and this is what fascinate me the most, there is language. Words are amazing. With a limited amount of sounds and a bit of organization, we invented a way to name and to describe the world around us. Out of nothing : there's no reason the sound "door" means door, there is no link between the word and the thing, no link other than the fact that "door" means door in the english language, and it's true for every single word in our vocabulary. We invented words for things that don't exist, too (like "unicorn"), we named concepts and ideas, we have words that describe actions and movements, words whose sole purpose is to provide a grammatical information - we have grammar ! With grammar, even more than pointing and naming, we can organize and describe even more things : with verbs and time, we can say things that were, that will be, or that might be, or that might have been. We can conjecturate. We can also say things that are not, we can lie, we can make metaphors, we can invent !

We can create whole worlds out of nothing. We can invent stories ! Litterature is amazing. One person can evocate something completely irreal, and everybody can imagine it. People can role roleplay, and invent together the life of magical pastel-coloured ponies in the invented magical world of equestria. Things that do not exist in reality can exist in our heads.

We invented writing systems ! The alphabet ! Which, again, have no link with what it describes. There is no reason the letter "a" means the sound "a" other than the fact that we decided it does. There is no reason the letters "door" means the sound "door" which means the thing "door" ! I find that fascinating.

And we have poetry ! With all these words and sounds, we can play, we can use the arbitrary sounds they have to make rhymes, we can make verses with identical "times" or "length" or "size" for every one of them, we create additional rules to create aesthetically pleasing sounds and rhythms, and then with those newly-invented rythms and organizations of sounds we add hidden meanings to the poem.

Language is fascinating. It can evoke, it can enchant, it can create, it's magic !

[Kirby Krackle]

I like to imagine that in some way, what we know as consciousness is enduring and powerful for more than the few fleeting moments of life. Maybe a giant brain recycling plant that gets reused. Those other forms of energy gets to. Those jerks.