So I was watching this video about this guy, James Randi. I don't know much about him except he is big on debunking spiritual stuff. This guy knows a lot about things like parlor tricks and magic, and forms of trickery. So, he believes all spiritual stuff is trickery, and he debunks it.
So one of the things James Randi does in this video is, he has a whole bottle or very very large portion of homeopathic sleep pills, and he takes them. And then he's like, wow! I didn't die!
I actually thought this was kind of stupid. Now, I'm not like a firm believer in homeopathy. I really have no opinion. I don't know that it works and I don't know that it doesn't work. I have heard anecdotal stories about it working. I was told by one of my doctors that in other countries they have done scientific studies on homeopathy and they have found it to work, and that was because the scientific studies in the United States are biased. But I don't know. The naturopath gives me homeopathic remedies. I don't know that they work. I don't even really know what they are supposed to do. But I take them anyway because I am told to and it couldn't hurt. So I really have no opinion.
That said, I thought this assessment was a little unfair to homeopathy. Just because both things are used to treat insomnia, doesn't mean they work exactly the same or have all the same side effects. It's not a drug! It's energy medicine.
You treat people with psychosis with antipsychotics. Antipsychotics cause weight gain. What if someone was psychotic, but cleared it up by getting adequate sleep and a proper diet. Sleep deprivation and nutritional deficiencies could potentially cause psychosis. But then James Randi jumps in, and says, this isn't possible! His psychosis couldn't possibly be gone! He didn't gain any weight! Let me tell you, as far as I know, and maybe I don't know everything about these things, but as far as I know everyone gains weight on antipsychotics. Everyone. Every single person in the entire world would gain at least a little weight if they were put on antipsychotics.
So anyway, another thing about James Randi is that he has this million dollar challenge. He will give a million dollars to whoever proves the existence of psychic abilities. So far, no one has! I have been in discussions with people, online, where they use that as their soul argument that psychic abilities aren't real.
So I looked a little bit in to it, did a little research but not a whole lot. In order to win the million dollar challenge, James Randi has really really strict conditions under which psychics have to demonstrate their abilities. That's why psychics don't even try it.
So what I am kind of thinking is, sure, this James Randi guy may know a lot about parlor tricks. But what he doesn't seem to know a lot about is spiritual stuff in itself and the nature of that kind of thing. Psychic abilities are strange and elusive. No, they are not always very reliable, but in my opinion they do exist. So maybe, psychic abilities are real, but with the terms of the James Randi million dollar challenge, people just can't demonstrate them under those conditions.
Anyway, that's what I've been thinking. That's all for now.
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