ESP

One more sparkling sunny summer Saturday in the jewel of the north, seagulls are spiralling happily, tomatoes are ripening on the vine and there's not a cloud on the horizon... except that I won't be going to watch my beloved Seasiders playing at home (as the ethical boycott of Blackpool FC by thousands of fans continues) and - oh, there is a weekly blog nagging to be written, all about ESP or extra-sensory perception.

I'm afraid I don't give ESP credence, being of a sceptical and rational nature and never having experienced it personally or even seen the remotest shred of credible evidence for it.

I don't believe in fortune-tellers, mediums or psychics. ("Is there anybody there? Knock once for yes and twice for no.") I don't believe people can see into the future or predict what is going to happen - except in the sense that anyone with intelligence can extrapolate and hypothesise.

I do believe that some people are more perceptive than others, some are even "hyper-sensitive" - but that doesn't equate to extra-sensory perception. As far as I'm concerned, this whole field is littered with a trail of charlatans and mountebanks, clever and cynical tricksters preying on people's gullibility, willingness to suspend disbelief and sheer want for ESP to be true.


I also believe in lucky guesses, coincidence and probability, the latter of which have sound bases in mathematical theory. Sorry if that sounds boring. (In reality it's quite fascinating.)

Having challenged the veracity of ESP, I heartily approve of it as an imaginative/literary device. You can't beat a good tale involving supernatural powers of perception - but never lose sight of the fact that we are doing nothing more than indulging in the thrill of a tall story.

There's no poem this week. I feel as though I've done enough damage already. I hope the prose passes muster.  Excuse me a minute, someone just knocked at the door - twice...
                                                                                                                                         ...but when I opened it there was no one there!

Thanks for reading. Keep an open mind, Steve ;-)