Doing something (with proficiency) that others do not understand feels like magic.
I have watched some people on TikTok do slight-of-hand magic. The thing that you learn when they show you a trick with a slightly different camera angle is that the trick falls apart unless you are looking exactly where the magicians wants you to look. Card tricks are just lessons in misdirection. Coin tricks and disappearing tricks are just a game of angles and quick reflexes.
Sometimes people think that computers or technology are a kind of magic. When I use a computer I do things that other people would not think about doing. Keyboard shortcuts, special settings, apps for automation, etc all feel like magic but it really more about me knowing how a system works on a greater detail than the average person.
When I play guitar, it’s not magic. It’s just music. But I recognize that music feels like magic when you don’t understand what is happening. Magic is fun, and I honestly don’t want to take that away from people. There is something inside of us that desire to be wowed or entertained… and that is ok. In a world where we want to explain everything away and make sense of the universe, maybe there is space for a sense of wonder and magic.
Knowledge may be power, but magic keeps our attention and there is power in attention-keeping in this modern age. Here’s to more magic in 2021.
I have watched some people on TikTok do slight-of-hand magic. The thing that you learn when they show you a trick with a slightly different camera angle is that the trick falls apart unless you are looking exactly where the magicians wants you to look. Card tricks are just lessons in misdirection. Coin tricks and disappearing tricks are just a game of angles and quick reflexes.
Sometimes people think that computers or technology are a kind of magic. When I use a computer I do things that other people would not think about doing. Keyboard shortcuts, special settings, apps for automation, etc all feel like magic but it really more about me knowing how a system works on a greater detail than the average person.
When I play guitar, it’s not magic. It’s just music. But I recognize that music feels like magic when you don’t understand what is happening. Magic is fun, and I honestly don’t want to take that away from people. There is something inside of us that desire to be wowed or entertained… and that is ok. In a world where we want to explain everything away and make sense of the universe, maybe there is space for a sense of wonder and magic.
Knowledge may be power, but magic keeps our attention and there is power in attention-keeping in this modern age. Here’s to more magic in 2021.