Lavish Your Local Leprechauns

I discovered this little gem whilst browsing Geekologie(a wonderful little place for geeky goodness). At first, I thought, this can't possibly be real. It has to be satire, right? Nobody could possibly be this devoid of mental faculties! Ohh, wouldn't that be nice, but sadly no satire here. After a quick look at their website, I found their about page. Here's a bit of what it had to say.

"Christopher Valentine and Christian von Lähr are professionally trained psychic mediums. Bringing their own additional special skills onboard they have been able to establish direct communication with the Nature People."

I sincerely worry for the sanity of people that are this far into La-la land. This guy seems to know more about the personal habits of non-existent beings, than most people know about their own family! I don't know about anyone else, but frankly, that's more than a little disturbing. It's nothing really new I suppose, but disturbing none the less.

As we leave the first decade of the 21st century, there seems to be an unsettling rise in magical mentality. Crystal power, pyramid hats, angels, nature spirits, and psychics all seem to be more popular than ever. Every day there appears to be more new-age nonsense. Be it books like The Secret and The Power, which tell you that you can get whatever you want by simply pretending that you already have it(also, be nice to your water!), or the prattling of lighthearted loonies.

This kind of thing is the converse to religious fundamentalism. Fundamentalism generally adheres to some core concepts with a feverish and dogmatic zeal. Whereas the new age appears, on the surface to be much more benign. It has no qualms over picking and borrowing from other religions or even making up completely new nonsense. The overall effect is diluted delusional absurdity. If the angels don't heal your cancer, you can always try crystal power, or maybe call on another invisible friend, who may, eventually help you. But whatever you do, don't go to a hospital! Because science doesn't believe in our nature spirit friends, crystal power, pyramid healing, psychic energy, lay lines, or anything else that's supernatural! They're too closed minded to believe in all of those unsubstantiated claims. I mean it's not like science ever did anything for anyone...

Although it may seem benign, this new age nonsense is just as dangerous as any of the claims made by established religions. Praying to your deity is no different than calling to your nature spirit friends. The end result is the same, nothing happens. How many people forego routine medical treatment because of this kind of hogwash? Taking a session with the Archangel Gabriel or some Tarot cards in lieu of seeking medical attention or taking action in their lives.

There was a great man who once said something that I will always remember. Carl Sagan once said, "For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring". Whether it is religion or some other supernatural mumbo jumbo, it's still a delusion. In our modern world, we are better served by grasping the universe as it truly is, than holding onto superstition and magical thinking. After all, the fate of our whole species is squarely in our hands.