Religions > Atheism > Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking?
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Uncle Clover" |
| Date: |
18 Apr 2007 06:18:41 PM |
| Object: |
Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
I've run into a curious little problem where I work. It's something
that's plagued me again and again no matter where I go, but this time,
I'm just not sure what to do. It's been so long since I've been
sociable that I've been able to avoid the problem. Now I'm trying to
socialize more, and so I can't seem to avoid it.
The problem is one not many people face, but due to the circumstance
here I am facing it. Essentially, some people are starting to think
I'm psychic, and I give them plenty of what they consider "good
evidence" to back this up.
The problem is created not because I'm psychic, but because people are
so predictable. On top of that, I seem to have a semi-autistic,
"Rainman" sort of thing going in that I can generally figure out the
strangest things from the oddest associations. Many times someone
will call and I can tell what they're calling about well before
they've finished giving their name. As I am also phenomenally fast at
manipulating a keyboard, I end up being in all the systems I need to
be in for handling their specific issue well before any hint of it is
uttered through the phone line. Our productivity is monitored quite
heavily, and so that's where the issue is coming from - people who
monitor my calls see me doing this, and typing things before people
say them, and sometimes even starting to type in a phone number before
they utter the first digit. Sometimes it's because of a little trick
I learned that I don't care to share (the "magician" thing), and
sometimes it's simply because I remember them from before and know at
least the area code if not the interchange number as well. No, it's
not caller-ID - our Lucent, Audix-running call center system doesn't
give you CID on calls transferred from in-queue. It's just some of my
"weirdness", that's all - and even though I won't let anyone know how
I do it, I _will_ say here and now that it's absolutely, positively
NOTHING "supernatural" or "paranormal". The human mind is capable of
amazing things, mine has shown me this (not to toot my own horn, of
course <G>).
I know it's not supernatural because sometimes, people will "test" me.
When they're "testing" me, it never works - just as with any claimed
psychic ability. It's only in normal, mundane, routine situations
where nobody's trying to be "unpredictable" that it ever truly works.
Work life is like that, and I am _REALLY_ good at it. Given my
connection with my subconscious mind, sometimes I even manage to spook
myself when my subconscious mind blurts something phenomenally obscure
and undetectable out which I hadn't consciously been processing. In
-those- cases, I can't honestly say I know for sure it's not
conscious, but it -feels- like the same logical, real-world
non-paranormal process - just on a deeper, less consciously-accessible
level. When you're dealing with someone like me who is not normal,
who has brain and neurological defects, but who can sound completely
normal on the phone when talking to customers, the appearance of
something as being a "psychic phenomenon" can indeed be hard to shake.
But it's not psychic.
So what should I do? I'm strange, people notice, and they attribute
it to the wrong thing. I've tried going with the flow before, it's
how I picked up two worshippers and an obsessed stalker who'd built an
altar to me (but not while thinking I was a god) in his bedroom (I've
seen the thing - it's spooky, almost as spooky as me). I don't want
to just let people think I'm psychic _because_ of crap like that. But
yet I don't think there's any possible way to explain it to them. The
only way I can avoid picking up stalkers & worshippers is by keeping
to myself, and _damnit_, I'm sick and tired of being that way. I'm
finally starting to feel sociable again and I don't want crap like
this driving me back into the darkness.
Any ideas?
--
L8r,
Uncle Clover
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every birth carries within
it the seed of its own
demise
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrow minds
breed thick skulls.
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leak now, or forever hold
your pee..."
- Some Smartass
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Your witch is my
command...{er}..."
- Anonymous recruit in
boot camp after the
passing of recent
religious rights
legislation
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
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| User: "chibiabos" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
19 Apr 2007 01:21:45 PM |
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In article <b29d23569oq28caguf4n0e70gvo879cti2@4ax.com>, Uncle Clover
<UncleClover@NowhereNow.com> wrote:
Any ideas?
My wife does this to me all the time. I've thought about killing her,
but then who would load the dishwasher?
-chib
--
Member of SMASH
Sarcastic Middle-Aged Atheists with a Sense of Humor
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
18 Apr 2007 07:02:14 PM |
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On Apr 18, 7:18 pm, Uncle Clover <UncleClo...@NowhereNow.com> wrote:
I've run into a curious little problem where I work. It's something
that's plagued me again and again no matter where I go, but this time,
I'm just not sure what to do. It's been so long since I've been
sociable that I've been able to avoid the problem. Now I'm trying to
socialize more, and so I can't seem to avoid it.
The problem is one not many people face, but due to the circumstance
here I am facing it. Essentially, some people are starting to think
I'm psychic, and I give them plenty of what they consider "good
evidence" to back this up.
The problem is created not because I'm psychic, but because people are
so predictable. On top of that, I seem to have a semi-autistic,
"Rainman" sort of thing going in that I can generally figure out the
strangest things from the oddest associations. Many times someone
will call and I can tell what they're calling about well before
they've finished giving their name. As I am also phenomenally fast at
manipulating a keyboard, I end up being in all the systems I need to
be in for handling their specific issue well before any hint of it is
uttered through the phone line. Our productivity is monitored quite
heavily, and so that's where the issue is coming from - people who
monitor my calls see me doing this, and typing things before people
say them, and sometimes even starting to type in a phone number before
they utter the first digit. Sometimes it's because of a little trick
I learned that I don't care to share (the "magician" thing), and
sometimes it's simply because I remember them from before and know at
least the area code if not the interchange number as well. No, it's
not caller-ID - our Lucent, Audix-running call center system doesn't
give you CID on calls transferred from in-queue. It's just some of my
"weirdness", that's all - and even though I won't let anyone know how
I do it, I _will_ say here and now that it's absolutely, positively
NOTHING "supernatural" or "paranormal". The human mind is capable of
amazing things, mine has shown me this (not to toot my own horn, of
course <G>).
I know it's not supernatural because sometimes, people will "test" me.
When they're "testing" me, it never works - just as with any claimed
psychic ability. It's only in normal, mundane, routine situations
where nobody's trying to be "unpredictable" that it ever truly works.
Work life is like that, and I am _REALLY_ good at it. Given my
connection with my subconscious mind, sometimes I even manage to spook
myself when my subconscious mind blurts something phenomenally obscure
and undetectable out which I hadn't consciously been processing. In
-those- cases, I can't honestly say I know for sure it's not
conscious, but it -feels- like the same logical, real-world
non-paranormal process - just on a deeper, less consciously-accessible
level. When you're dealing with someone like me who is not normal,
who has brain and neurological defects, but who can sound completely
normal on the phone when talking to customers, the appearance of
something as being a "psychic phenomenon" can indeed be hard to shake.
But it's not psychic.
So what should I do? I'm strange, people notice, and they attribute
it to the wrong thing. I've tried going with the flow before, it's
how I picked up two worshippers and an obsessed stalker who'd built an
altar to me (but not while thinking I was a god) in his bedroom (I've
seen the thing - it's spooky, almost as spooky as me). I don't want
to just let people think I'm psychic _because_ of crap like that. But
yet I don't think there's any possible way to explain it to them. The
only way I can avoid picking up stalkers & worshippers is by keeping
to myself, and _damnit_, I'm sick and tired of being that way. I'm
finally starting to feel sociable again and I don't want crap like
this driving me back into the darkness.
Any ideas?
--
L8r,
Uncle Clover
You have already admitted to the fact that you are not NORMAL.
Then you are not normal. Why should we care about
a writing of an abnormal chimp?
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every birth carries within
it the seed of its own
demise
_____________
So what is the seed of your own demise that you
carry within you?
_____________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrow minds
breed thick skulls.
That got to be YOU LOSER
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leak now, or forever hold
your pee..."
- Some Smartass
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Your witch is my
command...{er}..."
- Anonymous recruit in
boot camp after the
passing of recent
religious rights
legislation
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
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| User: "Al Klein" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
18 Apr 2007 10:28:31 PM |
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On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 19:18:41 -0400, Uncle Clover
<UncleClover@NowhereNow.com> wrote:
Any ideas?
Two.
It's possible that your subconscious is more disconnected from your
conscious than it is with most people, so it's constantly processing
things without paying attention to your conscious mind. Disconnecting
the consciousness is something most of us do to solve problems
(whether we realize it's what we're doing or not). Asimov used to
watch cartoons on TV when he hit a snag in writing.
If you're young enough, see about becoming a cop. Or a private
detective. There was a cop in NYC (a superior officer, actually) who
probably thought the way you do. He solved cases that seemed
unsolvable, in ways that seemed supernatural.
As far as your fellow employees go, tell them that it's a curse, that
you wish you couldn't do what you do. But look sad and refuse to
discuss it further than that. At the very least, they'll stop
resenting you.
.
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| User: "Uncle Clover" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
19 Apr 2007 04:43:58 PM |
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On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 23:28:31 -0400, Al Klein <rukbat@pern.invalid>
wrote:
On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 19:18:41 -0400, Uncle Clover
<UncleClover@NowhereNow.com> wrote:
Any ideas?
Two.
It's possible that your subconscious is more disconnected from your
conscious than it is with most people, so it's constantly processing
things without paying attention to your conscious mind. Disconnecting
the consciousness is something most of us do to solve problems
(whether we realize it's what we're doing or not). Asimov used to
watch cartoons on TV when he hit a snag in writing.
If you're young enough, see about becoming a cop. Or a private
detective. There was a cop in NYC (a superior officer, actually) who
probably thought the way you do. He solved cases that seemed
unsolvable, in ways that seemed supernatural.
I've thought about that. I'd love doing that kind of work, but have
no idea really how to start. I do pretty good on my own explorations
with armchair detective work just using online resources. For
instance, I could tell from cues within about a minute of the first
interview aired with Mark Hacking that he killed her and most likely
dumped her body in one of the city dumpsters. He was very easy to
read, though - I'm sure plenty of people saw through him right away.
Not those closest to him, unfortunately.
A theory I have about Michael Jackson is that some of his surgery was
designed to remove the facial expression cues associated with lying.
That way he can pretend not to like being a child molester without
giving himself away by smiling too broadly at the subject.
As far as your fellow employees go, tell them that it's a curse, that
you wish you couldn't do what you do. But look sad and refuse to
discuss it further than that. At the very least, they'll stop
resenting you.
I think I'm just going to stop letting it be so obvious. The trouble
is that when I have to stop and think about it, I fumble around a lot
more and make more mistakes. It happens any time someone is watching
me - the surest way to slow down my production to a grinding halt is
to blatantly monitor me - by my side - for any length of time. It's
like I don't know how to work when I have to do it in a way that makes
sense to normal people. Otherwise, they have to stop me every five
seconds and ask me why I'm doing this or that, or they think they have
to "remind" me to do this or that just because I didn't do it right
then and there when they thought I should. When teaching someone
else, that's another issue - I can go slow on that, it's fine. But
when I'm "supposed" to work at full speed with someone standing there
watching me, forget it. I look like a raging doofus. The only way
they can monitor me is out-of-site, so I can do my own thing without
feeling like I have to do it slowly and linearly enough to make any
sense to them.
Primarily, I'm going to stop spooking the monitors by talking to them
when I'm not "supposed" to know they're watching. E-gads, another
example of me creating my own problems without even realizing it. ;-)
I think I can adapt to it, and they'll eventually convince themselves
they just imagined it or that there's probably "some other
explanation" as I do it less and less obviously.
It was just getting a little hairy there for awhile. :-# Thanks for
the advice, though - I like the private detective idea. I may need to
try that. :-)
--
L8r,
Uncle Clover
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every birth carries within
it the seed of its own
demise
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrow minds
breed thick skulls.
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leak now, or forever hold
your pee..."
- Some Smartass
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not psychic, you're
just >incredibly<
predictable....
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
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| User: "Uncle Clover" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
19 Apr 2007 04:49:35 PM |
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On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:43:58 -0400, Uncle Clover
<UncleClover@NowhereNow.com> wrote:
<snip>
Primarily, I'm going to stop spooking the monitors by talking to them
when I'm not "supposed" to know they're watching.
That needs an explanation. I explained it in another group I brought
this subject up in, but not here. There are certain subtle cues I've
learned that indicate when someone is silently monitoring my work from
another computer that's out-of-sight from my own. When I first
realized how to tell this, well, what would -YOU- think if you, Al,
were in a dark room monitoring someone else's computer desk top -
they're way out of sight from you - and suddenly, they pull up Notepad
and type to you, "Hello, Al. How's your coffee?"
OY, vey. I did it, I admit it, and quite a bit more than once. So
I'm much to blame for my own problem. But it was purely mundane,
logical stuff that enabled me to do that - very subtle, I admit, but
completely real-world and non-supernatural.
--
L8r,
Uncle Clover
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every birth carries within
it the seed of its own
demise
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrow minds
breed thick skulls.
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leak now, or forever hold
your pee..."
- Some Smartass
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not psychic, you're
just >incredibly<
predictable....
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
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| User: "Al Klein" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
19 Apr 2007 08:04:44 PM |
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On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:43:58 -0400, Uncle Clover
<UncleClover@NowhereNow.com> wrote:
On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 23:28:31 -0400, Al Klein <rukbat@pern.invalid>
wrote:
If you're young enough, see about becoming a cop. Or a private
detective. There was a cop in NYC (a superior officer, actually) who
probably thought the way you do. He solved cases that seemed
unsolvable, in ways that seemed supernatural.
I've thought about that. I'd love doing that kind of work, but have
no idea really how to start.
If you're within the age guidelines, take the next civil service test
if you're in a large city, or just ask at your local or state police
establishment.
.
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| User: "MarkA" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
19 Apr 2007 11:40:08 AM |
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On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 19:18:41 -0400, Uncle Clover wrote:
I've run into a curious little problem where I work. It's something
that's plagued me again and again no matter where I go, but this time, I'm
just not sure what to do. It's been so long since I've been sociable that
I've been able to avoid the problem. Now I'm trying to socialize more,
and so I can't seem to avoid it.
Write a bunch of books about the spiritual life of dogs, life after death,
etc, etc. Charge people $700 to talk to you on the phone for 20 min.
Retire early.
--
MarkA
(still caught in the maze of twisty little passages, all different)
.
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| User: "Uncle Clover" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
19 Apr 2007 04:36:21 PM |
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On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:40:08 -0400, MarkA <manthony@stopspam.net>
wrote:
On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 19:18:41 -0400, Uncle Clover wrote:
I've run into a curious little problem where I work. It's something
that's plagued me again and again no matter where I go, but this time, I'm
just not sure what to do. It's been so long since I've been sociable that
I've been able to avoid the problem. Now I'm trying to socialize more,
and so I can't seem to avoid it.
Write a bunch of books about the spiritual life of dogs, life after death,
etc, etc. Charge people $700 to talk to you on the phone for 20 min.
Retire early.
Someone tried getting me into that earlier. When I was
less-knowledgable about the ways of the world and still wondered
-myself- whether or not it might be some "psychic" thing or another,
there were plenty of people crawling out of the woodwork to take
advantage of such a thing.
I hate con-artists so bad, now - I have a few alters that would be
perfectly happy doing that, but they're buried. Deep. And they're
going to stay there. The feeling of conning someone - I can't get
into it. If I don't honestly believe something, i can't pretend to
believe it just to take advantage of others. At my low points, I
tried. It's just not possible, I hate hypocrites so much, I just
can't let any of my own "inner hypocrite" come out enough to do a good
con even when I'm willing.
So I'll never do what you suggest - unless I at some point actually
start believing that way. I don't know if it's possible for "me - the
whole caucophony of personas" to ever believe that way again. An
isolated fragment here and there shooting off posts under an
alter-ego, sure, fine, but nothing that can stick around long enough
to draw "followers" or bilk anyone out of anything. Unless I get
brain damage or go totally bat-***** insane, it's just not going to
happen.
--
L8r,
Uncle Clover
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every birth carries within
it the seed of its own
demise
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrow minds
breed thick skulls.
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leak now, or forever hold
your pee..."
- Some Smartass
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not psychic, you're
just >incredibly<
predictable....
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
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| User: "L. Raymond" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
18 Apr 2007 06:37:30 PM |
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Uncle Clover wrote:
Any ideas?
If it's possible to make a joke out of, that often sets people at ease.
Otherwise you could make up something to explain it, like saying you
once applied to some law enforcement agency and part of the training
included behavioral analysis, but you decided to not to join because you
wanted the freedom to do X.
In other words, make it mundane to demystify it.
--
L. Raymond
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
18 Apr 2007 06:54:18 PM |
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On Apr 18, 7:37 pm, "L. Raymond" <badaddr...@mylinuxisp.com> wrote:
Uncle Clover wrote:
Any ideas?
If it's possible to make a joke out of, that often sets people at ease.
Otherwise you could make up something to explain it, like saying you
once applied to some law enforcement agency and part of the training
included behavioral analysis, but you decided to not to join because you
wanted the freedom to do X.
In other words, make it mundane to demystify it.
YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR
--
L. Raymond
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| User: "Uncle Clover" |
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| Title: Re: Must you think I'm _psychic_ just because I know what you're thinking? |
18 Apr 2007 09:07:53 PM |
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On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:37:30 -0500, "L. Raymond"
<badaddress@mylinuxisp.com> wrote:
Uncle Clover wrote:
Any ideas?
If it's possible to make a joke out of, that often sets people at ease.
Otherwise you could make up something to explain it, like saying you
once applied to some law enforcement agency and part of the training
included behavioral analysis, but you decided to not to join because you
wanted the freedom to do X.
In other words, make it mundane to demystify it.
Not bad. I think I've decided on posting the new addition to my sig
somewhere on the wall, perhaps amidst another blurb or two to make it
less conspicuous, but not so many as to make it invisible.
It's the last one. I think it might just work. ;-)
--
L8r,
Uncle Clover
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every birth carries within
it the seed of its own
demise
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Narrow minds
breed thick skulls.
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Leak now, or forever hold
your pee..."
- Some Smartass
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not psychic, you're
just >incredibly<
predictable....
__________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
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