outside the square

Emanuel · 27th January 2008, 09:09 PM

Hello,

I enjoyed the spychological analyses in the article. I thought the idea about changes in the Earth's magnetic field making people see UFO's a bit odd. As a random effect it may also have made them see purple pigs dancing on the street, but that doesn't seem to happen.

The bit about the university professor seeing lights in the sky at night and immediately thinking about UFO's in an interesting one. I guess that just as he was conditionned to think "UFO", so the people in Solo were conditioned to think "Nyai Loro Kidul" when they saw a thunderbolt strike a spire of the kraton. They congregated at the kraton in a time of seeming danger, just as folks in Europe would go to the local church or cathedral. People are conditionned to do this in time of crisis or extreme anxiety.

The Solo man may KNOW that when he heard a rustling noise in the house and then he tripped and hit his head, that the keris did it out of anger or as a sign, obviously. The westerner guest will KNOW that the wind moved the beads in the window, the man got spooked and he tripped on the kids' toys, also obviously. Both are right and neither can prove the other wrong. The Texan businessman KNOWS that the UFO was a mile long travelling 300x faster than his Cessna - his experience, his scale, his perception and manner of thinking.

Certain dynamic lighting conditions could make a serpentine keris blade appear to be moving. A man's eyes show him the naga blade coming to life. How can someone that wasn't present or that witnessed different lighting conditions dissuade him from his belief?
If all of these keris cases are publicised as much as the UFO sightings are, then it's not hard to understand why an entire culture may believe in the power of keris. As obvious as it is to a Texan that UFO's exist (or don't exist), so it is to a Solonese man that his keris is (or is not) magical.

That's what I got from your comparison, Alan.
Regards,
Emanuel

27th January 2008, 09:09 PM	#12
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Hello, I enjoyed the spychological analyses in the article. I thought the idea about changes in the Earth's magnetic field making people see UFO's a bit odd. As a random effect it may also have made them see purple pigs dancing on the street, but that doesn't seem to happen. The bit about the university professor seeing lights in the sky at night and immediately thinking about UFO's in an interesting one. I guess that just as he was conditionned to think "UFO", so the people in Solo were conditioned to think "Nyai Loro Kidul" when they saw a thunderbolt strike a spire of the kraton. They congregated at the kraton in a time of seeming danger, just as folks in Europe would go to the local church or cathedral. People are conditionned to do this in time of crisis or extreme anxiety. The Solo man may KNOW that when he heard a rustling noise in the house and then he tripped and hit his head, that the keris did it out of anger or as a sign, obviously. The westerner guest will KNOW that the wind moved the beads in the window, the man got spooked and he tripped on the kids' toys, also obviously. Both are right and neither can prove the other wrong. The Texan businessman KNOWS that the UFO was a mile long travelling 300x faster than his Cessna - his experience, his scale, his perception and manner of thinking. Certain dynamic lighting conditions could make a serpentine keris blade appear to be moving. A man's eyes show him the naga blade coming to life. How can someone that wasn't present or that witnessed different lighting conditions dissuade him from his belief? If all of these keris cases are publicised as much as the UFO sightings are, then it's not hard to understand why an entire culture may believe in the power of keris. As obvious as it is to a Texan that UFO's exist (or don't exist), so it is to a Solonese man that his keris is (or is not) magical. That's what I got from your comparison, Alan. Regards, Emanuel