(November 2, 2016 at 4:47 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Never underestimate the human capacity for self-delusion, or the orchestration and manipulation thereof. Take a group of people who may already be eager to be part of something other (and in this kind of case, the more really is the merrier, since the group is self-reinforcing), prime them that they're actually going to experience something, and I'd be most surprised if at least a majority percentage don't see anything. What would the odds rise to if you direct them to some action geared to distort their perception; say, staring at the Sun for several minutes?
I just think all the details surrounding the event, combined, makes it very convincing. I think it's hard to explain how so many ppl had the same illusion at the same time and lasted the same length of time... which wasn't even the time they thought it was supposed to happen. They thought it was supposed to happen at noon of the country's time, it wasn't until afterwards that they figured out the Lady was talking about solar noon, not the country's time of noon. If it was purely psychological, wouldn't it have happened when they expected it to? Sometimes the light does weird things to my eyes too... but I can tell when it's doing that. Most people can tell when they're seeing an optical illusion. Also, it wasn't just the sun visual. It was also the drying up of clothes and puddles so quickly.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
