Is there magic

Dear Aditya,

"Do you want to see energy in the air?" I asked. We were at a team day out at a beautiful farmhouse on the outskirts of Pune. Pune in the monsoons transforms into a carpet of green. Every inch of brown is covered with teeming plant life. Green radiates a kind of glow into the air. The sky is gray.

I told everyone that I could show them how to see tiny energy sparks flying about in the air. I can see them. So can my wife Aarti, I taught her how to see them.

"But that's unscientific! You can't see energy…" shouted back everyone.

What I want to talk about in this letter is this almost insane reliance our society has on 'science'. In our craze for science, we have disposed of too many beautiful things in the name of being 'unscientific'. What is considered scientific today, was considered completely ridiculous and unscientific a 100 years ago.

Alfred Wegener's idea that continents drift across the Earth's surface was dismissed as pseudoscience. But today it is a solid and unified scientific theory.

The gut was seen mainly as a digestive tube; the idea that bacteria in your intestines could influence your mood seemed far-fetched. Today gut microbiome research shows strong links to mental health, immunity, and metabolism.

Einstein himself called quantum entanglement "spooky action at a distance" and rejected it as unscientific. Today it is proven experimentally and is foundational to quantum physics.

Meditation and talk therapy were dismissed as spiritual or unscientific. Today Cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and meditation are evidence-backed treatments for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and chronic pain.

Neuroplasticity is now a core concept in neuroscience, brains adapt, rewire, and grow new connections throughout life.

True science is not about believing in hard facts and answers. True science is a search for knowledge. It is an investigation. It is a constant process of seeking.

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts." , Richard Feynman

"Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge." , Carl Sagan

"Magic's just science that we don't understand yet." , Arthur C. Clarke

The opposite of scientific is not unscientific. The opposite of scientific is 'magical'.

Yesterday's magic is today's science. Today what is considered magical, may end up being tomorrow's science.

Don't stop believing in magic. Don't stop dreaming.

Things you don't think are possible, can happen. People can heal. Finances can change. Goodness can triumph. Your moods can change. Even, the roads in Pune can become awesome!

It is possible. Look for magic in your life. Don't ditch science, but let's have a little bit of magic.

In fratitude,
adi