Americans -- Japan -- Fiction; Journalists -- Fiction; Psychic ability -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
"You in the west would call it psychokinesis--mentally controlling
matter. Your conventional table lifting of spiritualists is an example.
So is the phenomenon of people who seem to be able to will dice to fall
a certain way. And in your literature--well, Moses and the Red Sea is
the first thing that comes to mind. Actually, your Dr. Rhine and some
others have discovered some evidence that seems to support, to the
western mind, the existence of psychokinesis. But you can never really
understand it with western, scientific thinking methods. I cannot even
explain it clearly in your terms."
Blair smiled a little. "I think you could explain it all logically
enough, if you really wanted to. But, actually, I don't blame you for
not wanting to give a trick like that away."
"This is no trick, and it is not what you understand as logical," said
Naito, shaking his head stubbornly. "I know that you must have logic to
understand; you crave the drug of logic. You want everything labeled,
and explained in terms of cause and effect. You cannot conceive that
cause and effect may be one--or indeed exist independently. And do you
see what this way of thinking has led to?"
"What has it led to?" Blair tried to be patient.
"You have developed a huge, powerful monstrous science of cause and
effect. You fly at vast speeds, you build huge edifices, you change the
face of the earth with dams and canals, you will soon no doubt escape
the gravity of the earth itself and reach outer space, and you are
quite capable of making an explosion big enough to destroy the earth
itself. It is awesome. You, indeed, are awed by the monster you've
created. Now you begin to worship it. Now the scientific method becomes
the only method for anything. Now you cannot understand, nor can you
tolerate anything that does not show logic and exhibit a clear pattern
of cause and effect."
"I think I'd better get along and catch that train, now," said Blair.
"Would you mind producing the young lady again? I'd like to say
good-bye to her."
"You haven't heard all of my story yet."
"I think I've heard enough."
Naito nodded at the spot where the girl had apparently disappeared.
"Watch," he said. Presently a blur came into sight, and as its velocity
decreased he saw that it was the girl, spinning now in the opposite
direction. He took more pictures. It was not long before she stood
there, no longer moving, and seemingly calm and not exhausted. She
opened her eyes, saw Blair, and smiled.
"I still say it's a great trick," said Blair.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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