I must stop listening to the broadcasts that come after a very excellent breakfast show on the radio. The topics that they choose as discussions of interest are scraping so close to the bottom of the barrel, they must have started digging into the earth by now. Today, we took a look at a news story in which we see ebay planning to ban the sale of inanimate goods on their site. Very specifically, the sale of online/telephone psychic/tarot readings and the also the broader spectrum which includes such things as werewolf spells - it's not very specific on whether it plans to ban the sale of spells to turn you into a werewolf or stop you from turning into one. Probably both I would think. Before I get the shovel out, here's the official statement on the matter:
"We want customers to have great experiences on eBay, and we regularly review categories and update policies to deliver the best shopping and selling experience possible. Based on our long-standing policy restricting the sale of intangible items on eBay, we are discontinuing a small number of categories within the Metaphysical category, as transactions in these categories can be difficult to verify and resolve. We believe this update will enhance the experience on eBay and benefit our customers."
I think this is a real shame. Nobody is being ripped off in this scenario. Let's take a look at the broader picture. Anybody wanting a psychic reading done that badly is going to get one regardless of ebay's policy on the matter - I'm not even sure why they would need to advertise on ebay anyway. It's not like there's a shortage of psychics in the world. I could walk out of the door and find one before I found a fruit shop I'm sure. Having once done the tarot circuit myself - and 100% believing myself to be genuine, (I stopped because I got tired of people being so materialistic and short-sighted about this great adventure called life) - it is what it is and won't go away despite rather a lot of people thinking it should. These days, I'm not really pro- or con- the psychic world. I've come to realise you either believe in something or you don't and that's the end of the story for every human being on the planet. Once you get that into your head, you can start living as a free person. You can change your belief system, but really, all you're doing is choosing to believe in something else. It doesn't make it any more or less true/false for the human race no matter what you believe (unless you're some kind of psycho terrorist I guess).
The 'psychic' industry doesn't need policing. Sure, there are charlatans out there but they don't stick around for long. If you're really good at pretending to be psychic, maybe you really are. There are plenty of people who tell you they are plumbers or mechanics who haven't got a clue what they're doing who still have jobs. I find that a lot more annoying. Not as annoying as people who write because they have a keyboard in front of them, but still...
If you don't believe in the spirit world/werewolves/sea monsters, why would you choose to care anyway? Surely there's no better instant karma in the world than two fools fooling each other in exchange for money. And there lies the key. If there was no money to be made in it, how many psychics would we have on the world then? If there was no money or profile in being a doubter, you probably wouldn't do that either and content yourself to be a barrista in Starbucks, which is probably where most opinionated professionals belong anyway. We could say the same about most religions. The Christian face of God is acceptable in every city, town and village in the UK but there's not much proof for the existence of that either - just a lot of believers. Christians run their churches from donations by members and there's nothing wring with that. It doesn't mean I can't get on with my life... although Tuesday evening's hour long bell ringing practice does. Am I free to play Slipknot outside the Vicarage at an hour of my choosing? No.
As with everything from the day time began, belief is everything. Believe or don't believe. What you believe in is true for the time you believe in it and what you don't, isn't. It's a really simple equation and it works regardless of what you believe - that last part of the comment makes it sound more complicated than it really is... sorry.
Anyway, my life has become a whole lot easier since I figured this out.
Imagine all the people, living life...