Page:Astounding Science Fiction (1950-01).djvu/118

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of this world that it involves a few entirely new frequency bands and a few centuries' development of subatomic research before its physical presence is even suspected? In other words, maybe a built-in equalizer? That suggested something else: anything that far "out of this world" would prove difficult for the brain itself to utilize! The communications received from such a system might conceivably be a tricky code that the brain would have trouble deciphering unless its physical structure was hitting peak efficiency! Good physical health and mental awareness.

Are you still with me? O.K., the next point was—in my chain of speculations—that here, perhaps, was the theoretical explanation of ESP and PK powers, the neutrinos of the mind. Rhine's experiments concluded that such powers were at their best when the subject was physically relaxed, mentally rested, and alert to the circumstances of the test. Ping—the conclusions dovetail!

Being Science Fiction enthusiasts, we next consider if and how these conclusions might point the way toward telepathy, tendrils, and the Gray Lensmen.

Obviously, we'll have to go a long way farther toward something resembling a good definition of the word "civilization" before: (A) the human race is physically in such good shape that we aren't bothered with such things as colds, rheumatism, fevers, chills, and whatnot, which are distracting; and (B) we're free of such pathological worries as keeping up with the Joneses, keeping our jobs, getting a home and making enough money to pay off loans, mortgages, installments, and the other little whatnots that form the structure of modern living, such as taxes. It is even too much worry, as yet, remaining compatible with the little woman so as to raise a fine, strong family of red-blooded young Americans. We'll have to get all these items off our neural patterns before we're mentally healthy enough to tackle ESP and PK code-messages with a vengeance!

A hit of supporting evidence, here, is that most cases of "mysticism" generally originate in the backwoods of this planet. There's something like a psychic accord between man and nature that considerably helps the subject attain mental accord, it seems. The extreme examples, of course, are the voodoo rites and Asiatic occult Mumbo Jumbo which, in successful cases such as a casual stroll upon hot coals, show that the subject must be jarred, shaken, or otherwise lulled into a semi-conscious or totally unconscious hypnotic trance. Otherwise, his neurons' are too occupied with everyday trivialities to concetnrate on ESP-PK code-messages. What the hypnotic trances do to his conscious rationalization is something for the psychologists to study.

But considering the present trend

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