Don’t open the door: Humbug

There was only one rule: don’t open the door.

The brain is uniquely wired to interpret ambiguous patterns. With a slight distortion, the words Laurel and Yanni can become acoustically ambiguous. Yanni, meaning ‘you know’ or 'God is gracious'; sounds like Laurel, the symbol of achievement or a military victory, that gives prosperity and fame. Much of what we hear depends upon what we’re expecting to hear.

Hallowe’en is about to happen on Friday the 13th, the first time in 666 years. The numbers speak volumes, even though, with just a moment of thought, it is easy to see they are all false. Hallowe’en happens on October 31, and Friday the 13th just happens. It is easy to fool our subconscious perception, believing in a truth we want to be real.

P.T. Barnum said people like to be humbugged. We peer through the window of a door, looking at a display. We dream and drool at the advertising illusions that glimmer and glow and draw us like a moth to a light. We badly want to recreate the illusion: A summer afternoon with family and friends together laughing and playing, while waiting for supper to cook, on the Barbecue of our dreams.

We watch horror films, seeking the thrill of excitement that makes our skin rise into bumps and our hearts race. We go on amusement rides inviting life to pass before our eyes. As if that will make us more able to deal with real fears when they appear.

Delusional observers of life look through the window of a door, then passionately and irrationally create dreams based on a belief of what can be. Once we open the door, the illusions disappear.

Heed the rule or be prepared for horrors of humbuggery.