escape to insanity

I spend a lot of time wondering about things that make no sense whatsoever. Things that… really… there's not much point in wondering about. Absurd things.

For an example, today I spent a good half hour — if not more — wondering how exactly psychokinesis would work. To be clear, there's a difference between psychokinesis and telekinesis. Telekinesis affects only matter — say, the ability to move a car, stop bullets, or create wind by manipulating the molecules in the air. Psychokinesis adds to that with the ability to manipulate energy as well. Wikipedia offers the example of softening a the metal of a spoon so that it bends more readily. (or maybe, there is no spoon.)

Back to my point. I spent at least half an hour wondering about the specifics of psychokinesis. Well… I guess I was focusing more on the telekinesis side of it. How does it work? What level of control would one have?

Say you want to get yourself a can of soda out of the fridge. What steps are involved in retrieving that can? I imagine it'd be pretty easy to open the fridge door, levitate a can out of the fridge, close the door, and maneuver the can to wherever you are. But what about more complex tasks? What if you're unfamiliar with the specific environment that you're manipulating? Say I want to unplug the neighbor's stereo, but I've never seen their place? I don't know where the stereo is located — but I have a pretty good idea from hearing it through the wall. Even if I can figure out the location of the stereo, I have no idea what model it is, where the power cord connects, or where the wall outlet is located.

Now things start to get trickier.

Can I use my telekinesis to “feel” my way around the room, around the stereo? I wonder if I'd be able to mentally grope around the room to figure out where the cord is located, and what I need to do to silence the stereo. I wonder if I'd be helpless in this situation, since I have very little idea what I'm dealing with on the other side of the wall.

You see what I have to deal with in my head? Now I sit here, wondering about the physical problems inherent with a superpower that I don't currently and in all likelihood will never possess. And of course, this won't end with this post. I'll continue to wonder about things like this, because that's how my mind works.

Now… things like weather control, that's an entirely different ballgame.