Soulmates, do you believe that there truly is only one out there?

[Lady Dragonfly]

@VonDondu

You really did not have to apologize.

You challenged the "Soulmates Crowd" to explain how "inter-spirit" communication works, and you basically gave them a choice between a) offering an explanation in accordance with the laws of classical physics, or b) admitting that they are talking about telepathy and psychokinesis, which in my experience are frequently the objects of scorn.

Don't you think that even the quantum-mechanical phenomena should be subject to some sort of the law of nature? Or, perhaps, the “nature” stopped at subatomic threshold, and all these lawless phenomena are just the mind-boggling mathematical expressions of all probable/improbable physical states (warping reality into a mathematical paradox), imagined by mad physicists who skipped their meds (which is as likely)? There is only one step (or leap of faith), here, to dualism and the idea of divine source of matter (which is fine, if one is ready to make this leap of faith). Is that what you wish to discuss?
I mentioned some properties of a wave vs. telepathy because I can't imagine any other way of spiritual communication between two people separated by continents. Can you?

I didn't expect anyone here to answer a challenge like that, but I did not want to comment directly on your challenge--you were fully within your rights, and I did not wish to say anything negative about it. However, I did wish to let everyone know that I for one am perfectly willing to hear, shall we say, less than scientifically rigorous ideas on the subject of soulmates, because I love to listen to speculation.

And so do I. A member, who I personally respect, presented his anecdotal evidence of an incredible bond ("We share such an incredible empathy, bordering on telepathy...") he shares with his wife who, being in Mali, experienced some "bad feelings" on the day he was hospitalized. We don't know whether his wife had similar prophetic feelings before or after that day. Could that be a coincidence? It seems (to me) he did not think so. He said, "If that ain't "soulmates" then nothing is."
I would absolutely love to listen to all sorts of speculations, scientific and otherwise, about how such an extraordinary event could possibly occur.
You subtly ridicule my question. Is the question less valid than the claim?

I think there is lots of room for other kinds of explanations for "things we can't quite understand". My remarks didn't really have much to do with your question to the group, but it was my intention to stimulate more debate by offering people a little more leeway than you did (the way I perceived it, anyway). And I was hoping that my remarks about quantum mechanics would themselves stimulate some more discussion.

Somehow, I doubt you can stimulate much debate involving Hilbert space or Schroedinger equation.
On the other hand, I was able to elicit a confession from Naffnuff that he believes in telepathy.

(Are you suggesting that I was going off-topic? I'm not clear on that.)

No more than Fable when he invoked his Penguinology (he should've presented us with a respectably long list of references and sources too, but he is eccentric).

[Naffnuff]

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

No more than Fable when he invoked his Penguinology (he should've presented us with a respectably long list of references and sources too, but he is eccentric).

Understanding an animal that is always dressed up in tail coat is obviously crucial to understanding marriage. I suggest you apologize to fable.

[Siberys]

I obviously have a lot to read to catch up on (I don't often get on GB for casual purposes, I'm usually on for fifteen minutes and then gone).

But I will mention one thing that's a bit off topic. Naffnuff, you have 3 posts in a row above. Please use the edit feature instead of double posting, even if they're hours apart.

[fable]

Originally Posted by Naffnuff

Understanding an animal that is always dressed up in tail coat is obviously crucial to understanding marriage. I suggest you apologize to fable.

Personally, I have no problems with LD's comment. But the penguin, he sulks. He stays indoors. He picks at his fish. He drinks nothing but dry martinis. His feelings are hurt. I hope LD will do the right thing by him.

For the rest, I have had the same feeling some others have had about their wives/husbands/SOs: the ThisIsTheOne! sense. In fact, I've had that happen twice, or once more after splitting up with the woman I was engaged to in Dallas. (She now leads her own Black Baptist ministry. In reflection, I have to wonder whether there is something about being involved in a relationship with me that drives women to turn to their god.) The fact that TheOne was actually TheTwo only confirmed to me that this feeling is very intense and real, but also very subjective, and liable to repeat, given certain circumstances. What should we conclude from that? That we each have several interchangeable soulmates? Reason leads me to think that emotion, cultural background, physical passion, mental stimulation--in short, the usual stuff--led to a heady sense of something new springing into existence, where it hadn't existed before: a loving relationship, with personal borders to an extent let down.

As for telepathy or empathy, I remember parties with my coven in Dallas where we sat around and achieved a roughly 70% rate of success on guessing colors chosen randomly from a deck by one member. We shared a bond, but not any supposed soulmate kind of bond.

[Lady Dragonfly]

Personally, I have no problems with LD's comment. But the penguin, he sulks. He stays indoors. He picks at his fish. He drinks nothing but dry martinis. His feelings are hurt. I hope LD will do the right thing by him.

And what is Guido's reaction? Has I hurt his feelings too? I will send each of them a copy of "Causality and Complementarity". Do you think that would cheer them up?

Reason leads me to think that emotion, cultural background, physical passion, mental stimulation--in short, the usual stuff--led to a heady sense of something new springing into existence, where it hadn't existed before: a loving relationship, with personal borders to an extent let down.

And then, after euphoria has abated, a relationship depends on mutual tolerance of imperfection.

[Naffnuff]

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

On the other hand, I was able to elicit a confession from Naffnuff that he believes in telepathy.

Indeed you did, but only under severe pressure, so forget about going to court with it. Patriot Act does not extend to anything without a thick mustache, and as you can tell from my avatar I am quite the baby face.

However, now that you caught me, I might as well tell you the whole story. On the morning my grandfather died, I had a dream, in which I saw him sitting in a chair, in a certain room in his house in Spain. I did not know that he was about to die, only that he was ill, but he had been so for months. Later, when I told my relatives about my dream, they could confirm that he had been sitting exactly where I had seen him, that he had looked as I described him (very much thinner), wearing the clothes I had seen him in, and that he had died at the exact time when I dreamed the dream (after which I awoke).

Is this "piece of evidence" anecdotal? It certainly is! Do you have to believe me? No! Could it be some kind of freakish coincidence? Possibly. Such things happen.

My grandfather, I should add, was nothing like my soulmate.

Originally Posted by Siberys

But I will mention one thing that's a bit off topic. Naffnuff, you have 3 posts in a row above. Please use the edit feature instead of double posting, even if they're hours apart.

Sorry about that! Do you want me to edit them now?

[fable]

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

And what is Guido's reaction? Has I hurt his feelings too? I will send each of them a copy of "Causality and Complementarity". Do you think that would cheer them up?

Well, it would be a start. That, plus a dozen red roses, and an autographed picture of Fabio. Just make sure it's in a plain box. The penguin mustn't catch on. He may be three sheets to the wind, but he's still jealous as only a small monogamous penguin can be.

And then, after euphoria has abated, a relationship depends on mutual tolerance of imperfection.

I see the two as going hand in hand, but that just may be me. The euphoria can return from time to time, and it's possible to summon it. But whether it exists or not, that tolerance is invaluable, and it's just not part of any starry-eyed Heathcliff/Catherine package.

[Lady Dragonfly]

That, plus a dozen red roses, and an autographed picture of Fabio.

Fabio the Fabio-lous or Fabio the Football-ous?

[fable]

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

Fabio the Fabio-lous or Fabio the Football-ous?

Well, we know how you spend your evenings. Fabio, the Cover Model for Soft Porn Romance Novels My Wife Reads.