Sleight of Hand

The hand is quicker than the eye.

For this reason, whether the venue is a carnival or the evening news, you MUST learn to look AWAY from the point of focus.

IN public, the periphery is where the REALLY important activity is taking place.

And what’s NOT being said is almost always where the most important information is being shared.

At the carnival, the ISSUE is the location of the coin.

The POINTS OF FOCUS are the magician’s rapid hand movements. Accompanied by the constant chatter that reminds you NOT to blink to avoid missing anything, it takes a special kind of concentration to simply look away.

But the truth is, you will NEVER find the coin if you watch the moving hand.

It’s the oldest trick in the book, distraction.

It is almost instinctive – even a toddler knows to cry from the opposite side of the room after spilling the milk, or breaking the vase.

LEARN TO LOOK AWAY FROM THE POINT OF FOCUS.

Issue: nexus of fanaticism, hopelessness, and poverty creates fertile grounds for new generations of terrorists.

POINT OF FOCUS: Pointless gesturing and wordy speeches on topic Iraq, Afghanistan, and other eternally Muslim nations with populations already historically divided into feuding factions.

PERIPHERY: Ethiopia (An historically Christian nation) threatens and begins posturing and positioning troops in and around Somalia (A nation struggling to find a religious identity in a new world)

Hmmm… I wonder what the trick is.

I won’t bother with the geography lesson this episode. Look at a globe; it’s YOUR world, too.

Any guess as to how the trick is performed? Who is the magician? How does the trick end?

(originally posted 7 Jan 07)