Magicians and mentalists take advantage of assumptions audience members make to pull off their illusions. For instance, certain things on stage assumed to be one thing are quite another. A few casual words spoken by the performer might lead the audience’s assumptions in the direction he wants them to be led. The audience’s assumptions are integral ingredients of an effective and entertaining magic or mentalism show.
We can learn a lot about our own “illusions” by checking our own assumptions. Especially wrong assumptions we allow ourselves to believe about ourselves and others. And by questioning our assumptions we can improve our emotional health and live more positively.
I’ll never forget one time when I made a very wrong assumption. I’d been looking forward to my second trip to Jamaica ever since my first visit a year earlier. The Jamaica I saw then wasn’t the one you see in travel brochures. I went to areas of the island nation few people know, where poverty grips the lives of the vast majority of Jamaica’s citizens. I traveled there as part of a project to help raise money to build houses for several of the country’s poorest families. Now that the houses had been built, I was anxious to see them and meet the people whose circumstances and lives had been transformed for the better.
I arrived in Miami, Florida the night before my plane was to hop the Caribbean and land on the island. I called my wife from the hotel to let her know I had arrived safely.
“Did you know you forgot your passport?” she asked.
I assured her it hadn’t been necessary the first time I went to Jamaica, so I was certain it wouldn’t be a problem. I knew for sure that my young son, David, had not needed a passport when he accompanied me on my earlier trip to Jamaica because he didn’t even have a passport. So, why would I need mine?
It all sounded quite logical to me, probably because of my jet lag. Even as my wife challenged, “Are you sure about that?” I insisted that everything was okay, said goodbye, and settled down to a good night’s rest.
The next morning, I met several other colleagues at the airport, including a representative of the organization that had paid my way. As we stood in line to check our luggage, I noticed that the man in front of me was showing the airline employee his passport.
Like a lightning strike, the obvious, which to this point had alluded me, suddenly became crystal clear: I was attempting to board a plane to a foreign country without a passport.
Not need a passport? What was I thinking?
It was my turn to approach the counter. I handed my ticket to the employee, hoping against hope that she would not ask me for the document that was somewhere in my dresser drawer two thousand miles away.
“Passport please,” she said mechanically.
“Uh, I don’t think I needed one last time I went to Jamaica,” I answered timidly.
She firmly verified that all passengers going to Jamaica needed a passport.
Then I said something that no doubt made her further question my sanity.
“I need a passport? When did they start that rule?”
Even as the words tumbled out of my mouth, I realized their idiocy and futility.
“They’ve always required a passport, sir!” she answered incredulously.
Red-faced, I turned around and approached my fellow travelers. I stood there like a deer in headlights staring into their dumbfounded faces. I imagined they were all thinking the same thing. Here’s a man preparing to travel overseas who doesn’t think he needs a passport. What kind of imbecile could possibly have thought that? Thank God someone that stupid won’t be on our plane.
Then I had to explain to the representative of the organization that funded the trip why they had wasted all of that money on me. She was merciful and allowed me to bow out with what little decorum I had left.
As I sat and watched everyone else make their way to the gate, the truth finally sank into my temporarily addled brain. On that first trip to Jamaica, I had, in fact, brought my passport. My son, indeed, did not have one, but—and here’s where it all started to make painful sense—he had brought his birth certificate instead, which was acceptable travel documentation for a minor.
I swallowed the tiny morsel of pride I had remaining and made a mental note that all international travel requires a passport.
The night before and all the way up until the bolt jolted me, I had been absolutely certain that a passport was not required to board the plane. I was sincere. But I was sincerely wrong. In the eyes of the law, my certainty and sincerity counted for nothing. Only my passport would have gotten me on that plane.
Sometimes we have to check our assumptions at the gate before we try to board the plane to wherever we want to go in life. Some of those assumptions are damaging, and you may need to replace them with new, healthy ones.
Assumptions based on truth rather than on something someone said or implied about you.
Truth rather than something you have been saying to yourself.
Truth rather than assumptions you have been making about your social standing, income, sex, race, or past.
It may be time to reevaluate your false assumptions and refocus on the truth.
Rod Robison is a Tucson, Arizona based author, magician, mentalist, and inspirational speaker. His book The Magic of Cultivating Positive Emotions: Four Powerful Secrets Mentalists Use to Influence Thoughts and How You Can Use Them to Improve Your Emotional Health is receiving enthusiastic five star reviews.
“So many self-help books have a few strong ideas and then pad the ‘run-time.’ This book gets to the point with a new and interesting perspective on solid life principles. The personal stories add color to the ideas and are completely relatable. Quick read, good ideas, a new perspective and easy to digest. I enjoyed it thoroughly.” – Conni Lamb
Available at www.TucsonMagician.com/books
