Page 29 - Pastiche Vol 1 Edition 1 January 2019

The word consists of two parts: para and
normal. The definition implies that the
scientific explanation of the world around us
is 'normal' and anything that is above,
beyond, or contrary to that is 'para'.

The terms “paranormal” and “supernatural” are often confused to mean the same thing as
we just can’t explain both with rational, accepted science. But actually they bear separate
meanings. “Paranormal” refers to something with a likelihood of a good, natural explanation
for it, that’s not understood by current scientific knowledge, and might be someday
explained scientifically. “Supernatural” on the other hand refers to a phenomenon that is
beyond our capability to understand because it just doesn’t operate according to our
perception. The term “supernatural” was first used in the 15th century, while the term
“paranormal” was invented in the 1920s.

There are plenty of things that could have once been considered paranormal phenomena can
now explain with science. For example, the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of
birds with change of climate would have seemed bizarre at some point of time when people
were not aware of their migratory habit. Rocks that fall from the sky were once a paranormal
phenomenon, but now we know that they’re meteorites. The realm of the paranormal
includes things that we might one day understand, and be able to duplicate in a scientific
study or setting and figure out just how they work. That includes things like telepathy,
telekinesis, clairvoyance, doppelganger, ghost hunting, extrasensory perception, ufology and
cryptozoology.

Things that are supernatural can never be explained by our sciences. They are governed by
completely different rules than the rules that we perceive. These are the things that we will
never be able to document in our scientific methods and go against all of our natural rules
and have no logical basis. For example, we are not capable to scientifically observe a god, a
guardian angel, or a soul, or resurrect a dead person. The supernatural is beyond our
capabilities of understanding and is instead in the realm of the divine or otherworldly.

Religion and mythology have long been created to explain things that were different from
our regular perception. They conceive a lot of things that were once considered
supernatural, although they made their way into paranormal and then into facts with the
advancement of science. Things like, virgin births, surrogacy, faith healing are no more a
divinity or miracle but a medical fact.

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