By Evin Almana
Like everything else, miracles are relative. A miracle to one person is a taken-for-granted fact for another. We find the most illuminating examples of this when a modern society stumbles upon a Stone Age society. Say we present these people with a radio. They hear little people playing music in a compact, oblong box. At least for a moment, this common music-making device is miraculous.
Religion is the realm of traditional miracles: levitating saints, walking on water, the appearance of deities. Science is the archenemy of these magical events. Yet, science has a curious reaction to its own unexplainable discoveries. It say's, "Hmm... This doesn't compute." Then, after failing to explain it rationally, they resign. "Oh, well. I guess that's the way that it is."
For example, scientists had set up an experiment to discover the nature of light. Dazzled, they found that light behaved both as a particle and as a wave. It can act like either (depending on how you set up the experiment). Rationally, this isn't possible. They have this unmitigated contradiction, but does that slow them down? Nope: They think, "We can't explain it, but there it is. What's next?" Scientists don't label this a miracle, though, because they can repeat the experiment and produce the same results. Instead, it becomes an unfathomable fact.
Science has also learned that the basic building blocks of the universe have "a tendency to exist." These subatomic energy/particles fade in and out of existence for the briefest of moments, as if to say, "Oh, would you look at that!" before vanishing into the void. Because the subatomic world is the foundation of the universe, we can say that the entire universe has a tendency to exist. Is this a miraculous universe or what?
Let's return to traditional miracles. We ask ourselves, "Can a miracle worker bring the dead back to life?" Oops; paramedics do this now. "Okay; then can a magician turn water into wine?" If you answer No, then skip the next question. If you answer Yes, then ask, "How will this event improve my life, the world, or expand my consciousness?"
(An exception: If you are ill and modern medicine can't help you, then seeking a miracle makes sense. Because we spend billions of dollars on health care, however, we can expect some practitioners to be fakes. We live on earth; fraud happens.)
We can consider two possibilities: either miracles are real or they aren't. First, let's say they aren't. If this is so, then why would a guru, preacher, or anyone do them? The most obvious reason is to gain followers and, consequently, money, power, and fame. A more subtle and positive reason is that they use tricks to attract followers and, once hooked, nourish their flock with spiritual advice.
The other possibility is that they are real. Can miracle workers use their power to reduce suffering in the world? Is the ego involved? Many Eastern teachers warn that miracles are a show of power and ego. The phenomena of the astral plane can easily ensnare the gullible.
Who needs wonders and why? From a practical perspective, most miracles aren't worth much. Some miracle seekers want to believe in the divine, but have their doubts. They are much like scientists: they want proof that the divine exists.
Say that a miracle is proven to be fake or to have a physical explanation. Is a believer so fragile in faith that she will disbelieve in the divine? Or will she look for a new source of these wonders? Ironically, if a miracle turns out to be true, then she no longer is a believer. Where proof exists, belief isn't necessary.
Believer: "Wow, you just created a hundred loaves of bread from one loaf! That's a miracle! How did you do that?"
Miracle Worker: "God worked through me. I'm just His instrument."
Believer: "Great! Now we can feed the world, right? Or better yet, maybe God can give this power to a person in every town! Wow, think of the possibilities!"
Miracle Worker: "Actually, He gave me these powers to prove that He exists."
Believer: "Well, I already believe in Him. Now, about feeding the world..."
Living a miraculous life isn't about doing miracles (unless that's part of your vision). Instead, you tap the power of the universe's "tendency to exist." You unassumingly persuade it to manifest in certain ways. As you suggest endings, it has a tendency to provide the means to get you there. You build a miraculous life without doing miracles; that's the job of the universe.