Magic is Real (it's just boring)

In the movie Alita: Battle Angel (which is an okay movie - 6/10) there is a particularly poignant line. For those who haven't seen it (and to grossly oversimplify), the movie centers around a robot (the titular Alita) learning about the world around her.

Initially, a scientist finds the remnants of Alita and rebuilds her. Alita has no idea of what she once was and similarly does not know what the world around them holds. During a lesson, the scientist shows Alita a floating city. Alita asks the scientist "What holds it up? Magic?" The scientist replies "No, something stronger. Engineering."

Pictured: A robot learning to love.

Though we don't have floating cities (yet), we take a lot for granted in the modern world. Because certain things are commonplace, we often don't think about how absolutely insane certain things would be to someone from even 100 years ago. We truly live in an age of wonder and magic; people just don't care because they are used to it. By drawing these parallels and remembering how crazy these things are, you get some of the feeling of magic back.

Pictured: Okay, this kind of magic takes a bit more of a suspension of disbelief. But there's a bunch of other stuff.

1. Magical Cities

Speaking of magical cities, let's talk about civil engineering. I am lucky enough to live in New York City - one of the most magical places in the world. Want to get somewhere? Just take the subway. Need to throw something out? There's a fleet of sanitation trucks ready to pick things up while you sleep. Need a rest? Go to one of the 1,700 parks that are here (not an exaggeration).

We don't think of road design or sewers as being revolutionary, but much more work goes into this than it seems. And all of that work makes life in cities magical.

2. Potions

Go to your local pharmacy (or just a CVS or something) and walk down the aisles. You can buy remedies to most common problems without a prescription. And once you have a prescription, you can get some really powerful stuff. Modern pharmacology allows doctors to put people under for surgery and even change people's mental state.

Pictured: The Elixir of Hardness.

Personally, as a trans woman (I know I mention that a lot, but I have a point here!), I am on hormone replacement therapy. Basically, I get to take a magical pill twice a day and see results in months. It has fundamentally changed my biology; my hands are more slender, my face softer, and my hips wider. With the power of medicine, I can change my physical body to be more in line with where I want it to be. It's basically transmutation (pun not intended).

3. Magical and Enchanted Items

You've probably heard of the magician's code. Basically, magicians don't tell non-magicians their secrets. Nothing takes the wind out of a magic performance as quick as explaining how you did it.

Since "magicians" are really just illusionists now, this is not that far reaching. But remember, that's not all magicians used to do. Many older magicians were actually engineers who were equally protective of their secrets. With classic misdirection (like saying a "magic" word), the old wizards were able to keep their designs to a select few while letting the rest of the world *think* they knew how it worked.

For example, think of a staff that shoots fire. Seems pretty magical, no? But that's easy to build if you think about it. All you need is a mechanism that squirts a flammable liquid across a pilot flame. A staff has ample room to do so. Saying it's magic just gives it more gusto.

4. Rock Auras

Unlike what your weird aunt says, most rocks don't have an inherent aura (though, never underestimate the power of aesthetics and associations; this can give crystals power, but should not be confused with inherent power). They can't heal you by being next to you; keep going to the doctor. Some are mixed into medicines, but I already kind of covered that.

Instead of all that lame stuff, rock auras can power entire countries. It's called radioactivity and only certain special rocks have them.

Pictured: An angry rock.

Take that Aunt Suzy.

EDIT: Another example of a rock with an inherent aura is quartz! The crystal vibrates at such a determinable frequency that it can be utilized to keep time in watches.

5. Strange and Mystical Animals

Ever been to a zoo? There's some weird animals out there. We have the luxury of being able to see them at will, but, back in the day, many of these animals could only inhabit certain areas. For example, there's no way that someone in the middle ages would have seen a penguin - we just weren't there yet. So of course there were tales of mystical beasts in far away lands because there were. And, there was probably a bit of embellishing.

Pictured: We've managed to make some crazy looking animals on our own too.

Though there are many species yet to be discovered, the animal kingdom has largely become demystified. But, next time you go to the zoo, try seeing the animals from a point of view of seeing them for the first time. You may get some of the magic back!

6. Pondering the Orb

The internet is so ubiquitous at this point, it's hard to imagine life without it. But the scale of what can be done is mind-boggling. With the flick of a finger, you have the sum of human knowledge at your fingertips. Do you wonder how your medicine actually works? What other movies was that actor in? When was the Treaty of Versailles signed? (trick question, there were a lot of them.)

Thirty years ago, if you wanted to look this up, you would need to go find the answer somewhere physically or ask someone else who knew. Further back, and you may have no way of getting these answers at all. Now, there are multiple competing services that can answer your question in a second or two.

Pictured: Me and my phone.

But that's not all. We've integrated a number of services into the internet as well. In addition to basically knowing anything you want, you can have things delivered to your door, talk to friends on the other side of the world, binge a seemingly endless chasm of entertainment, and read this blog! How is this not magic?

7. Spells

Do you know why your neighbor doesn't kill you even though you're really annoying? It's partially because they know that they would be jailed (as an attorney, I happen to know that "he was really annoying" is not a good defense).

It's cliched to say the pen is mightier than the sword, so let me try something else... Ink is thicker than blood.

Well. That's metal.

But in reality, laws are magic; they get people to behave in a certain way. With the right contracts, mountains can be moved. Two people sign something, and ownership magically passes to another. A piece of plastic can pay for a cup of coffee.

As current Chief Justice John Roberts said (well, I'm paraphrasing): If you can convince five out of nine people that you are right, one of the most powerful countries this world has ever seen will stand down.

***

In these times, we live better than kings of yore. But we don't think twice about it.

Try to see the world through a medieval peasant's eyes. For me, being more aware of the wonders of the world helps return some of the "special-ness" that magic has around it. But unlike the movies, you get to live in this world!

I hope you have a magical day.