Woo

Certainty sells.

One of the best ways to sound certain and maintain the illusion is to make claims that can’t be disproven. You see it in any opinion that catches on – a certain claim that you can’t really falsify. Much of religion works this way, along with things like the healing powers of crystals and stuff like that.

But here’s the thing: I like a lot of things with strong claims attached, even if I don’t believe the claims.

My middle child collects rocks and crystals and just about any little trinket she can get her hands on. She tells me their stories and their special powers, and she’s no less certain than the people who say that those crystals can align your chakras or whatever. But it makes me smile. It makes me happy to hear those stories.

I can put a “healing oil” in my house because it smells nice and I like it. It doesn’t need to be more than that. We make the claims not because we’re selling the thing, but because we’re selling the certainty. People don’t really care if you get the crystals, they care that they be seen as someone who knows things. Someone who’s certain.

But some things just smell nice, and that’s okay.