Sandy was on the motorway heading for Preston, Lancashire.
Suddenly, she saw a single magpie flutter across her path. Desperate to spy a
second magpie, she missed her junction and found herself on the road to Hull.
Bad luck? Had this inoffensive black and white bird, or
‘harbinger of doom’, really caused Sandy to veer off course? Or had she simply
allowed herself to get distracted?
Every day, millions of people face similar situations.
Walking under ladders, passing someone on the stairs, having recurring dreams
and – a particular dread for actors -
whistling backstage are all viewed as potential hazards in the bad luck
department. Sportsmen and women too are usually prone to lucky mascots and
pre-performance rituals, and I’ve even known of people refusing to get out of
bed if their horoscopes were unfavourable.
Of course, it’s easy to make light of superstition but
for many lands it can be highly damaging, even dangerous. In India, AIDS is
being spread by truck drivers who think sexual relations will keep them cool in
hot weather. In other parts of the world, the birth of twins is viewed as a
curse, sometimes causing parents to kill one – or even both - of them. And
superstition can actually enslave whole communities, especially when combined
with an overdeveloped fear of the dead.
Like Sandy, one of
my worst phobias was lone Magpies (“one for sorrow, two for joy” as the rhyme
goes), but there were plenty more where that came from, such as breaking a
mirror ( 7 years’ bad luck!), putting new shoes on a table (death within a
year), opening umbrellas indoors and uncrossing knives (broken friendship)......so
many superstitions, in fact, they were actually affecting my life and it
was only through research and applying simple
logic that I eventually learned to cope with them in a rational way.
What’s
the point if the future’s already written?
Omens, superstitions and predictions all have one thing
in common - Fate, a philosophy which began with the original three Fates from
Greek mythology, goddesses who spun the thread of life, decided how long it
should be for each individual, and cut it at the predetermined time.
Despite its mythical roots, this belief is very
widespread, pointing to inevitable (often adverse) outcomes for every event -
outcomes that are totally inescapable because they’re determined either by God
or by other supernatural forces. As a result, fatalists may have a
laissez-faire view of life, displaying a lack of purpose and an unwillingness
to make decisions. After all, what’s the
point if the future’s already written?
If there IS no point and if the future is truly
controlled by unseen forces, then why do we visit doctors? Why do we try to
live healthily? And why are there fewer fatalities for people who wear seat
belts when setting off in cars? If you’re fated to be an X-Factor winner, why
bother with singing lessons? If you’re meant to pass that exam, why bother
swotting? And if the job’s destined to be yours, does it matter how you dress
for the interview?
According to astrologers, a person’s
character can be determined by their horoscope, the precise positioning of the
planets and signs of the zodiac at the time of birth. Despite many challenges
to astrology over the years, belief for many in its abilities - not only to predict
the future but also to influence human behaviour - is very deep-rooted.
Yet is such faith
backed up by evidence? As part of an A-level course in Psychology, students
were given a horoscope that had supposedly been drawn up according to each
individual’s date and time of birth. Most students agreed it was extremely
accurate, only to find they’d all been given exactly the same character
description!
So what’s the
harm? Well, convincing someone they have a certain nature, set of talents or
even destiny can exert undue influence over his or her decisions for the
future......almost as though a screenplay of their life has been written in
advance by somebody else. Social workers and psychologists have highlighted how
being typecast as, say, the black sheep of the family, the clever one, or the
ditz can colour youths’
development, virtually obliging them to
live up (or down) to their given role.
Even worse,
whether it comes via zodiac chart or family members, such prejudgement
interferes with our most basic human right – free will.
We may be born
with certain traits, we can certainly be influenced by nurture, and
circumstances we encounter throughout life will obviously affect us. But with
free will, we have the right and the means to change ourselves. So be the
person you want to be, choose the path you want to follow and never, ever let fate
or superstition dictate yours – or your children’s - life!
