badge

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Know thy future


Prophecies and predictions play an important part in our lives right from the time we come into this world. This is true across the world regardless of the race, caste or religion, though some give little credence to it but others take it more seriously. Certain days are considered auspicious for birth of progeny so the timing of birth of children is planned accordingly. Even labors are induced if necessary, to ensure that the birth happens on the specific day.  When children start growing an auspicious time is selected for shaving off the head in Hindus and baptization for Christians, Bar Mitzvah for Jews, and such other events in other religions and communities as well. In the cycle of life every event , the first time a child takes solid food, goes to school, gets married , till the death are decided by auspicious times for the event.

At every stage in life the important events are planned as per predictions of planetary movements, relying on horoscopes, reading tarot cards , according to individual’s belief. I remember when I was a very young kid, one of the distant relative who was visiting us asked me what I would like to become in future? I replied in all innocence that I would like to become a painter or a story teller. He laughed and said, that would not help in earning bread so what else I wished to do. I remembered one of my uncles who was in the Army and replied more confidently, I would like to join the Army. He asked me to show my palm and after examining for a few minutes declared that I would never be able to join the Army! I was hurt, but kept quiet and decided that one day, I will disprove him and sure enough, I joined the Navy.

It was always fascinating to hear about relatives who went for holidays where as children, we hardly traveled beyond Agra from Delhi , so somewhere inside there was a desire to travel and see the world! It would not be easy as one needs money and time to indulge in this. Some people who knew us well predicted that we would follow the steps of our parents and the ‘flights of fancy’ would remain a dream! At an impressionable age, every time someone tried to put down, I made the greater resolve to live a life as per own dictum.

Things have not changed much with times. Even now, predictors of doom and gloom continue to play with the psyche of the people. Unfortunately, the lesser privileged and lesser educated start believing in this! Even the mass entertainment channels on the TV portray negativity and regressive thoughts much more than positive and well being. Just flick the channels and you will realize that if there are no ‘saas bahu, stories of lost children, adultery, it is prediction of future by stargazers, prediction of share prices and prediction of growth rates in the movement of economy by business channels. It is a full time engagement of all news channels these days, as to who will win the elections and form a government. The story is not very different when it comes to print media either where the newspapers are falling head over heels to predict who will win the majority in the ensuing elections, and how the economy will fare.  The insurance companies and banks paint a rosy future by alluring prospective clients by predicting better returns in future. The real estate business promises best houses at affordable prices in premium locations by predicting the rising value with time. So no matter which way we see, very few people consider the present important and are more worried about a bright future! Nostradamus had predicted the end of world in year 1994 and Mayan’s had predicted doomsday on 21 Dec 2012 but we have still survived!!


PS: Images kind courtesy Google


38 comments:

  1. It's as if saying something louder and repetitively will make it real or true. I don't believe in predicting future, though my family has renowned astrologers, who are genuine and practice it as a science. I believe in myself, I try to give my best shot to whatever I want.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree Saru, repetition does not change reality, but wish more people understood this! Nothing like giving a best shot and then seeing the result come:)

      Delete
  2. I for one never beleived in all this , but I think when things are going wrong. and nothing seems to work , one just gets attracted to all this, I know for I lost a whole lot of money last year , as i wrote in my article..

    end of the day I think what is going ot happen will happen .. no matter what .. maybe with this predictions etc we can know it is coming .. but STOP we cant.

    Nostradamus and mayan.. well if we look from other side maybe We havenot been able to see what they had predicted properly so far :)

    Bikram

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bikram, I tend to agree with you on everything you wrote:)

      Delete
  3. My family believes in astrologers and I am confused regarding my stand. I do hear them out and take in the good things, because it gives a moral boost. But I do not let the bad part pull me down.

    And like you said. Mayans predicted the end and we survived.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See even a budding lawyer like you can get confused,Red, so imagine the plight of those lesser read, how they are taken for a ride by conmen under the pretext of promising a good future! Yeah, read everything but use your discretion is the best way forward:)

      Delete
  4. I am firm believer in this.There have been incidences which have come true of predictions by Pandit,Brahmins.
    But,it is a matter of personal choice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mr Chowla for reading and for your views. and I respect them!

      Delete
  5. Normally, I don't believe in astrology or numerology but many things happened in the way my uncle had predicted, looking at my palm and then calculating - numerology.

    TV and other media sources give negative news/predict negative news, just to attract attention. It is always human nature...we tend to remember negative things more than positive things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well it is a well established Science though I understand little of it! I only have issue of the fraud people who take innocent and gullible for a ride, Sandhya!

      Delete
  6. i tho stopped reading horoscopes all together. As a school going girl i remember picking up the newspaper daily to read my horoscope and more often then i would imagine it would hint the downs and rarely the ups. The least thing a child needs is to be demotivated even before he/she tries at something..
    coming to think of it, even the news channels these days have hours fixed to read out the fortune of people lining up all the millions of people with same zodiac signs and lucky numbers in the same good or bad luck.
    i really appreciate your take on it Rahul Sir..When we can think rationally the unprivileged and uneducated ones are being dragged into the sack of it..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Monica it is always a delight to read your comment and how well you relate the subject with your own situation! Readers like you help me in fathoming the understanding of the new generation and I feel after interacting that they are far more intelligent and rationale in their thinking:)

      Delete
  7. No wonder astrology is an ancient science, but It's kind of a complicated science, I feel, where many factors have a role to play, our karma and beliefs being two of them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A horoscope dosent make any sense, one should have enlightened soul. An optimist person can even lead the world..no matter what the horoscope says....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Noopur, it is optimism that can make a difference in life:)

      Delete
  9. I heard astrology or palmistry or numerology or horoscope etc depend on probability theory. So when the horoscope says "good ",I believe it. If not, I don't believe it.
    Have a nice weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Astrology is a debatable subject, since it is beyond my comprehension I can not make a remark, but from my experience in life what will happen will happen and what can not happen will not happen! Doing one's best in every situation is in our hands, the result is not!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since it is beyond me too, I took a shot to write something what little I know of it, Padmaja:)

      Delete
  11. OH I can relate to this post, Rahul. After we got married and before we came to the US, our inlaws showed my charts to some astrologer and he said that I will never have a career. All I will do is some chote mote jobs...I had that fear in mind as I worked as HR, a receptionist, a baby sitter even...I did not get my work visa in the right time either. But now, I started working more than 7 years back with many breaks, but never struggled a lot to get a job. Jobs came to me all the time :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot, Latha and from what little I know of you, I am sure you will never have a dearth of jobs with the range of skills you seem to have:)

      Delete
  12. Aren't you glad about these predictions your relatives made and that you worked doubly hard to prove them wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very glad, Purba that these predictions did not deter me to follow the path I chose:) Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Astrology is what mystifies me but never enough to take it seriously. So glad that you have been able to prove the detractors wrong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot Jas! I have never taken predictions seriously:)

      Delete
  15. When people do something for a long time, they get good at it. Astrology as a "science" might not be totally wrong.

    The problem is when we go to an astrologer and TOTALLY believe them. Doctors, lawyers and others have degrees and association memberships to prove that they are good. This means that doctors, lawyers etc. have to work hard at their skill as well. Future-people only have to convince the vulnerable people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anything which is used for taking gullible people on a ride is bad be it forecasting future, misguiding patients or giving wrong professional advise!Thanks KK , for reading!

      Delete
  16. Unfortunately our politicians tend to believe alot on these too.
    www.thoughtsofpaps.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot Asamptha for reading and yes the belief of many in predictions is almost unbelievable:)

      Delete
  17. Hi Rahul, its amazing that you defied all that was said you couldn't do, that shows how much power you personally and anyone else has over their own lives and futures. I don't believe in fortune telling, because we can change our own fate and dynamics we choose to. Great inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sam for being so kind, but somehow I feel that working towards one's destiny is always better:) Have a lovely week ahead!

      Delete
  18. I am happy that you proved them wrong. In a way, these adverse predictions made you do so much better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rachna for those words! I somehow feel that what happens, happens for good:)Though not every time!

      Delete
  19. Good one, predictions or calculations are always near assumptions in context to future. You never know when stars are in favor. I never believe but certainly read about it, out of the blues. Couple of weeks back, I read mine and that said you will be lucky this week, and that was a horrible week. I so wanted to sue the site. When its good, consider it, when its bad -forget that you read any. -Cheers, TC :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to see you again after a break Shreya! Yeah, agree if things turn out good then we like the prediction or curse the guy who made it!

      Delete
    2. Always good to read your posts. Happy blogging :)

      Delete
    3. Am honored, Shreya:) Thanks and wish you the same!

      Delete