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Corona was not written in the stars!

Published : Monday, 1 June, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 629

Corona was not written in the stars!

Corona was not written in the stars!

Corona has upended the way the world operated. Even if countries are slowly getting ready to open up, life in the new normal will never be the same again. For starters, the effervescence of living will certainly be a little muted; in this circumscribed normalcy, handshakes are out, masks are in with human touches avoided most of the times.

But to look at another angle of the global upheaval, we find that not a single astrologer managed to predict a situation under which the whole world would be stuck in an impasse for around three months. Let me repeat that: not a single one managed to make a prophecy that warned us beforehand of the impending catastrophe. Of course, I have seen several star gazers claiming that they had made a correct prediction at the beginning of the year though not a single one has managed to provide corroborating evidence to support the claims.

The point to note: astrology is impotent in predicting future events or, more specifically, the future of any person. But why then does the pseudo-science exist?

Well, as a dabbler in astrology, I found that zodiac signs have certain characteristics which more or less often fit in the case of humans. This means a person born under a certain sign may show a set of tendencies - Capricorn people are calm, composed and calculating while Scorpions are mysterious, sensual and vengeful and Aries are supposed to be free willed, determined and impetuous.

Now, one may come across a Capricorn who is totally different from the common traits mentioned under that specific zodiac sign and such aberrations apply to people from all signs. However, in most cases, some of the characteristic match and thus a platform is created for the profession or trade of astrologers.

Stars cannot reveal the future:
For thousands of years people have looked to the stars to get an idea of what the future might hold but common sense states, if one could see the future by studying astral bodies then all conflicts and cataclysms could be averted by taking the right precautions and human life would be smooth,devoid of any hiccups. But that is not the case: stars do not/ cannot reveal the future; astrology only makes assumptions based on the solar system which most of the time turn out to be inaccurate.

If they turn out to be correct then it's a fluke; think of the Bengali aphorism: Jhor e kaak more, kabirajer keramoti bare (predictions that come true by chance are used to glorify the soothsayer).

When an event has taken place, there is a tendency to look into predictions made by famous clairvoyants and decipher the impenetrable prophecies they made hundreds of years earlier to forcibly find a match with a current day incident.
Mind you, this is done only after an event has occurred. When Saddam Rose to prominence and attacked Kuwait in August 1990, proponents of astrology pointed at some obscure lines written by Nostradamus, a 16th century French astrologer, to be a warning of the rise of Saddam plus his invasion. In fact, the lines of Nostradamus are so convoluted that there can be countless interpretations to them and any person can fit one explanation to any global disorder with ease.

Emperor Humayun was an avid believer of astrology and took each step in his royal duty as per the stars. Under his realm, the administrative posts were divided among people as per their zodiac signs: military chiefs from Aries and Scorpio, poets, writers from Virgo, accountants from Capricorn, dancers, performers from Gemini and so on.

Despite the reliance on astrology, no one could foresee the countless misfortunes of Humayun, starting from his defeats at the hands of Sher Shah to his ignominious departure from India, the fortuitous recapturing of the Mughal throne to his ultimate end in a freak accident on a staircase.

Coming to a modern day example: before the 2003 cricket world cup final, astrologers in India predicted en masse an Indian victory though in reality, the Aussies took the cup beating the Indians convincingly.  When the year starts, we find yearly horoscopes in the market and on the net. If I remember correctly, at the beginning of the year, the predictions made by the so called fortune tellers spoke of a stellar year (2020)in all aspects.

Astrologers also make predictions about global affairs, touching on major countries like India, China, Russia, Great Britain and the USA with special focus on complex issues that have the potential to impact developing nations.  Not a single one predicted an outbreak which would bring the world to a halt. Such a massive calamity yet no one managed to give a warning in advance!

I won't be surprised if yearly horoscope books are discontinued for good.
Astrologers are smooth talking gemstone sellers:
While most astrologers advertise their psychic powers plus other expertise in the occult, the main trade is actually selling gemstones and talismans or, in pure Bangla, 'tabij'. In the 70s and 80s, it was common to see people wearing good luck amulets around their arms or waists. These were small ampoules supposedly containing some magical mantra. The belief that such talismans could ward off evil, ensure harmony in life, a docile wife or husband, ensure employment with good pay or even make a woman or man fall in love was so entrenched that even in cases of physical ailments the common practice was to run to a village shaman, holy man cum clairvoyant to seek help and relief.

In the cities, the smooth operating astrologers exploit a person's weakness or trouble area by selling exorbitantly priced gemstones. They indoctrinate people into believing that stones can cure all. The common line used is: such gemstones attract rays from the planets and once a person wears a stone the particular planet will begin to exert beneficial impact on his/her destiny.

Naturally, this is simply hogwash and nothing else. The selling of stones is also done with shrewdness. Some will say, you don't have to buy from me, get a stone from elsewhere, others will go one step further saying: if this stone does not work then return it and take back your money.

Obviously, if you come six months later, the astrologer won't be there.  Ever wondered why there is so much cloak and dagger in their operations?  So many people are duped that at one point, such charlatans are forced to change address or operate in secrecy.

Corona has given us a very important lesson: no living person can ever predict future events, harmful or beneficial. Astrologers can speak of someone's character with a fair amount of correctness though they will not be able to foresee what is coming. And therein lies the suspense of life: to quote a line from the film, Forrest Gump: life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get!

Towheed Feroze is a journalist and teaches
at the University of Dhaka








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