I don’t have anything against people who do believe in these things (and I know a lot of people who are into it).
After all, it’s a free country – everyone is entitled to believe whatever they want.
Heck, in the States, some people still insist that Elvis is alive.
Hey, that’s fine by me. I can’t question anyone’s beliefs. Besides, it’s great entertainment.
So who am I to complain, right? Now, I must admit that on rare occasions when I’m really, really bored, I do check out my horoscope – just out of curiosity.
And whenever I do read my horoscope, the more amused I get. It boggles me how some people can even entertain the thought that everyone born within the same period of time – say, between March 20 and April 19 – will have exactly the same experience for that day.
When I read the paragraph for Leos, for example, and it says: "You will get promoted today. But be wary of envious people around you," I just shake my head and say, "How is it possible that all Leos will be promoted today? What if the boss who promoted me was a Leo? Would he get promoted, too? But what if he was already the top dog in the corporation? How can he get promoted further?"
Also, if you were born under the same sign as Hitler, would you turn out to be as ruthless as he was? Some people have told me, "You’re a typical Leo, Rod." And I always hear people saying, "That guy is obnoxious, I bet he’s a Scorpio." When I hear these comments, I just give a polite smile. But deep inside, I say to myself, "Please, spare me."
Nostradamus, for example, was pretty much on the mark on a lot of his predictions. But he did have some misses, too. So it evens out. I guess a lot of people resort to things like horoscopes and fortune-telling because there seems to be a universal curiosity about what will happen next. Every person is curious about the future.
And a lot of us are willing to believe anything that claims to tell us what lies ahead. The truth is, there’s no foolproof way of finding out the future. No one can categorically tell you what will happen next year, let alone tomorrow. No one ever predicted the tsunami that happened in 2004. With all the technology we have, there’s still no way to know with 100-percent certainty what will happen next.
Even in the ’80s movie, Back to the Future, where the main characters Marty McFly and Doc Brown could go back and forth to the future and see themselves in the year 2015, the final message was clear: the future was still subject to change.
In other words, anything can happen. So while horoscopes and fortune-tellers may be great entertainment at times, I would not encourage anyone to spend too much time – and fortune – on these things. Your time can be spent on more productive things, believe me.
For example, we have to know the weather forecast so that we can anticipate a storm. If we don’t plan for the future and save, we may not have enough money to tide us over those so-called rainy days. If we don’t anticipate what might happen and live life with a "happy-go-lucky" mentality, we’ll never be prepared in times of trouble.
So not anticipating the future is bad, too. We have to spend time forecasting and predicting what will happen next. In the world of business, forecasting and predicting is a must. But unlike horoscopes and fortune-telling, business forecasting is a science.
In business, reading the future is not based on some random, out-of-nowhere assessment. It is based on past facts and events. Based on what’s happened in the past and what’s happening now, businessmen try to anticipate what’s going to happen in the future in order to make their businesses adapt to future changes.I recently had lunch with a good friend, Bonjin Bolinao of DDB, and we had a nice, interesting chat about fortune-telling.
She told me about this very interesting division in DDB Worldwide called DDB SignBank. DDB SignBank is the largest global trends network that puts together small signs of social change in order to accurately predict cultural and behavioral shifts, while at the same time assessing both the global and local impact of these "mood swings."
Bonjin showed me some material she was carrying during the lunch, and I found it very interesting.
I asked Bonjin if I could borrow it. In the document, DDB Denmark’s Eva Steensig, a sociologist and global leader of DDB SignBank, talks about how the sociological approach to research has rarely been used in the commercial world when, in fact, it is superior to the usual practice of gathering research data.
She said, "With DDB SignBank, the focus is on what people do, instead of what they say they want to do. SignBank looks at the actions of people throughout their daily lives as opposed to only when they are acting as consumers, because consumption takes up no more than three percent of the average person’s day."
Ken Kaess, president and CEO of DDB Worldwide said, "DDB SignBank allows us to look at the entire world but with local eyes."
With 52 offices worldwide, DDB SignBank systematically collects and evaluates numerous signs within a sociological framework to determine why change is occurring and where it is heading.
By taking a micro view within a globalized world, DDB SignBank combines the best of the larger trend consultancies with the smaller futurology specialists. Some of the interesting global findings of DDB SignBank with respect to consumer and health trends are: (1) GenerAsia Next will abandon rampant consumerism and look to reconnect with their roots, becoming increasingly cynical about what they perceive as the slickness of world-class brands and fusion goods; instead they will seek out havens of authenticity ranging from local coffees to Asian story-telling; and (2) for the US market, a search for greater substance will lead individuals to seek out that which makes them special rather than similar to others.
Demand for specialization will increase in many areas with, for example, education taking a less generalist approach and technology allowing customization not just for self-expression but for greater individual productivity. If you were a businessman and you can anticipate these facts, you can come up with a strategy to ensure that your company addresses these trends.
Because if you don’t, you might miss out on a ton of opportunities. DDB SignBank is one example that predicting the future can be done in a positive, meaningful and productive way.
And it’s not based on the alignment of some heavenly bodies or the lines on your palm.
It’s based on historical facts and current happenings. If you’re a businessman, you must anticipate the future. It’s not an exercise in mere speculation. It’s all about making an informed and educated plan. And this applies not only in business. It also applies to life in general.
As we are in the Lenten season, it’s worth pointing out two things that the Lord said: First, He told us not to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has worries of its own. And second, He told us to read the signs of the times.
When you look up the sky and the movement of the leaves, you can tell if a storm is coming.
We have to be prepared. In a nutshell, what He’s saying is that while we shouldn’t over-worry about tomorrow, we have to anticipate things – and we do so by reading the signs around us. So don’t base your fortune on a fortune-teller.
Rather, find your fortune (financial or otherwise) by being aware of the past and the present – and, based on that, gear up for the future.