On Signs or Signals
We all grew up with our own superstitions. Some were passed on to us from our families and friends, and some we randomly acquired along the way. Rarely did we question them, and even when we did, subconsciously we chose to follow them. Many years ago I watched an interesting show on PBS called the ”Power of Myth”, a conversation between Bill Moyer’s and Joseph Campbell discussing myths from across the world. The details have been captured in a book with the same name. Joseph Campbell is a recognized expert on Myths and if you are curious you may want to add this show and/or the book to your watch/reading list.
I would like to focus on “Signs” or “Signals” for this discussion, as they are quite fascinating. On a recent apartment hunting trip, we visited several apartments and were weighing the pros and cons of each before we got to the one we eventually picked. The realtor that showed us the apartment had an “Om” tattooed on his ear lobe. Both my wife and I noticed this and psychologically it had an influence on us deciding on our apartment. Yes, the apartment met our basic criteria but the “Om” on the ear lobe played a key role in our decision. Can you think of a time where sn external sign or signal influenced your or changed your mind ?
One of the most common signs that we are all familiar with is watching out for black cats crossing our path when we are about to start our day. If by chance we see one, we are expected to head back home, take a pause and restart our journey. It just so happens that there is a wild black cat that has chosen to call my neighbors and our backyard her home. So out of sheer chance we encounter the guy crossing the road as we embark on our trips. So you can imagine our consternation if the guy chooses to cross our path on any given day. Why seeing a bad cat is a bad omen I don’t know? But definitely if we were looking for a reasons to why things didn’t go well one day, memories of the black cat that crossed our path surely creeps into our thoughts.
Another similar sign is seeing a single bird first thing in the morning. “One” for sorrow, “Two” for joy is a nursery rhyme that we learnt in elementary school. But the superstition that seeing a single bird 🦅 crossing our path as we head out for an exam or a job interview portends that we are going to have a tough time with our task ahead. Over the years, we have learnt to overcome this fear by reducing our expectations for that day or compensating by being extra cautious knowing that the odds are stacked against us. Growing up in Chennai , I have heard of a variation of this, wherein seeing a lone bachelor crossing your path is considered a bad omen (In Tamil they say — ”Othai brahmanan Kurukulla vandha, adhu nalla sagunam illai “).
Whether you are willing to admit or not each of us have our own superstitions that we built up over the years. It could be a simple thing as a red light you encounter on your way to work, especially the ones you just miss, like the last one before you get on the highway (paradise for a driver). Some days it’s even worse. I hit six in a row on my morning commute today, and by then I had reached the foregone conclusion that my day was going to be pathetic. The fact that I hit a series of greens after that didn’t seem to matter. We seem to give more significance to obstacles that come in our path usually. But sometimes it works in our favor too. If we see two birds in the morning or if a black cat hasn’t crossed our road and we get a series of green lights, we develop a positive mindset with a feeling of invincibility that whatever we seek to do that day will be fulfilled.
Some days it’s at the grocery store. We have filled up our cart with goods we need and don’t need and just want to pay and get out. We eye a lone cashier waiting for us to roll our cart forward when an impish Asian lady who has also spotted that from a distance races forward and grabs the spot which we thought was ours. It happens when we go to the theater for a day of great entertainment only to find out that the parking lot only accepts cash and the only thing our wallet does not have is cash. Or we are rushing to the airport for we are late. As we pull into the lot to park someone else pulls in front of us. Psychologically our mind is looking for signs to reinforce ourselves. On days when things work in our favor we have a positive mindset , and on others we are frustrated.
Signs and signals that we see or observe as we live our lives play a big role in our psyche. They seem to introduce an imbalance into our being. It’s almost as if they are an impulse that upsets our life’s pendulum pushing it one way or the other. Temporarily until we are back in equilibrium they influence our perceptions of reality. Nothing has actual changed , life is still quite random but our psychosis based on what we observe seems to influence how we behave. Would be better if we ignore the signs ? Now, that’s a million dollar question !
