Fortune telling
encompasses many different methods beyond the more recognizable ones such as,
palm reading and tarot cards. Astrology, numerology, clairvoyance, even fengshui,
which is commonly associated with interior décor, is part of the plethora of
different types of fortune telling. It
is not only reliant on telling the future. Things like horoscopes and fortune
cookies are not really looked down upon. People might tell you that those
things are not true but they will not judge you or think you are crazy for
reading your horoscope but when a fortune teller is mentioned the situation
changes. Society can be very hypocritical when it comes to this subject.
Fortune telling
has been around for many years. It has also been a part of many different
cultures. Each culture has their own method of foreseeing the future. How can one idea be prevalent throughout so
many different cultures and peoples in different places around the world with
no known previous contact with each other? If divination was decidedly false
then it would not have survived thousands of years. Evangeline Adams a very
famous astrologer from the late nineteenth century/early twentieth century, was
known for the accuracy of her predictions. She was arrested several times
during her lifetime and was acquitted of all charges after successfully doing
an astrology reading in which she described the judge’s son. She did not
predict his future. She correctly described him without even knowing him. He
wasn’t even in the room. She never met him. She could also predict the future.
In 1927, she predicted the United States’ entry into World War II.
Unfortunately, she did not live to see this happen (Buckland, 4).
Fortune telling
cannot be defined easily; it is more complicated than what the average American
thinks. It is not only something that is used to try to predict the future but
it is also to uncover hidden/secret information. Hence it is not only a means
of predicting the future. Fortune telling is not supposed to be one hundred
percent accurate. Just like doctors are
paid to heal people, they are not always successful. What many people don’t
understand about fortune telling is that when an individual reading is done the
fortune is based on how your life is going on now and the path that you are
currently in, if you change your habits or change your
opinion on something the outcome will also change. The future is changeable. When people are
given unwanted fortunes such as warning of money loss, or bad health, they will
automatically try to avoid that from happening. The same is true for someone
who receives a good fortune. The person can get too confident and then end up
ruining their chances at whatever good thing was going to occur to them. Then when the event does not occur they
automatically blame the fortune teller.
The fortune teller
can only predict an individual’s future based on their current behavior. “By definition, a prediction is uncertain at the moment of
utterance, since the future is never actual at that moment;
the utterance is hypothetical” (Zeitlyn, par. 4). Fortune telling isn’t an all
powerful, perfect revelation of the future. But it serves as guidance to those
who are wondering what the future may hold. Key word: may. We all create our own realities. Fortune telling
allows people a tiny glimpse into their future. The idea of fortune telling is
like Ebenezer Scrooge. The three ghosts showed him what would happen if he did
not lose his bah-humbug attitude. Is
that what happened at the end though? No he changed his attitude, therefore
changing his future. The future is a
possibility and by going to a fortune teller the person is becoming aware of a
possible occurrence. It is up to the person what they do with that information.
They can try to change it or not.
Works Cited
Buckland,
Raymond. The Fortune Telling Book: The
Encyclopedia of Divination and Soothsaying. Canton: Omnigraphics, 2003
Print.
Zeitlyn, David.
“Divinatory Logics: Diagnoses and Predictions Mediating Outcomes.” Current Anthropology. The University of
Chicago Press (Oct 2012) p. 525-546 JSTOR
Web. 7 November 2012
Fortune telling is definitely one of those subjects that many people wonder about since it’s so socially accepted even today. It is so true that society can be hypocritical when it comes to this subject. People read horoscopes online and in newspapers but then scoff and make fun of people who go to fortune-tellers. The fact that many cultures believe in it is a good point. It shows that it’s a widespread belief that a lot of people with different beliefs all believe in. However, just because a lot of people believe in the same thing, it doesn’t mean that it is without a doubt are real. People come to the same conclusions and wonder the same things even when they don’t have contact with those other cultures because they are human. Humans wonder the same things, not necessarily because what they’re wondering about is true. The fact that knowing what could happen could change the outcome makes me feel like if all this is true, maybe it would be best not to know. If “a prediction is uncertain at the moment of utterance” then it seems uncertain. Who’s to say if isn’t false and the fortune-teller is saying it’s a change in the person’s behavior that changed the future? This is one of those subjects that is really hard to argue one way or another, because yes a lot of people believe in this certain supernatural idea but it is still a supernatural theory that people themselves put truth into just by putting faith in it. But in the end it’s really a question of whether you want to believe in something that has no scientific evidence or not. This was great for getting information about fortune tellers but in the end people are still going to believe what they want since there really is no evidence that proves whether it exists or not.
ReplyDeleteFortune tellers, palm readers, psychics etc I am on the fence about whether to believe in them or not. They all seem to be believable at times and others not so much. I have been to a psychic reading before and the lady who did my reading was freakishly accurate about things in my life. However as soon as I was finished I pondered so many different questions. Was it just a coincidence, was I leading her on by the facial reactions I was making when she was making guesses, or do they really know what they are doing and can actually predict the future? It is certainly weird a topic with so many different factors to consider when you decide whether you believe in them or not. You prove a good point when you said that the future is changeable and people automatically blame the fortune teller if what they predicted did not come true and that would be no reason not to believe, things may have just changed. Like you said the predictions “may” come true, just because one goes to a fortune teller and they predict something does not mean it is 100% accurate. I believe in fortune telling as something that portrays a piece of what ones future may look like and gives insight on what might become of their life. However fortune telling does not hold any concrete evidence though, so it is still something to be skeptical about. That is why, to me, it is only believable to an extent. I am sure that if I went to a fortune teller and everything they predicted came true I would certainly find it hard not believe in them and to say that it is just a coincidence. But I think unless that happens I will probably question the truth behind them for a while.
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ReplyDeleteI thought the beginning of this post was very well written and kept me interested as I continued to read. After delving into the second paragraph you state “How can one idea be prevalent throughout so many different cultures and peoples in different places around the world with no known previous contact with each other? You say that insinuating that fortune telling must be effective so many different places practiced it without getting the idea from one another. However, one could argue maybe its not that fortune telling is effective but all different societies share a common interest in the future. I think it is both a social norm and human tendency for individuals to be curious about the future. I think humans regardless of location share this common interest of wondering what is to come.
ReplyDeleteYou go on in your next paragraph to further say, “It is not only something that is used to try to predict the future but it is also to uncover hidden/secret information.” This statement only furthers the idea that society has tendencies to engage in fortune telling because they want to uncover unknown information. It is very common in different societies for people to be curious about whether or not they will fall in love some time soon, or get a raise in there salary.
I think that a lot of the different things that you argued can be rebutted by considering the norms and standards of a society. Regardless of time period, or location there are certain values and interested that permeates through all individuals. Is it really the accuracy of fortune telling that keeps people interested? Or is it rather the natural interest of people to wonder of the future?
I really enjoyed your post and I think it has now put me on the fence about fortune telling. I always thought fortune telling was a joke and it wasn’t real. I have to agree with your statement about how society is very hypocritical to the topic. It is true that horoscopes and fortune cookies are accepted, but when you bring up a fortune teller or palm readings, people start to look at you funny. Your examples on how people react to their readings to a fortune teller is spot on. I have to agree that if you start to change your ways of living just because of a fortune given to you that will change your entire future. If you start to act different or even live differently, your future will change. Your example with Evangeline Adams also made me think about how people act when in the presence of a fortune teller. Evangeline had no idea who the judge’s son was or what he looked like, but she was able to describe him. She did not predict his future, but with the things she did say, the judge let her go. An act like this confuses me into what to believe, whether fortune tellers are real or not. I really did enjoy your post, but I am still not sure that I believe in them.
ReplyDeleteMany people seem to love the idea of fortune tellers because they are, well, foreseeing your future. This can be great. If the fortune told to you is one that you particularly like, it automatically gives you hope for the future. Yet, on the other hand, what happens when the fortune is a terrible one? You are then dreading the future. You said in your post that people rely on the fortunes too much and when their future doesn't go as planned by the teller, they blame the fortune teller. You also claimed that the future can change with every move that you make....then why do people feel the need to see the fortune teller in the first place. If people are so hooked on seeing what their future will be, yet it is not necessarily permanent, than i do not see the point. I believe that fortune telling can never be proven true by science or anything else for that matter. It is definitely a great way to pass the time, but only if one does not take it all to heart. I find it silly to believe that one human being can tell you your entire future through your palm or a meaningless ball, but maybe that is just my opinion.
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