--Michael Scott, "The Office"
Black cats and sidewalk cracks don't bother me, but I never step through an aircraft boarding door without touching the outside of the plane at least once. I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with a safe flight, but I can't stop now...
The Ides of March invited a little thought about superstition--or rather, what people consider to be superstitious. Frankly, even though I'm a baseball fan, I'm not overly caught up in these kind of compulsions. Not too often, that is. But I do like a good horoscope now and then. And by good, I mean a real one, that uses dates, times, latitudes--to create a comprehensive natal chart. The results can be pretty uncanny. (Check out the cool free stuff at http://www.astro.com/)
And then there's The Power of Eight, where I've been known to make a wish or two (that's what the icon in the previous post is all about, in case you were wondering). I know--I'm a pastor, for heaven's sake. But really, what can it hurt?
Superstition is much maligned, especially, it seems by people who claim a faith tradition. But check out definition #1 from my online dictionary:
superstition |ˌsoōpərˈsti sh ən|
noun
excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings
Um...kinda sounds like religion, doesn't it?
So where am I going with all this? (aside from amusing myself at how one superstitious person can judge another--"not that irrational belief system, but this one!") I think what interests me most is how these notions actually influence intention, which seems to make all the difference. If I believe good things are going to happen to me in 2011, or on the 11th of the month (can you guess my lucky number?), then I'm obviously going to be on the lookout for them at those times. If my horoscope (not a prediction, by the way, but a series of influences--just sayin'...) tells me I'm inclined to be impulsive today, I may just have a heightened awareness of that tendency and be more likely to curb it. And if the Power of Eight says I can have anything I wish for, I may just do what it takes to make that come about. How is this any different from having a dream and not backing down until it's realized? No one would call you crazy for that.
If people are living life with intention, taking powerful action and being inspired, then I don't care much which yellow brick road they take to get there. Astonishingly, I may be more like Michael Scott than I thought.
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8 or 11
and why are they so lucky?
because I said so
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