Whats your Rashi?

I guess this is one of the most interesting topics people pick for gossips and discussions. We all do, right? Whether or not we believe in astrology, for fun we talk about it. We ask each other our rashi (Zodiac signs) and try to guess what characteristics of ours matches with each other. “Ohh! You are a Capri. I am a Virgo. Now I know how we could gel so easily with each other” - is a type of very frequently used statements when we compare the zodiacs.

I love to read my forecast daily in newspaper and love to laugh on those statements. Specially, the rhetoric and jargons used in Hindi newspaper forecasts seem really funny to me and I usually read it loud and make fun in front of friends and family. But all those forecasts apply generically to all people with that zodiac. What should people do to know something particular about themselves? They should go to an astrologer. Astrologer? Should we rely on his predictions? Ohh! The first question is should we believe in Astrology?

I have a very bad habit of asking questions before I digest anything. And I can only digest anything if I find some logical answers to some relevant questions, which can be explained scientifically. Let me try to collate some of the logics from different branches of sciences and see if we can find any reasons to believe in astrology. I will mention below few of the scientific facts and then will collate them to answer the question whether or not should we believe in astrology.

Fact 1:

In school, I studied in physics that every object is made of energy and matter, and each object in this universe has got a magnetic field of its own, which attracts other objects. If that is true, all the planets and other astronomical objects must have their magnetic field. In fact they all have, we all know. Because of the astronomical set-up of all these objects they make a balance and then maintain their position/path movement etc. This astronomical set-up with interference between all the magnetic forces should also make some impact on each of the other objects in the universe including living beings.

Fact 2:

Our body is composed of several chemicals (in liquid, gas or solid form) with different composition, quantity and ability to react with each other. These chemicals sometimes need a catalyst for reaction to take place. I read in a newspaper article, few years back that all our emotions are controlled by several types of chemicals which flow in our body at different times, for example people have feelings of love, hatred etc because of flow of a particular type of fluid. The environment and other external factors affect the amount, flow and intensity of these fluids as well. It was also mentioned that a group of scientists is performing experiments on some criminals, if they can inject fluid of love and change the behavior of such cruel killers.

Collated argument:

Because of astronomical set-up at a particular moment of time, the chemicals (composition, quantity, ability to react) which gets developed in the body of a newly born baby at the time of birth (or may be from the time of conception till the time of birth) gets affected. This phenomenon can define the whole behavior, nature and destiny of that person based on how its magnetic field will interfere with other objects’ magnetic fields and chemicals will react with chemicals of other objects in any form. With passing time the planets change their position, they make an impact on each of the object (and thus on these chemicals and our body as well) in the universe because of interference between their relative magnetic forces. Also, participates the magnetic field of the object itself in this interference (or can I call it star wars). The type and level of impact depends on the characteristics of the chemicals and fluids flowing in a person’s body. Thus the impact of any astronomical event will be different on different persons. This decides what will happen to a person in a particular situation under a particular astronomical configuration during that period of time. And this is what we call the Destiny.

Does it make sense? I don’t know. It’s just a hypothesis.

Anyway. let’s get back to our topic. It doesn’t matter if astrology is a science or a myth. There is no harm talking about it for some entertainment. Well. Did you hear about a yet to release movie “What’s your Rashi?” where a guy meets 12 girls with different zodiacs to find out which girl will make the perfect match for him. Sounds interesting! In India, it happens a lot. Especially in case of arranged marriages, families check for a horoscope compatibility of the boy and the girl. If the same matches on some criteria, they go ahead otherwise they take different routes. Can we analyze this horoscope matching based on our collated argument?

If you look deeply into those criteria, actually each of them relate to some part of your body and some planet in the solar system. It might be true or it might not be. I am not sure. But we have some basis for argument. Ok. Tell me- did you ever say to anybody “humare beech mai bahut achchi chemistry hai”? What do you mean when you say this? Does this statement have any relevance with our argument?

My theories till now have tried to push the argument that there is some truth in astrology. Let me try to think otherwise now. Let us imagine that astrology is a science and the hypothesis we made above is correct. In that case, the destiny of two children taking birth in the same city, in the same hospital at nearby beds, on the same day, at the same time should be exactly same. Does it happen? Forget the case of two children from different parents; it does not apply even for the twins.

Another argument is even if astrology is a science and it makes sense to match kundalis before marriage or make predictions based on the kundali of a person, then whats the guarantee that the kundali was prepared using the right information? As in, there is high probability that the details will not be accurate. Now a days we have advance instruments like digital clocks, which can tell us exact, birth time. In older days, the birth time was hardly recorded with high level of precision.

My last argument is even if we have the right information and thus the kundali is cent percent accurate and astrology is a well-defined science, how much should we rely on the, authenticity, knowledge and accuracy level of an astrologer? After all he is also human and to err is very much human.

Then, should I believe in astrology? I don’t know. Well. I have been always confused whether to believe or not in Astrology. And this confusion still persists. But I am pretty sure about one thing. I never believe in astrologers. The only thing I can believe in is that destiny changes because of the decisions you make and the deeds you perform.

Window Seat Syndrome!

Ohh, please don’t get frightened. This is not the name of any new virus prevailing these days, though it seems like one. It is indeed a psychological virus in every human mind which forces us to behave in a certain manner, sometimes even if the situation does not fulfil the logical conditions for such behaviour. Please forgive me for being mysterious again in my writing style. It is again the same virus which is forcing me to adopt the same writing style I have used for a different group of readers earlier. Ok let me try to put it in a simpler way.

How many times have you travelled in a train or bus or even plane? What is your natural tendency when you book a ticket? “Give me a window seat” – isn’t it? Everyone does, even I do. Why do we ask for a window seat? Let me collate some of the probable reasons:

- Fresh air will flow in
- Allows me to enjoy the outside view
- Keeps me isolated from other passengers
- I can throw anything outside easily or even throw up if needed

Every time I book the ticket, I would prefer to get the window seat. I term such behaviours out of these natural tendencies developed over time, as the “Window Seat Syndrome”.

I used to ask for a window seat in older times often. But that was the time of non-AC buses/trains. Air travel, then, was not so frequent and cheap. Over the time I developed a practice of asking for the window seat always. Now is the time of AC buses/trains/air travel where I cannot actually open the window to let the fresh air flow inside and in night travel I cannot have an outside view. In fact during the day also mostly windows will be covered with the blinds to avoid direct sunlight. In air travel there is hardly anything to see outside except while taking-off or landing. Moreover, I get the screen right in the front of my seat to have different views of the outside but still I ask for a window seat!!!

Let me tell you one incident which happened with me during an air travel in the night. I had got a window seat by chance. Hmmm, actually (let me be truthful) I opted for it by choice (:D ). One old man had got the seat beside me. When he boarded the plane he requested me if I could swap my seat with him because he strongly needed the window seat. He told he was not feeling well so it would be kind if I could cooperate. I could not understand how a window seat in the plane can help a not-so-well person. Anyway, I said “ok” and we swapped the seats. Unfortunately, the old man was suffering from diabetes and later, he realized aisle seat might have been a better option. I realized this too and we again swapped the seats.

How often we ask for corner seats when we go for a movie? Everyone does, especially when we go with our partner. Why? Privacy?? In a movie theatre? Hehehe what are you talking about? Anyway, “no more comments/arguments” about the corner seats.

Let me quote another example. We go to restaurant for a change when we get bored of usual food. Like others, I ask for the menu, scan it completely and then, like most of the Indians, end up ordering some variety of paneer and some daal (pulses). And this will happen every time I go out irrespective of past experiences.

You must have heard the story of an elephant which was kept tied up with a rope since childhood and made to believe that elephants cannot break this rope. When the elephant grows up it still believes the same and does not try to break the rope, even if it has become capable of. Its mind is conditioned in such a way to strongly believe this.

Certain beliefs of ours are just like that rope and we do not break them as our minds are conditioned to follow the practice without giving it a single thought of logics.

Can you recall any such instance, where you have displayed the “Window Seat Syndrome”? Can you figure out the reasons why you do that and actually analyze if that holds true (this is the benefit of being in knowledge network, we are naturally inclined to use the word “Analysis” everywhere, again the same syndrome.)

Do this and you will realize in many of the cases we behave illogically because of the conditioning of our mind due to past experiences. Once you realize this you can break the rope and defy the “Window Seat Syndrome”.