Page 25 - Issue 39

ELITE Vol.1, Issue 39, January 2022
Vol.1, Issue 39, January

January's Fool!

Mariam Ismail - Level 2 - Political Science, mariam.ismai2020@feps.edu.eg

The same scenario is repeated every year, with the pure curiosity but proceeds for other reasons. First, it’s
approach of New Year’s Day we see the appearance of about those whom we hear always saying ‘Of course I
‘astrology specialists’ everywhere in the media using the don’t believe it, who will believe this nonsense in the
widespread confusion between astronomy and astrology 21st century, it’s just for fun.’ Let’s say this is true and
to trick people. The continuity of the existence of this that they truly do not believe it, these people not only
phenomenon means that there are plenty of people who waste their time but also give their minds the chance to
watch them and worse still believe them, is it out of store this false information in their subconscious and
ignorance or pure conviction, we don’t know it. But then manifest them without knowing that they originate
whatever the reason is, we should know whether it’s the from these false predictions. For example, if a person’s
fault of the people who continue to watch them or the horoscope says that he will argue with someone today,
fault of the media that continues to broadcast them? even if this person supposedly does not believe it this
First of all, we need to distinguish between two things: idea will stick to his head until he begins to attract a
astronomy is a universal science that studies the real argument without being aware that this is the effect
position, movements, and constitution of celestial of a completely false prediction that he had read or
bodies; whereas astrology is an art of divination based heard somewhere. This is called the law of the
on beliefs and rules that are often very different, which attraction of a new thought.
seeks to determine the influence of the stars on the Second, we have a much worse case: those who believe
course of earthly events. More simply, people who in it. Unfortunately, indeed, there are still people in the
declare themselves astrologers only predict events that 21st century who are convinced that the position of a
they think will take place following a certain position of planet or a moon affects their moods, their ideas, or
horoscope, a tarot card, or other things more and more their entire lives. The level of education or ignorance
bizarre without any concrete or scientific proof. There plays no role in this because we can find well-educated
are a variety of reasons why people continue to hear people who still believe in it, the most famous example
from these people, but there are also many reasons why is the French President François Mitterrand who
media agencies agree to continue to broadcast these couldn’t make any decision without consulting his
predictions. On one hand, we have the viewers, we see astrologer.
that the interest of knowing such things always begins
out of

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