Isang taon na naman ang lumipas. Panibagong taon na naman ang ating kahaharapin. At kaakibat nito ang muling pagdagsa ng mga hula at prediksyón ukol sa mga mangyayari sa taóng ito.
Maraming Filipino ang handang magbayad para lang masilip ang kanilang kinabukasan. Sa Pilipinas, nagkálat sa tabi-tabi ang mga tinatawag na manghuhula—mga taong may angking “kapangyarihan” na masilip ang kinabukasan. Sangkaterba ang kliyente ng mga ito—hindi lang mahihirap at mga kapos sa kaalaman, kundi pati mayayaman at mga edukado. Kahit naman dito sa Canada, marami pa rin ang naniniwala sa hula; at hindi lang mga Filipino, kundi pati Caucasians at iba pang lahi.
Sa akin ngang pinagtatrabahuhan, napansin ko na marami ang nagbabasa ng dyaryo tuwing umaga, hindi para malaman ang balita kundi upang masilip ang kanilang ‘horoscope.’
Maaari nga bang makita ang kinabukasan? May kakayanan nga ba talagang malaman ng manghuhula ang mga bagay na mangyayari pa lamang? Nakatutulong ba ang mga ito sa paghubog ng ating mga buhay?
You Write Your Own Destiny
Fortunetelling is the practice of predicting a person’s future or destiny, through mystical means and often for commercial gain. In ancient Greece, it existed in the form of oracles – an utterance, often ambiguous or obscure, given by a priest or priestess at a shrine. The Greeks sought these oracles whenever they had big decisions to make.
Most methods of fortunetelling involve the interpretative observation of objects, and they take their names from the specific objects that are “read”; for instance, palmistry, which is one of the most patronized methods of fortunetelling.
Your Future Is in Your Hands
Palmistry, or palm-reading, is the practice of telling fortunes from the characteristics of the hands and fingers and the lines, marks, and patterns on the palm. According to palm-readers, each line, mark, or pattern on the palm represents a certain aspect of life. Its origin can be traced back to China and India, where it has been in practice for already thousands of years. Only in the 15th century did it become popular in Europe and Western countries.
It is hard to believe how random lines on the palm can foretell the future. In fact, biology explains that such lines and ridges on the palms and fingers are there for a purpose: for humans and other primates to have a better grip on things they lift.
But why then is palmistry or any other method of fortunetelling remains popular to this day?
According to scientists, a desire to know what lies ahead in the future seems to be at the forefront of this popularity. Add to this, many people subconsciously regard fortunetelling as a way to reduce anxiety about the uncertain future. Fortunetellers relieve their clients of the difficult task of evaluating the consequences of their actions. Their skill is actually not at telling the future, but rather at “reading” people and telling them what they wish to hear. They are not revealing them their future or destiny; instead, by giving possible scenarios about the future, they are just predetermining what courses of actions for them to take. Or worse, a fortuneteller is only making her gullible client “foresee” the obvious or what is already bound to happen, based on the latter’s current circumstances and depending on the amount the latter is willing to pay; usually, the larger the fee, the more believable and favorable the predictions would be.
Sa Madaling Salita
Tayo pa rin dapat ang tatantya sa mga maaaring mangyari sa ating kinabukasan, hindi ang mga manghuhula. Dapat nating hubugin ang sariling buhay batay sa ating kakayanan at pangkasalukuyang kalagayan; at hindi nang ayon sa sabi-sabi, haka-haka, at hula-hula.
Ang kinabukasan at takbo ng buhay ng bawat tao ay nasa kanyang mga kamay…wala sa guhit ng kanyang mga palad.
References:
Bato Balani (Science & Technology Magazine for High School), SY 2001–2002, Vol. 21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheiromancy [12/27/06] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune-telling [12/27/06]
