We
are comfortably allowing our brains to get lazy and rot! A Hollywood created
movie with
the usual recipe of action and blood and gore and sex is readily
digested by us than a movie that requires more thought, because of its in-depth
and challenging production. Art has become a fast food for our brains; greasy
and without much of nutritional values. This is not to say we should not write
poetry to compare the lover’s blue eyes with the sky, and to only put our
efforts to learn how one’s eyes function and what is beyond the sky. We need science
for social and technological improvements, and art for leisure. When we
accustom our idle brains to further learning and exploring, our brains get
accustomed to the process. As idle brains are not used to exhaustive research,
it may feel a burden at the beginning. However, it becomes a second nature to
us, after a while. As an example, concerned about our future financial
security, one may assess all options and alternatives available to him or her. One
of the alternatives may be creating a periodical saving plan. Investment in
securities, stocks, Treasury Bills, and bonds is another option. One may decide
on IRA, 401K, or other retirement plans. There are several other alternatives
depending on the risk one is taking; the riskiest of which is relying on the
advice of a fortuneteller. The same is true for any decision we want to make
about our future. We may work on our relationship with our children, our spouses,
our friends, or our loved ones, which takes time and commitment, or simply check
pages of horoscope. Religions’ promises
of after-life follows the same logic as fortunetellers and horoscope observers.
We are cheated out of our lives if we pay heeds to the religious leaders’
promise of a happy life after death, as long as we endure sufferings of present
life. Carl Sagan, in his last book
“Billions & Billions”, after talking about his longing to witness the
events such as “exploration of many of the worlds” or the growth of his
grandchildren remarks: “If there were life after death, I might, no matter when
I die, satisfy most of these deep curiosities and longings. But if death is nothing more than an endless
dreamless sleep, this is a forlorn hope.
Maybe this perspective has given me a little extra motivation to stay
alive.”
From
the ancient times, people looked up into the sky with incredulity, curiosity,
admiration, and amazement. With naked eyes, our ancestors witnessed what we can
observe at night, away from city lights, a vast ocean of dark blue with
sparkles glowing all over it. Some found it beautiful and romantic and wrote
poems about it. Some tried to understand what they were made of and why they
were up in the sky. They examined our earth, our moon, our sun, their revolutions,
if any, materials and substances they were made of, and their origins. That was
the birth of astronomy, which was overtaken by astrology for many centuries.
Since stars are very far away, the distance in time puts them in a prior period
of time than when they are observed. Therefore, any fluctuation in their
appearance could be contributed to a change in the past. As farther out we can
look at the universe (multiverse), as further away in time we are looking; i.e.
Big Dipper is 75 light years away from us. Unless they travel towards us in a
threatening manner, stars cannot directly and immediately affect us. However,
the notion that the events observed by us now are in fact historical occurrences,
opened the door to astrology. When astronomers
started mapping positions of stars and planets in the heavens, they charted the
distance of them from us, and the angles those planets (stars and planets were
believed to be the same in the old time) were positioned from each other. Because
of their movements, positions of stars differed through time. However, there
were occasions when a star, or a group of stars (constellation) was located in
the exact same place as it was, say 200 years before. Astrologers assumed that the same events that
happened then (200 years ago, in our example) could happen again in the future
when some or all the constellations match. A war or an epidemic that happened
in the past would occur 200 years hence, if the latitudes and longitudes could
be mapped. Many people with financial
means (noblemen, kings, and other royalties) had a group of astrologers to
check locations of stars in the heavens, and report to them when it was a good
or a bad time to engage in something. The best astrologers were the ones with the
best map of constellations, but more importantly, the best predictions. An
astrologer could be right about his predictions because:
· his prediction was broad enough to contain a range of events;
· he could make the subject of the prediction convinced so to make the event happen due to his or her strong conviction in the prediction!
One
of the most well known astrologers of all ages was Nostradamus. He was regarded
as the leading prophet of the centuries, and as a result, many leaders trusted
his prophecies. It is known that Napoleon and Hitler were among those who read
his predictions (as they were both known to keep a copy of Machiavelli's
“Leader” with them too). Napoleon is said to have kept a forged copy of the
prophecies! There is an interesting story as to how Hitler received his copy of
the book. It is said that he came to know about this book through the wife of
his propaganda officer (Goebbels) who had a five centuries old copy that
predicted Hitler’s rise (with his name misspelled as “Hister”). Germans used
the manuscript to drop leaflets over France quoting the part that Nostradamus
predicted invasion of France by Hitler (or Hister). Of course Churchill had read
the book too! English airplanes dropped leaflets in Germany in return quoting
another verse of Nostradamus where he called Germans “stupid fools”! We will
never know what role this book played in Hitler’s and Napoleon's minds, both
who tried to conquer the world. What we do know is that disclosure of such a
prophecy would make these people more persistent in making the believed destiny
to occur, because conviction can play a vital role in a decision making. The first president of this century, George W. Bush, was well known to be religious, and to have lacked intelligence. One
may investigate to see if he was instigating another War of
Crusades in early twenty first century, influenced by Nostradamus’ extrapolations
(see below).
However,
Nostradamus is not a figure we can ignore easily. He was a scientist, a
knowledgeable historian, and a great thinker. He wrote many books in medicine,
astronomy, daily events (Almanachs), predictions (The Centuries), and poetry. In
his prophecies, he examined through the pages of history to find some major
historical events, recorded with dates and places. Then he determined the
latitude and the relative position of planets and stars at the time of the
event. Calculating these cosmic figures, and the reoccurrence of the same exact
positions in the future with their geographical locations, was a toiling task
which he labored with patience and precision. In “The Nostradamus
Encyclopedia”, Peter Lemesurier matches some past events and some future
events, relative to Nostradamus’s time, based on the positions of stars and
planets, as he assumed Nostradamus would have done, and compared to
Nostradamus’s exact predictions. Some of the historical matches are briefly
recorded here, and as we see, various predicted events never occurred (we will
await future events with great anticipation!):
· his prediction was broad enough to contain a range of events;
· he could make the subject of the prediction convinced so to make the event happen due to his or her strong conviction in the prediction!
·
Battle
of Salamis in 480 BC; Spanish Armada in 1588; European fleet beat off Muslims
in 2000
·
Teutoburger
Wald Massacre in year 9; Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow in 1812
·
Assassination
of Julius Caesar in 44 BC; Assassination of John Kennedy in 1963
·
Accession
of Louis IX in 1226; another accession in France or Switzerland in 1997
·
Turks
lay siege to Constantinople in 1453; threat to Istanbul in 1998
·
Xerses’s
invasion of Greece in 480 BC; invasion of Turkey by Iran in 1999
·
Joan
of Arc leaves to seek the Dauphin at Chinon in 1429; reemergence of women’s lib
in 1999 in England
·
Pope
quits Rome in 579; religious war resumes in Rome to Ankara in 1999
·
Mongol
invasion of Southern Europe in 1241; Asiatic invasion of Balkans in 1999
·
Invasion
of Sicily by Muslims in 878; invasion of Muslims in 1999
·
Battle
of Mylae in 260 BC; European fleet defeat a fleet from North Africa in 2000
·
Ottomans
invade Danube in 1396; Asian invasion of Southeast Europe in 2000
·
Fall
of Constantinople to Turks in 1453; Asian invasion of the area in 2000
·
Deportation
of Jews from Jerusalem in 585 BC; invasion of Cairo by Iraqis in 2000
·
Invasion
of North Africa by Moors in 870; invasion of Cairo in 2000
·
Invasion
of Italy by Ottomans in 1480; Muslim invasion of Italy in 2000
·
Pope’s
fleeing to France in 1309; Pope’s fleeing to France in 2000
·
Ottomans
invading Cairo in 1517; Asians invading Saudi Arabia in 2002
·
Moors
invade Spain in 711; Muslims invade Sicily in 2003
·
Argon’s
fleet sacks Marseile in 1423; Muslims invade France in 2004
·
Eruption
of Mount Vesuvius in 472; volcanic ash in much of Europe in 2005
·
Last
Roman empire deposed in 476; foreign invaders depose Pope in 2005
·
Ottomans
capture Algiers in 1537; Muslims invade Spain in 2007
·
Germans
invade Greece in 167; Muslims invade France in 2010
·
Cyrus
burns Sardis in 546 BC; Iranians set fire to Rome in 2011
·
Black
death invades Europe in 1348; a plague epidemic sweeps Europe in 2012
·
Fire
descends on Sodom and Gomorrah in 1900 BC; fire on Southern Europe in 2013
·
Romans
sack Jerusalem 70; Rome is sacked in 2015
·
Rome
sacked by vandals in 455; forces from North Africa sack Rome in 2019
·
Plague
epidemic in south of France in 543; the same event in 2025
·
Death
of Alexander in 323 BC; Death of alien overlord in Lebanon and Baghdad in 2026
·
Norman’s
invasion of Italy in 1017; Western counter-invasion of Muslim occupied Italy in
2027
·
Roman
civil war in 49 BC; civil war in Southern France and Italy in 2032
·
Lucius
Scipio destroys Syria in 190 BC; a new crusade of European invasion of Muslim
Middle East in 2034
·
First
crusade to Edessa and Antioch in 1097; the same in 2034
These
are collections of mathematical matching and use of imagination. Of course with
the aid of a computer, we can build many more similar instances. Nostradamus’ predictions
were sometimes so vague that they were open to various interpretations. For
example his prediction of plague is translated as Aids epidemic. Generally, a
skeptic of his predictions would pinpoint every event that did not occur but
predicted. On the other hand, a believer of his prophecies would ignore or
would explain non-events, and modify similar events in a broader scope in order
to put them in the perspective of the predictor. Nostradamus was living in the
age of Muslim’s invasion of Europe that reflects his preoccupations in such
predictions. Of course, we cannot
discount his knowledge of history, and almost all major sciences of the
time. His precise way of mapping
constellations and matching events shows how detailed and knowledgeable he was;
regardless of his arrogance calling himself a sage or a prophet. However, Nostradamus’ prophecy, even when he
recorded exact dates and similar names, was nothing but sheer coincidence and
convictions.
As our
knowledge is increased by science, we move away from superstitions and
fantasies. We do not have ceremonies for
the sun and rain any more. We do not
offer gifts to Gods in order to stop their wrath of striking us with floods and
tornadoes. These used to be parts of the most popular religious beliefs that
are still practiced today. Religion theories about life and death are very
comfortable for lethargic brains of ours. We accept these explanations instead
of much more complicated scientific theories because they are simple, while
they comfort us. Comfortable answers invented
by religions, to complicated questions have attracted people to religions and
superstitions. If the farmer needed rain for his crops, it was easier to make
sacrifice to the gods than investigate how rain was made. Even though the
knowledge of how rain was made would not solve his immediate problem of drying
lands, but it would put him in the right path. As people encounter an unknown
but definite event, they become more interested to accept an explanation for
it. People become more religious as they get older and they get closer to
death. Notwithstanding that future is unknown, and no one can predict a split
moment into the future. It is the nature of life that makes us keep guessing.
Easy but non-scientific answers to these questions have been one of the biggest
obstacles in advancing societies. A good many people were burned on the stakes
in Europe because of witchcraft.
Religious leaders did not attempt to wipe out these labeled witches
because they thought witchcraft was baseless and superstition. In the contrary,
they could not allow any competition! It was also an easy way of separation and
discrimination against a group of people. However, stories of witchcraft,
astrology, vibes’ tales, and flying saucer had increased even more than the
stories of dooms day and judgment day in religions, to change the course of
thinking, and relying on our wild imaginations. The more educated those who
establish superstitions are, the easier we are fooled with their combination of
science and science fiction. In a magic show, some scientific discoveries aid
the magician to make the viewer believe an act, seemingly supernatural. As in a
magic show, religion establishment uses various emblems and symbols to develop
its ideology. Some branches of Islam got the aid of mathematical calculations,
for instance number 7 or any mathematical operation with a product of 7 becomes
a symbol. Sometimes a geometrical shape
such as a cross, two collapsed and opposite triangles, a symbol of the
crescent, depicts supernatural messages to the inviting eyes. A school of art
was established based on triangular shapes, earlier last century. When these
shapes and objects appeal to us, the belief system will more readily follow.
Lack of knowledge is always the key to misleading. Without any medical knowledge,
a brain surgery is so complicated that a person lacking this knowledge cannot
imagine even pursuing it. For a surgeon, it is nothing but a common procedure. Do
we consider a thunderstorm as the wrath of God any longer? We do not, because
we simply have the common knowledge of what creates a thunder. Therefore, lack
of knowledge is fulfilled with the fear of unknown and the fearing person is
placed at the mercy of his/ her benefactor.
