The Tiger and the Rabbit
It’s Chinese New Year.
They tell me that this year should be good for business, (“after all, it’s the year of the Rabbit”), whereas last year was bound to be difficult one, (“because it was the year of the Tiger”).
Hmmm. Funny, that they didn’t tell me the difficulties associated with the Year of the Tiger, this time last year.
In the Chinese Zodiac, apparently, the Tiger symbolizes such characteristics as bravery, competitiveness and unpredictability. They love and will accept any challenge, especially where it means protecting a loved one or a question of honor. They don’t worry about the outcome because they know they’ll always land on their feet. Even if they appear calm, Tigers will always pounce when they feel it’s necessary.
With such tendencies, the year of the Tiger always has the potential for volatility.
The Rabbit, on the other hand, symbolizes creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They also prefer to avoid conflict. In confrontational situations, Rabbits approach calmly and with consideration for the other party.
So, I am assured, this year should be more conducive to conciliation and the conduct of business.
Hmmm. We’ll see.
.
Now, although I tend to agree with Shakespeare, when puts into the mouth of Hamlet the phrase:
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”
… but I still find it very hard to give any credence at all to the question of Astrology. I tend to follow my Mother who checked her horoscope every day … she didn’t believe any of it but if it was phrased in positive terms then it perked her up for the day, gave her a boost and made her feel “good”, but if she didn’t like what it had to say, then she would put the paper down and say “What a load of rubbish!”.
Of course, believers will tell me that it as simple as this, but it seems odd to me that people can be classified into twelve distinct groups, one for each sign of the zodiac – whether by month as in Western Astrology or years as in Chinese Astrology, so that everyone in a particular group can be described as having specific characteristics. Someone born in the year of the Rabbit, for example is described as compassionate, kind, sensitive and tender; a good friend, soft-spoken and amiable; gracious, elegant, reserved, cautious and artistic; thorough, self-assured, astute, lucky, flexible. On the other hand, they can also be shy, moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic and stubborn.
People born in the year of the Tiger, on the other hand, are often characterized as impatient, quick tempered, restless, and reckless, as well as aggressive, moody, obstinate and selfish although they can be powerful, passionate, daring, impulsive, vigorous, stimulating, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian and generous.
Me, I was born in the Year of the Snake, which means that I am supposed to be: a deep thinker, wise, cautious, prudent and shrewd; a mystic, graceful, soft-spoken, sensual, creative and elegant; responsible, calm, constant, purposeful and strong. On the other hand, “Snakes” can be loners, poor communicators, possessive, hedonistic, self-doubting, distrustful, mendacious, suffocating, and cold.
Apart from the fact that there are basic contradictions in these catchall lists of adjectives – “Tigers” can be selfish and generous, whilst “Rabbits” are both self-assured and shy – they seem to cover just about everyone.
What’s more, those who believe in Astrology don’t seem to be able to explain exactly how it all works, just how the stars and the planets exert an influence over people, their characters and their fates.
The interesting thing is, however, that there is some evidence to suggest that, even if we don’t know why, there does appear to some justification to the underlying idea that when and where a person is born will have an effect on their development.
Almost any primary school teacher will tell you that they do see differences between children born in the Autumn, and those who were born in the Spring. Although it may be thought that a couple of months should not have that much significance, when children start school, (or preschool), then those couple of months can represent a considerable difference in terms of physical, intellectual and emotional development.
The psychologist, H. J. Eysenk, caused a considerable amount of controversy back about forty years ago when he published an article in the New Scientist magazine, reporting on a survey that he and some colleagues had undertaken. He pointed out that one of the principles of Astrology was that a person’s “ruling planet” would be in a particular position in the sky at the time of that person’s birth. They then took a group of “successful” politicians, scientists and sportsmen and examined the position of the relevant planets, (respectively: Jupiter, Saturn and Mars), at the time of their birth. The criterion for the choice of an individual as “successful” was that there should be a published biography of them. To his own surprise, the results showed, with a remarkably high level of confidence, a correlation between the positions of the respective planet in the sky at the appropriate moment as predicted by Astrology.
He made a point of telling his readers that he wasn’t saying that this proved Astrology, just that there appeared to be a correlation which was more than you might expect from pure chance and so there was a case to say that this might merit a further look.
.
So, although I am skeptical, I won’t simply dismiss the assurances that this year will be kinder to us than last year as just “feel good” wishful thinking, but I’ll wait and see how things actually develop.
Oh, and by the way … Happy New Year!
Bishkek