By Clara Snyder | Staff Writer
Do you ever find yourself perplexed in social settings where people you’ve never met before try to define your persona based solely on the day you were born?
Does the day you were born seem trivial to you when it comes to defining the person you are today? Have you ever thought about the fact that there is no scientific support for astrology, thereby potentially decreasing its credibility?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this fact might not surprise you: A recent study done by Lund University found that narcissism is the strongest predictor of people who believe in astrology and that the IQ levels of believers tend to be lower.
Britannica defines astrology as a method of predicting mundane events based upon the assumption that the configuration of planets/stars determines changes in the sublunar world. Astrology has become an important part of millennial and Generation Z culture in recent years, and Scientific American said an estimated 70 million Americans read their horoscope daily.
I opted out of this astrology phase early on because most horoscopes I’ve read are convincing only because they are relatively vague and largely up to one’s own interpretation. I don’t see the significance in reading someone else’s prediction for my week when I could come up with an equally vague and inaccurate prediction myself.
The simplest way I can describe my internal dialogue when astrology is brought up in conversation is this: I am in a maze with my friends, and everyone except me is blindfolded, yet no one will listen to my directions. Considering astrology has been proven false scientifically, I think this metaphor gets the point across.
The primary reason for my disdain toward this genre is if astrology were true, life would have little meaning. To me, the best thing about astrology not existing is that we aren’t defined by something we can’t control.
One of the most beautiful things about the human race is that there are no two people who are exactly the same. We are composed of unique experiences, raised by different people in different environments (not to mention the fact that we were predestined to be one of a kind thanks to genetic code).
When I hear my peers talking about the traits they have, positive or negative, I often hear them say something along the lines of, “It’s just how I am. I’m a Leo. I can’t change my nature.” I have to laugh — humans aren’t scorpions from an old fable. Everyone can change their nature.
Something that most logical people can get behind is our ability to grow as humans, to change our nature and evolve. Without progression, civilizations would quickly fall, individuality would never be fully grasped and life would feel uncontrollable.
With that being said, I do read my horoscope on occasion. I don’t think it hurts to have an imagination, and I never stray away from getting a good laugh out of a stranger’s prediction for my future.
