If Psychics Know the Future, Why Aren’t They Rich?
A podcaster recently joked about how he saw a psychic’s disclaimer that his advice should not be used for financial planning. I’m already a skeptic on the whole realm of astrology/psychics/fortune-telling. As a result, the irony of claiming supernatural insight but hedging on financial advice wasn’t lost on me. It brought up a question I’ve had many times: Shouldn’t someone who “knows” the future…know the future?
The “Fine Print” of the Mystical World
I’ve heard similar disclaimers on television ads for phone-in psychics: For entertainment purposes only, not financial advice. The same psychics claim to be able to advise you on things like your love life, career moves, past lives, and home location. These are all pretty big topics. So, why stop short at stock predictions?
The Semantic Loophole: Psychics vs. Fortune-Tellers
I’m not sure I see much of a difference between a psychic and a fortune-teller. But call a psychic a fortune-teller, and that psychic will get pretty bristly pretty quickly. I did a little digging and it didn’t get a lot clearer. It does look, though, like there is a subtle difference.
As near as I can figure it out, the term psychic implies someone who is sensitive to unseen forces. They tune in to energy, spirits, or an aura. It’s a passive power, like catching a radio signal. A fortune-teller, by contrast, crafts a narrative, often using a prop of some type – cards, a crystal ball, palms, or smoke. They’re more of an active interpreter.
Both will claim to “see” something for the client, often in response to a question the client has asked. Neither makes a guarantee of accuracy, and it’s not clear who’s driving the show – the client, the spirits, or the storyline.
The Future is a Slippery Thing
There are so many things that affect other things. So many things that are completely unaffected by those same things. Yes, it’s confusing! There’s a whole lot of “future” for all of us, and most of our “future” exists beyond this mortal realm. I suppose it’s possible that the psychic did see you buying that Mercedes – just not in this timeline.
But think of all the things that are causes and the things that are effects. Then consider the effects that in turn become causes of something else. Markets are volatile because we can’t know all of the causes, even when we do know some causes and some effects. For example, spending every penny you make will pretty well guarantee that your retirement won’t involve a lot of international travel. It doesn’t take a psychic to predict that. Will that have an effect on any particular stock price? Probably not your particular action, but multiplying that same action by a hundred thousand, and the likelihood of an effect becomes stronger.
Too many moving parts
Government policies on taxation, trade, and regulation have pretty predictable results. The results are so predictable, in fact, that “the market” responds pretty quickly to the policies before the resultant shifts can even occur. It’s not just government policies, either. A forecast of a drier growing season generates higher futures prices for crops that rely on consistent rainfall. Forecasting an impending out-of-season frost in a citrus-growing area will bring higher prices on oranges two weeks before the frost is supposed to happen.
There’s something that telling the future doesn’t take into account, and that is agency. To be able to definitively state that the love of your life is going to propose to you is to suggest that the person isn’t in control of his or her life. It implies that there’s an outside force compelling that person. If that’s true, the person doesn’t have the choice not to propose. If the choice exists, then the psychics are only guessing. The existence of agency means that the universe is, in some situations, completely unpredictable.
Why Aren’t All Psychics Wealthy?
This is the million-dollar question: Why don’t psychics use their powers to make a lot of money in the stock market? I saw a discussion board on this question once, and I wasn’t impressed with the responses. The most common excuse was, “I don’t do this to make a lot of money.” I can’t prove it, of course, but my reaction was, “You CAN’T do this to make a lot of money.” But seriously, if you knew what Apple stock was going to do, would you be charging $40 for a 30-minute session in someone’s basement?
The Deeper Issue: Our Craving for Certainty
Remember the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven? Charlie sings to the angel dog, “What keeps me hummin’ is guessin’ what’s comin’.” Surprises are mostly nice, and life would be boring if we knew everything in advance, wouldn’t it? So why do we want to know the future of things like love, career, and money?
I think it’s because we don’t want to make a bad choice. Marrying the wrong person, taking a dead-end job, and investing in a company that lacks strong growth potential can all have lasting, unpleasant effects. I don’t care so much about the weather; I’ve changed plans on my day off more than once because it rained on a day when I wanted to go to the beach. But it sure would have been nice to know that the landlord of that house I was renting was going to get a buyer’s offer he couldn’t refuse.
Before I learned how to receive my own personal revelation, I desperately wanted to find any type of confirmation that my choice was going to bear the fruit I desired. That may be what really cemented my disdain for future-tellers-for-hire: I can make a decision, pray about my decision, and come to a clear understanding as to whether my choice will bless me or burden me. Nobody else has the right to that information on my behalf. It’s mine to seek, receive, and put to use.
Your Turn
This is just my viewpoint, and if you’ve had a great experience with a teller-of-futures, I’m glad for you. I’d actually like to hear about it, and I promise not to throw shade. Drop a comment below the Related Posts section, and let’s talk some more about it.
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