Everyday Canvas

Signs and Omens

Prompt: Six weeks before Covid, I saw a fox by the bucket factory 🏭 by the railroad tracks. We don't have many foxes since they were hunted to extinction sixty years ago. Was seeing this fox a omen of bad things to come? Write about signs and symbols that could be a omen of bad things to come. Write about this in your Blog entry today.

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I think your seeing the fox is a good sign that the foxes were not "hunted to extinction," but I wouldn't consider it an omen. It just shows the life force and resistance of a species not to leave this planet.

As for me, I don't believe in omens or pre-ordained signs of any kind. I wish I could give you an entertaining personal story about omens and signs, but it is not to be, for I believe that some or most things in life are only coincidences. Still, omens and signs are fascinating and would be fun to write about in some genres like horror and fantasy.

What emotionally vulnerable people may think to be omens could be a pattern recognition. Even seemingly random occurrences can be perceived as meaningful if they fit into a larger pattern or narrative. Then, people have selective memories or a tendency to recall when or how a certain sign proved to be true, while conveniently forgetting the times that specific sign had not been true. Plus, the stories from others, especially people they respect and believe in, like their elders and good friends, also help solidify the belief in omens and signs.

Yet, omens and signs can provide psychological comfort and maybe a sense of purpose, too, as this mental bias can give people some emotional control over what happens to them, and in this way, they think they can predict the future better. Also, such signs and omens may console us for our shortcomings with the idea that we are part of a larger and more meaningful universe.


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