Chained To Superstition

A mobile text message came through at about 8 am when I was deep in slumber last Saturday morning. Thinking it was from my office, I forced my tired eyes open and reached for my mobile phone. The gist of the message read "Today, there is a special prayer at a particular temple. Send this message off to 10 people and you will get good luck". "Not again", I sighed, tossed my phone back onto the table and tried to get back to what I affectionally call New-"Z"-Land. Ok, I agree that's lame.

Later in the day, the text message got me thinking. If I had actually forwarded this message to 10 people, would Lady Luck be so pleased that she will shower me with good fortune? If I didn't, would something bad befall me? Yesterday, I lost my keys to my home while out shopping with my wife. I've never lost my home keys in my life. Was it my own carelessness or was it because I did not heed the instructions to forward the text message to 10 people? I'll never know.

Superstitions aside, what really bewildered me was the fact that the person who sent this to me was a family member. While I know that the intention was good, I can't help but feel that if she believed that if such supernatural powers existed and travelled via text messages, I could just as easily be hurt by such receiving one.

In my opinion, sending out chain letters (which today has evolved into chain emails and chain text messages) is just downright inconsiderate. You receive a chain text message and to selfishly secure your own good luck, you pass on the "bad luck" of being the receipient of the text message to others on your contact list. I would never do that, especially to a family member or a good friend. To me, it is a reflection of a lack of concern to the intended receipient, burdening him or her with the task of forwarding the message to 10 other unfortunate souls.

I received a letter in the mail about two months ago addressed to my late father. When I opened it, it turned out to be a chain letter requesting him to make copies of it and send it out to 10 people or else he'll suffer an unfortunate fate. Considering my father has passed on, I guess the joke is on the sender.

The bottom line? I don't believe that you can change your fate with 10 text messages. The only people whose fate you can change is the mobile network service provider who charges you for each text message you send out - and in a good way at that! So, messages like these usually suffer the wrath of my mobile phone's delete function.

For good luck, forward this blog to 10 people....