Signs: How Should We Interpret Them?

It's been an emotional and somewhat tumultuous week for many of my readers. This post explores the meaning of signs, focusing on a faith perspective but prefaced with a bit of much needed humor. 

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. -- Psalms 19:1

Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day, and the ships that run in the sea with that which profits men, and the water that Allah sends down from the cloud, then gives life with it to the earth after its death and spreads in it all (kinds of) animals, and the changing of the winds and the clouds made subservient between the heaven and the earth, there are signs for a people who understand. -- Qur’an, 2:164

What Do I Think:

Kenya is a richly diverse country where people practice a wide range of beliefs. Within just a few blocks from the main University downtown, you can find churches and mosques of various denominations, Hindu temples, and even a synagogue. Since I grew up in that environment, I was familiar with the concept of God's signs mentioned in many religious texts, but more recently, I have wondered: what truly is a sign?

A sign is not a sine (which has the same pronunciation in English). I associate a sine with ups and downs, mathematics, a patient’s heart monitor, and my daily routine with intense cardio at the peak and deep sleep at the trough.

Is a sign perhaps related to love as in the famous 1993 song, The Sign, by Swedish group Ace of Base?

Squirrel

Since it’s been a very rough week for some of my readers, allow me, unusually, to squirrel for a lighter moment. Perhaps I can temporarily change the name of this blog from What I Think About What Other People Say to … What Other People Sketch. 

I have collected a few favorite pictures of signs during my various global travels that I would love to share:

The is a sign in a rickshaw (3-wheeler taxi) in Bangkok! I really have no idea why its there; the rickshaw is open with no windows or screens; there is plenty of air circulation! It does, however, remind me of a theory that airplane seat cushions are designed to absorb flatulence because people pass more gas when at higher altitudes. Read the facts here.

This one stumped me; I had to pull over and decide what to do. I found it in 2015 at an intersection in Seattle, north of the University of Washington. The sign is now replaced by a new tree. (Visit Google Maps and go back in time to 2015 to see what the street used to look like). In retrospect, I think the signpost is telling me that individual signs sometimes conflict with each other and we must determine our own direction within this chaos. 

The second one was at an elephant sanctuary in north central Thailand. It left no doubt as to which restroom I should use. It is not a sign that you have to de-code and process before selecting the right door or direction. This sign also contains a hidden message for men only — we know why the back is arched! 

The third sign is relational; it uses a metric or (rubric for the students) to indicate exactly what is and is not allowed on the bridge. I took this picture while on safari in central Kenya. No, elephants cannot read but I can. If the sign said “weight limit 2 tons”, I may not know what 2 tons actually is. But I think I know what x elephants looks like! 

What was the artist thinking here? This was on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda, right near the source of the River Nile. Why no neckties? I think its meant to symbolize a place to relax, away from the office. 

That’s the end of my squirrel. Lets get back to my weekly opinion about the use of signs in the holy books. 

Why Should You Care

God references Her signs as parables for us to ponder, learn and act on. They also offer them as beautiful physical reminders of creation (nature), which could be a “sign” of God’s bounty, love, and mercy. Alternatively, His signs have been warnings of doom and gloom — what can happen to us if we break any of the various covenants or pledges that we have made as a human race. 

But my favorite are the signs that foreshadow what is to come. This differs from the reminders or warnings because those are clearly positive or negative. Foreshadowing signs, on the other hand, are mysterious. We do not have the intellectual capacity to understand or predict what the sign means. After all, a beautiful flower (venus flytrap) or a graceful lion could be deadly. 

I don’t think that signs are only natural and only come directly from God. The Almighty may be working through us, using us as Her footsoldiers, pawns, or vehicles. Did we really discover electricity that has changed global quality of life or did He give us the intellectual capacity and insight that we needed? Is there a difference between Noah’s flood and a human-induced flood that stems from a dam collapse? Is a devastating wildfire God’s work when it starts by lightning but not God’s work when it starts by an errant firework? 

What do you think?