issue 25 // volume 40

Called it—maybe

» Should we be praised for our predictions?

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
M opinions

; @theotherpress.ca

Wrener it’s a sporting
event, the weather, or the
end of the world, people love to
predict the future. Some rely on
the science of probability and
statistics, but many predict by
guessing out of speculation—
and surprisingly, it’s as effective
as any other method. Because
when the dice are cast and the
coins are flipped, chances play
the largest factor in prediction.
So, if you haven't called it
recently, you are bound to at
some point.

We make thousands of
predictions daily. We predict
the arrival time of the bus, the
mark we got on our exams, and
the emotion we'll feel when
we see our friends at the end
of the night. We get a lot of joy
from predicting correctly, even
though the guesses might not
be in our best interest.

“The bus is always late,”
you'll say before you even
leave the house. This isn’t a
daring assumption compared
to gambling, and it isn’t as
rewarding either, but it satisfies
you in the same way—if to
a lesser degree. This type of
prediction allows you to feel
good whether the bus comes on
time or not. You either called
it, or find the nice surprise of a
punctual bus.

People predict both out of
confidence and a lack thereof;
in other words, a need to cover

 

possible disappointment, while

: entertaining them lightly during
: mundane events. By predicting,
: we can make a high-stake event

: out of something that has little

: interest. Sports and awards

: shows are great examples of this
: cognitive hypothesizing. One of
: the teams will win, and odds are
: we might be able to guess it.

Uncertainty is scary, really

: scary. Imagine if we lived a life
: where we didn’t understand the
: concept of death; that death

: wasn't an inevitable end to our
: lives. How differently would we
: live if not fearing death? But

: we are aware, and are therefore
: very capable of predicting

: every possible situation that

: will kill us, even if that means

: predicting the apocalypse ora

: new pandemic.

No matter how good at

: forecasting the future you might
: think you are, you're powers

: are useless, because foresight,

: although it has value for

: yourself, is completely useless

: for most other people. If you

: are right about the apocalypse,

: it’s the apocalypse and we're

: all dead anyways, but if there

: isn’t an apocalypse, then youre

: acrazy, stupid person. If you

: called the result of a hockey

: game, great job! You might get a
: high-five from me, but it doesn’t
: make you superior in any way.

Predictions are made to

: satisfy you alone. We all have

: the ability to predict, so we don’t
: need other people to do it for

: us. We all like feeling smart, but
: when we confuse a lucky guess

: with knowledge, then we're

: bound to misinform and tarnish
their asses. It reduces the hurt of you cred vihet jot ee ving
: go ahead. Call it, friendo.

 

The downfall of the underachievers

» Are you hitching a ride to success?

Margaret Matthews
Contributor

c¢ Wrst your hand
finds to do, do it
with all your might,” was a
saying by which I was raised,
and I have always subscribed
to that paradigm. Whether
you're washing a car, mowing
a lawn, or involved in any
other endeavour, give it your
best shot. The results will give
you confidence, in addition to
making your parents proud.
My parents, who
were both professionals,
admonished my siblings and
myself that if we aimed high,

: we might just fall a little short

: of our target but the desire to

: overachieve would motivate

: us to do our best. If students

: don’t make a concentrated

: effort to reach high and earn

: good grades, they are likely

: to remain just an average or

: below-average student.
When I entered high

school, it was evident who the :
: few weeks of the semester.
: These students were Type

: top students in the class were.
: These students were Type A

: personalities, and were driven
: they hung around with the

: smart or diligent students,

; and sometimes wanted to

: copy their homework, or

: asked them to do it for them.
They figured that if they got

: by inner motivation and self-
: discipline. Their personal

: habits were soon evident

: in that they were never late
to class, their assignments

: were always submitted on

: time, they participated in

: class discussions, made notes
: during the class, and had

: insightful comments to make
: during discussions. Their

: active engagement oftentimes
: spurred other students to be

: similarly engaged.

Then there were the

: underachievers, who could

be identified during the first

B personalities. Oftentimes

: a passing grade, that was

: good enough for them, as

: they would also pass and be

: accepted into the next grade

: like their overachieving peers.

Their rationalization is:

: why bother to put all that

: extra effort into earning an A?
: We both pass and get into the
: next level.

However, that’s where the

buck stops. If, by some fluke
: of the imagination, these

: underachievers wanted to

: enter the fields of medicine,

: law, engineering, or any

: other prestigious profession,
: their transcript of C grades

: would disqualify them from

acceptance into university to

opinions // 15

By www.huffingtonpost.com

: study any such disciplines.

Is it worth putting all

: the extra effort into your

: studies to achieve prestige

: in your profession, or do you

: want to just drift along, doing
: mediocre jobs with little

: job security? Do you value

: yourself and your self-esteem?
: There is potential for growth

: in everyone, but one has to

: make the effort to do so.

At the end of the day,

the achievers can rest on

: their laurels, and enjoy the

: satisfaction of self-fulfillment
: in utilizing their day

: profitably, while the indolent
: ones regret having wasted
their hours unproductively.