Nov 20 2006
The Fortune Cookie Life
I have this habit of keeping interesting fortunes from the fortune cookies Chinese restaurants give out after a meal.
I keep them in this small square jar with a corked lid.
The fortunes aren’t all interesting per se – some I’ve kept because they work well with the “in bed” trick.
I am sure you’re familiar with it.
For example:
“Share your abundant humor with others at this time. They need it. [In bed]”
“Your dearest wish will come true. [In bed]”
“An unexpected event will soon make your life more exciting. [In bed]”
“If at first you do succeed… try something harder. [In bed]”
Got the idea?
There are variations on this – some people append, “between the sheets” or “with a battle axe, ” the latter choice creating some really bizarre fortunes.
While they are called “Fortune Cookies” I get a mix between fortunes, statements, words of wisdom and pure advice as in: “Don’t do drug.”
I wondered what specific drug I wasn’t supposed to do.
I laugh as much as the next person over fake “Confucius says…” quotations like, “Man who fart in church sit in his own pew.”
It’s difficult to take wisdom dispensed in a cookie all that seriously.
But like gold being in them thar hills, there are nuggets of wisdom in them thar fortune cookies.
In his book, “Truth Vs. Falsehood: How to Tell the Difference,” Dr. David R. Hawkins mentions how a “fortune cookie life is a good life,” and fortunes calibrate as “true” within his framework of calibrating Truth. If you believe in his framework, then what he is saying is that there is truth to be found in a fortune and living by those truths would lead to a good life.
What I thought would be an interesting experiment is to discuss the wisdom found in fortune cookies. Would living a Fortune Cookie Life be a good life?
Keep watch for your Fortune Cookie!
All fortunes guaranteed genuine first quality!
Dear Ms. Q,
Since we had Fortune Cookies brought in with our lunch today, I decided to perform an experiment; would the wisdom dispensed in a randomly chosen cookie start me on the path to a “good life?”
Picking a cookie from the very center of the platter, I was greeted with the following pearl:
“We can learn from everyone, especially from our enemies.”
31 35 36 42 44 24
Interesting. Is this learning in general knowledge or do we gain more in the way of self-knowledge?
My personal favorite fortune is one my Father got in a restaurant one evening:
“You will soon blame something on the dog.”
-dietrologia
P.S. – Those are *my* winning numbers, so no stealing!
Would you believe I was taught the “in bed” trick by a 12 year old?!?!?!? These are strange times we live in I tell ‘ya!
Jill: Yeah, I’d believe it! Life always seems to be speeding up. I recall returning to middle school just a year after I left and I was shocked to see 12 year olds necking in the halls! When I was an early teen, I thought boys were cute but the thought of actually necking with them was a bit scary! And anything involving tongues at the time was just plain gross!
I was a bit of late bloomer but I am glad about that.