My computer screen has a little widget that shows me Sydney's current weather, and the forecast highs and lows for the day. Right now it says: "Sydney: now 41 degrees, high 25, low 23."
(In the US that would be "Sydney, now 106 degrees, high 77, low 73.")
This happens often, current temperatures way above the high, or sometimes below the low. Everyone notices wrong weather forecasts, but they're especially common in Australia. With no mountains to speak of, Sydney's weather can come from any direction. Dry from the west, wet from the east, cold from the south or hot from the north -- each of these ancient winds can reign with overwhelming force, yet flip on the slightest of butterfly effects.
After one recent wildfire, a witness interviewed on the local news sounded betrayed: "The wind kept changing direction!" she said. "It'd be going this way, and suddenly it would be going that way!" I wondered when God had promised her a constant wind. It reminded me of what a daredevil San Francisco bicycle messenger said to me long ago: "If pedestrians would just maintain a constant speed and direction, we'd never hit them!"
Predictions aren't just about the future. They structure the present with crucial illusions of confidence. Who cares if it's 41 degrees? I should go for a run. After all, they're predicting a high of 25. Once we're past this spot of bother, it should be a nice day.
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