People (me included) love weather forecasts. Here in Switzerland, it has been, and still is, the most-watched TV ‘show’, trumping even soccer and news.

But why do people like weather forecast so much? I believe this is because weather can be imposing, has enormous, everyday impact on our lives, and we can’t change it. As Mark Twain said: “Everyone complains about the weather, yet nobody does something about it”.

When we see a weather forecast, we can give ourselves over to the comforting illusion that we control the weather. We actually can’t do something about it – a hurricane will still hit at the predicted time – but somehow a weather forecast gives us the feeling that we are in control, that we are not mere victims of chance.

But it’s not just the weather. Almost everything else around us can be frightening – we have little, if any, control over what happens to us outside our own four walls, and even inside our homes much is left to chance. Many of us feel like their entire existence is akin to a leaf, blowing in the harsh wind of life.
And so some people go to church. It’s the weather forecast for the soul. Although nothing has really changed, after listening to the priest, the soul’s weatherman, we are basking in the warm feeling that somehow someone is in control.

There are some differences, though: the weatherman usually looks better, is a woman, and the service is shorter.