Tomorrow (as I write this), it’ll be 6 June 2006, which some have been shorthanding as 6/6/6 (except of course in Europe, where they put the dates in different order, in which case it’ll instead read 6/6/6).
And, sigh, some people are absolutely freaking out about its “Biblical implications” — and not just in the U.S. The fear of the number 666 is called “hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia”, I read in an Aussie newspaper.
What’s In a Name Number?
Searching on that word in Google News brings up 13 (ooh! Another unlucky number!) articles for me right now. There are reports that women due to give birth tomorrow are having cesarean sections or demanding their doctors induce labor to avoid saddling a kid with such a birth date.
Some articles talk about “the end of the world,” though I find it unlikely they’ve found too many people to actually go on record as saying it will be.
Me? I say dates are simple labels; man has stuck arbitrary numbers on the days, starting at an arbitrary point in history, to make it easier to remember your anniversary so you don’t catch …um… hell from your sentimental spouse. The devil (or god, should you believe in either or both) don’t plan their deeds around the labels of man.
So tomorrow I’ll be going to the post office to check my mail (which is, after all, deposited in Box 666) just like any other day. It’s the 21st Century, but there sure is still a lot of superstition out there.
Or is there? Maybe all this is just something “made up” for the media to write about, which leaves this as writing about the media writing about ridiculous superstition that doesn’t exist.
But then, I don’t think so: it’s amazing how many readers have “warned” me about “trivializing” such “important” and “serious” things. Shrug.
They can cower in fear over arbitrary labels if they want. Just don’t try to convince me to do it too. On the other hand, I am going to stock up on Get Out of Hell Free cards before I go out! 😉
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As you may have noticed, the world didn’t end on 6/6/6. Nor did it on 5/21/11. Nor will it next time people panic about something arbitrary…. And the world didn’t end (nor did True) when we got to Issue #666 — and in the blog entry for that, I answer the question about how I ended up with PO Box 666!
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On the 6/6/6 date, the people in Hell, Michigan tried to drum up some tourist business by throwing a commemorative party. I was in the neighborhood, and decided to stop by and see how things were going. I got there mid-afternoon, and they had run out of beer, they had run out of commemorative t-shirts, the Sun was beating down hotter than, well, Hell, and the traffic on the two lane main road through town was at a dead standstill for miles. Whoever thought that a party in Hell was going to be fun….
Our daughter’s due date was 6/6/6. “Thankfully” she was born two days earlier.
As you said, it’s just a date. There is significance for Christians, but not in the context of a date (or post office box). Nevertheless…
And thanks for sharing your story, Harmon!
The only significance of the 6th of June is the Anniversary of the greatest amphibious assault landing the world has ever seen (and hopefully will ever see) — Operation Overlord, D-Day.
The sacrifice of untold thousands of Allied troops to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today is what people should be thinking about on the 6th of June. Spare a thought and raise a glass in thanks.
That is all.
We just celebrated our fifth anniversary – we chose to get married 6/6/6, and the theme of our wedding party (held on the weekend) was Flying Pigs. Can you tell it wasn’t the first wedding for either one of us? We finally got it right!
Speaking of random numbers(*)…
Someone born on 6/6/6 might indeed have more trouble than their peers, at least until they learn to lie about their birthdate. I’m not talking about anything supernatural; rather, the “educated” lunkheads who try to tell them what their birthdate means.
By similar logic, you should NOT buy a lottery ticket with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. It has exactly the same odds of winning, but if those numbers hit, so many people will be shouting “it’s obviously been rigged” that there will be a huge investigation, and it will take decades before you see any money.
(*) Nothing on this page says “random numbers”, but I followed a link from https://thisistrue.com/end-of-world-2011/
You may want to inform those who are terrified of the number 666 that it’s a misinterpretation. The Bible says “six hundred three *score* six.” Now, I don’t know the ancient Hebrew word which was mistranslated to mean twenty, but I do know that the English word “score” is from proto-Germanic and found its way into Old English circa 1290. *Long* after that phrase was written. The original meaning of the highlighted word above was “times” — so the evil number is actually 618.
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Wikipedia has a nice summary of the theories, and “618” isn’t one of them; 616 is. That said, I’m still not afraid of arbitrary numbers. 🙂 -rc
A loooong time ago, I wrote a check in a Xian bookstore (I said it was a long time ago!), handed it to the clerk and after she got a good look at it, dropped the check on the counter like it burned her. The prefix on my phone number, noted on the check, is 666. I had no control over it and didn’t care in the least. She told me she would have insisted the phone company change it. Sheesh.
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Now that’s funny! -rc
Florida State Road 666 is a 1½-mile-long connection between SR 595 (US 19 Alt) and SR 699 (Gulf Blvd) in Madeira Beach. It’s fully signed, and people drive it every day without a second thought. Biggest problem is that sometimes people get stuck because the drawbridge opens to marine traffic.
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Sadly in the west, U.S. Route 666 was renumbered because it was the “Route of the Beast”. Really. -rc
I drove it from Shiprock to Gallup when it was still US 666. Middle of the day, but nearly got run off the road by a driver who crossed into my lane about 20 miles south of Shiprock. I read later that folks who couldn’t get alcohol on the reservation would liquor up in Gallup and be, uh, somewhat impaired as they drove north — a more plausible explanation (along with road engineering) than the highway designation.
And then there’s “Coach operator FlixBus has announced the return of the 666 bus service to the Polish seaside resort of Hel.” which caused some people to get their knickers in a twist. (“Panties in a bunch” for those on the wrong side of the Atlantic.)
If you believe God created us you should know the following facts:
– we are carbon-based life
– carbon is the 6th element
– this means carbon has 6 electrons, 6 neutrons, and 6 protons
– 6/6/6
If you believe God created us, He created us already bearing the mark of the beast.
Hey, sometimes it works in your favor. Back in ye olden days of working sales at Radio Shack, I would get the occasional ticket that ended in 6.66. And on more than one occasion it would freak out the customer, so, working on commission, I would happily use the opportunity to upsell them on things.
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“You definitely need a computer.” 😉 -rc
I work in a grocery store and if the customer’s total comes up $6.66, they will frequently go buy something like a candy bar to change the total.
in Canberra oz we have the local national broadcaster is 666
so far the religious nuts have not had any success of having it changed. thank-you for keeping us abreast of USA going nuts
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I do sometimes write about Aussie nutters, but we definitely have more in the U.S. -rc
I was teaching an evening remedial math class at the local community college many years ago. One of my students looked distressed, so I came over and asked if I could help.
“I can’t do this one,” she said.
The problem in the workbook was 1/2+1/3+1/6. I started explaining how to find the common denominator, but she whispered “No, I can’t do it because it has three sixes!”
The devil’s plan is working! He is keeping superstitious people from learning basic arithmetic skills! How diabolic.