Thought for the Day - 11/03/03
As Victoria Beckham’s £55,000 settlement with an autograph shop shows, a signature can sometimes be quite valuable. Of course, for most of us the only time our signature has value is when it’s written on a cheque, but for those who acquire fame, a signature soon acquires an essential value of its own.
But the worth of such an item is not related to its utility. It provides no food, clothing or shelter. Even a signature on a cheque has no real value, merely acting as a signifier, linking the money transfer associated with the cheque to the holder of the bank account on which the cheque is drawn. Like graffiti, it proves that its author was there. It is, quite literally, a sign that directs us to a recognition of the presence of its author.
The value of an autograph stems from its link to the hand of the one who signed it. We give great value to objects that connect us to those who have significance in our lives, but there’s something special about a signature. Perhaps it’s because it’s not just some artefact that’s been touched by the one we wish to get close to, but a personal expression of their self-awareness in a form that despite its simplicity can display so much character, like strength or delicacy, flamboyancy or reserve. We can learn a great deal about someone from the way they make their sign.
And such signs are one of the most persistent themes of the Qur’an, signs by which we can recognise the presence of the Divine. And of God’s signs set out for us to read are the heavenly display of the sun, moon and stars, atmospheric signs like the turning of the winds, human signs like the variety of our tongues and colours, and the signs of earthly renewal as when the rain brings life to a dead dry land.
Through such signs we see God’s awesome power, beauty, strength and subtlety. Whether we look to the East or to the West, to the horizon or within ourselves, in the Creation we find the signature of the Creator.