Superstitions

        For a long time, people have believed in obtaining supernatural powers or unorthodox and unconventional rituals and they believe in bad omen. Although they are not sure, present concrete evidence to prove the existence of such supernatural powers, they believe they can perform some ritual and it works for them. No matter how much science has developed, people have developed and can provide numerous rational and evidence to share the actuals, the believers of superstition never get convinced. For these kinds of people or believers, even the natural occurrences seem to have happened due to their beliefs and rituals. That is what gives rise to superstition. A superstition is a belief or practice that is considered irrational or supernatural by practitioners, attributed to fate or magic where supernatural influence is suspected or with the fear of the unknown. The term is often applied to beliefs and practices related to luck, amulets, astrology, spirits, and certain paranormal entities especially the belief that future events can be predicted by unrelated past events or unorthodox activities.

 There are a certain number of unreasonable beliefs among people living in a community, sometimes arising out of fear, helplessness, and due to social influence or by chance. Although they have nothing to do with wisdom and reason, they could not be removed and eliminated from the heart, brain, and conscience of man. Superstition has had a great influence throughout history. Even in the so-called modern age, in a time when objective evidence is highly valued, few people would not admit to secretly harboring one or two irrational beliefs or superstitions. Even though faith varies from person to person, it also has some common aspects. The term is ambiguous and can probably only be used subjectively. With this limitation, superstition can be broadly classified into religious, cultural, and personal beliefs. Every religious system tends to accumulate superstitions as fringe beliefs and they are part of a cultural tradition and are enormous in their variety.  Many people at almost all times have shown direct beliefs or with a mask off non-believer in irrational beliefs relating to methods of warding off disease or predicting the future, and curing or preventing disease or accidents. Some specific folk traditions believe in the evil eye or the efficacy of amulets. Others may be limited to a country, region, or village, a family, or a social or professional group.

         Most of us would have grown up hearing superstition around the black cat crossing our path which is considered as bad luck. This superstition goes back to an ancient belief or has been passed down from generation to generation. I used to believe this myself, but one day when I was out for lunch with my friend and I saw a black cat crossing our path which triggered the superstition in me and I told my friend that it is a bad sign and we should not take the same path. This is when my friend took a paused and questioned my belief, she wanted to know what did that cat ever do to make me think that way. She went on to ask me if I ever thought in reverse phycology, what if the cat thought that it is unlucky for, I have crossed the cat’s path. Guess what, it worked and since then I do not think that way anymore but pray for a better day for everyone including every cat I meet along the way.

 Have you ever thought about why we believe in God? Although we have never met, seen, heard, or felt GOD, and yet we believe in the existence of God, no matter what form or formless he is. Well, I would say it is because of the good things we heard or are told by our ancestors. I ain’t concluding that there is or there isn’t anything supernatural, magic, or a heavenly existence but I would like to conclude that belief in good will always triumph over evil and the righteous will always triumph over the cruel.

The mind alone is one’s friend as well as one’s enemy – Bhagavad Gita