Superstitions

 

“WHAT?”

“So, you are telling me that you lost the job because of a random black cat who crossed the road?”

“YES.”

The yes made me write this article.

When Advik started preparing for this job interview two years ago, every single person of our society knew that he would make it. There was no doubt about it. Never thought he would lose it for reaching late, that too because of a cat. He is one of the most amazing persons I have ever met. I look up to him so many times. Hearing something like this from him is the last thing I expected.

Superstitions are not new to any of us. They have been intertwined with us since forever. The above is just one of the many examples we hear every day.

Debugging Superstitions

Some deny them while some worship them. It is actually a personal outlook. They are neither myths nor boons but disoriented beliefs born out of ignorance and science causalities from the past. For example, Friday the 13^th is considered bad because of unfortunate past events like

1.      Ruining of the gods’ dinner party in Norse mythology with their ^{13th guest}, Loki
2.      Betrayal of Jesus by Judas
3.      The history of hangman's day

Etc.

Even though bizarre, superstitions are still so common that many a times we don’t question them. Mainly because they seem so natural.

Let’s try to understand them from the very beginning.

Coming to think of it, the rise of superstitions doesn’t seem very unusual. They are born as beliefs, mainly due to cultural tradition, e.g.: not washing hair on certain days; individual experiences- Friday, the 13^th; need for natural selection- death of coal miners and lack of scientific evidence- ghosts residing in Peepal trees. Over time, they started providing a sense of security, like most of our beliefs. They became an escape.

So, are beliefs dreadful?

There is a thin line separating beliefs and superstitions. In simple words, superstitions are nothing but excessive beliefs. For e.g., if you think doing a particular thing before the exams makes you focus is a belief and not considered harmful in any way. It helps improve concentration.

On the other hand, continuing the same thing with the notion that it will bring luck even if you have not studied or that if not performed, will bring bad luck even after full preparation is a superstition. Beliefs are built on positive aspects of confidence and security, whereas superstitions are held high by preconceptions and expectations, both very suggestive in nature. They often blur our ideas of what is right and wrong.

A clear example of anything excess is not good. Superstitions cancel out their very own reasons of coming into existence. Unlike beliefs, they tend to increase our stress and define our limitations and boundaries.

Superstitions are still continuing because of their ancient history and our obsessive need to predict and control the future. In doing so, we become Adviks and reduce our chances of success drastically by dodging the possibility of failure beforehand. Isn’t there a way to stop superstitions?

To be honest, the answer is no. A stop to superstitions would also mean a stop to science. They seem to be independent topics, but in reality, they are highly interdependent. They are faces of the same coin. One, science- the real and achievable and other, superstitions- unreal, dark and blank. Superstitions starts from the point where science ends. Science is an ever-evolving topic, there will always be something beyond its understanding at any point of time and thus, we will always have unanswered questions. A world with no superstitions would mean a world of science saturation, a world with no plausible future- a dead end. Not going to happen anytime soon. So, will we never be free of these unwanted shackles?

Although we might not be able to eradicate superstitions completely, we can still reduce them to a level so that they no longer interfere with our real world. A few pointers to do so are:

The simplest way is to debug them with the help of science. Let’s have a quick look at some examples:

1.   Swallow Tulsi leaves to never chew.
   Tulsi leaves shouldn’t be chewed, it needs to be swallowed. The science behind his is that the Tulsi leaves contain a little amount of arsenic. Thus, chewing it directly could result in degradation of enamel.
2. Ghosts residing in Peepal trees. This myth continues to prevail, even today. But the scientific reason behind this is that the trees use carbon dioxide during the day and releases oxygen, but at night, it is the other way round. So, when you sleep under the tree, the excess carbon dioxide level can make you feel heavy in the fist and suffocated, which is associated with the feeling of being possessed by some spirits.

This can be done with all the superstitions.

We can change our mindset by questioning their validity and realizing that there is no rational proof of superstitions. Reading and finding out about the superstitions one follows can lead to a positive approach. Taking control and reducing the urge to turn to superstitions can lead to dramatic changes.

Apart from these things, we should try and accept things the way they are. We should accept the unknown instead of being afraid of it by expecting the best instead of the worst. Being positive and confident is a key to fight this fear. In worst come worst scenarios, never hesitate to take help.

As responsible individuals, we should take care not to give rise to superstitions even subconsciously for e.g., by spreading stories/ experiences of ghosts in abandoned temples with no concrete proof. These lies will have the same effect on the future generation that past beliefs turned superstitions have on us today.

Let’s not become the death of this thinking world.

 

Image(s) Source: Dribble

Harshini Kolte

(Dayatva Member)