Superstition: A Pretentious Haven

“Astrology is a disease, not a science. It’s a tree under the shadow of which all sorts of superstitions thrive. Only fools and charlatans tend to value it”. This quote asserts and alludes that superstitions are a worldwide phenomenon. People in every nation have their own reasons behind believing in superstitions. Becoming superstitious is due to various reasons such as cultural heritage, fear of taking responsibility, and lack of scientific reasoning.

To start with, some people believe in superstitions because they consider them part of their cultural heritage. For example, the superstition of burning one after his death in India is considered part of the Indian traditions, this is why it is respected and applied there. Another example is covering the mirrors during funerals. This death custom dates back centuries and has a firm place in some Jewish, Catholic, and other homes when someone they love passes away. Older theories suggest that people believed mirrors would confuse the newly departed soul and potentially trap it on this earthly plane or in the mirror itself which is considered part of their cultural heritage and tradition, others maintain that the death of a person attracts the evil spirits, and if the mourners look in the mirror they will see these spirit’s reflection, while if the mirrors were covered, the mourners won’t see any of the potential spirits in the household, as well as marrying in May which  is considered  a bad omen, where the phrase, “Marry in May, Rue the Day” has its origins in Ancient Rome and considered an important tradition and cultural heritage, and  it was believed that it was unlucky to get married during the animal mating season.

Moreover, some people believe in superstitions out of their fear of taking responsibility. For example, a student who failed in his exams on Friday the 13^th may blame the bad luck date rather than his insufficient studying and efforts. Also, one might blame the sighting of a black cat early in the morning for being kicked out of his job rather than taking the responsibility of being reckless and irresponsible while doing his job, and a person may justify his bad behavior or lack of attention while driving and seriousness while studying or doing his job by seeing an owl, a black cat, or even breaking a mirror or going under a ladder.

Furthermore, some people believe in superstitions because they lack scientific reasoning. However, in ancient societies where the universe was seen as ruled by diverse gods and forces, superstitions were often personal tools to keep one’s health, wealth, and family safe in a dangerous, potentially demon-ridden environment, so they used to take the events personally, creating through it general rules and superstitions. Also, they used to relate the change of climate to their ridiculous superstitions creating new gods and habits out of their ignorance and lack of scientific reasoning for things happening around them.

As a conclusion, Superstitions still rule the lives of the backward classes and previous people who are hardly-wired to their ancestor’s traditions, the fact of being afraid of committing to one’s duty and most important of all; the illusion of control in an uncertain world. A definite cure of superstitions in education. If people are properly educated to develop scientific reasoning, there is no doubt that superstitions will die a natural death.