There must be something that everyone dislikes. So according to me, the thing which I dislike the most is stupidity, especially in the nastiest forms of racism and superstition. There are so many things which were served yesterday as articles of faith, but which are fables for us today.
So to begin with a very prominent superstitious belief that is “touch wood”. You must have seen people touching wood when they sense the fear of bad luck. So here is how the very well versed belief came in the forefront.
ORIGIN
It was believed to be derived from the ‘Pangas’ who thought that trees were the home of fairies, and spirits and other mystical creatures. So people here might touch or knock wood to prevent good luck. Now this concept of touch wood was very much mimicked by the Christians. They believed that by touching wood you are touching the wood of the cross and thereby seeking the protection of God.
SOME OTHER SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS
Different people with different thought process apprehend different types of superstitious beliefs.
Firstly, one may find a little kohl mark on a child’s face. There lies no substantial answer to this, instead it’s a superstitious belief itself. The logic behind this was that the kohl might make the kid look ugly. This would prevent the evil spirit from harming the child.
Secondly, while walking down the streets in India, you must have seen a lemon and 7 chilies (to be specific) hung in a cluster outside a shop. Now when looked in for a ‘bona fide’ reason, their lies nothing as such. Instead, it was believed that in India, “Alakshmi” the goddess of misfortune can bring bad. Since they believed that the goddess liked sour, pungent and hot things, the owner hangs the lemon and chilies outside the shop. According to them, the goddess would have those lemon and chilies. After satisfying her hunger and would not enter the shop and thereby bring no bad luck.
WORLDWIDE BELIEF
The most riveting element of superstitions is that it is followed everywhere, regardless of nationality, religion, geography, etc. For instance, in Brazil, the concept of “touch wood” is known as “bater no madeira”. In Czech, it is called “klepat na drevo”. So you can see that it’s not only in India rather spread globally.
REMEDY
To every problem, there is always a panacea. So here are some of them, firstly one should get to learn the origin of superstitions. Make your mind believe that there is no coherent proof that these superstitions can affect one’s life. One should always avoid superstitions coming in the way of their decision making. Start ignoring stuff which is irrelevant. Figure out that these superstitions work only because ‘you’ believe in it. Lastly, believe that you have the power to make your luck especially the best instead of the worst.
So to end I believe that soon we won’t see people running to the other end of the street after seeing a black cat crossing their way. Then we won’t see people losing their lives after seeing a crack in the mirror and various other unsound beliefs. Believe in yourself and the good luck would automatically come in the way of your life.
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