Community: Real Life

Superstitious suckers


Nadine

Nadine is a final year Journalism student at Kingston University and is doing work experience at TheSite.org. She secretly wants to be Doctor Who's next companion so she can go everywhere for free, but failing that, she plans to get a job, save up, and go on an adventure around the world.

People should really think about why they believe in superstitions and realise how stupid they are, says Nadine.

I'm a logical person, so there's as much chance in me believing in superstitions as there is in me believing that the word gullible isn't in the dictionary. I'd hate to spend my whole life avoiding ladders and cracks in the pavement, throwing salt over my shoulders, talking to magpies, avoiding black cats, touching wood and being in a constant state of paranoia.

I'm baffled by why so many people are sucked into believing stupid superstitions and believing that opening an umbrella indoors brings you bad luck. I want to know why people are so damn gullible in this day and age.

Last week I went out with a friend in London and discovered he had a habit of walking around, rather than over, three drains - and there are a lot of drains in the city! The most annoying thing is that he doesn't even give me a proper reason for doing it - just that he's done it for so long and it's second nature to him. The more I questioned him for a proper reason, the more annoyed I got because he couldn't give me one.

Everyone knows at least one person who believes in something weird. People get irritated with me as I have a tendency to question things, especially when they sound completely and utterly daft. I constantly have these arguments with people but I've never given in to any of their jibberish.  Why should I? If you can't prove your point then I'm not going to believe it.

"Why can't people just live life accepting all the bad things that happen to us, rather than wasting half the time blaming it on ladders, birds and mirrors?"

Another friend believes she has to say: "Hello Mr Magpie, how is Mrs Magpie?" when she comes across one, otherwise she will incur bad luck. It's all psychological - she's told herself that it's true when it clearly isn't. It's just a sign of insecurity and maybe she needs these little things in life to believe she's out of harm's way. But if something bad does happen, she can just blame her silly little superstitions anyway and avoid the truth.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe in good and bad luck, but not when it's determined by silly superstitions. Last year I went job hunting in town and while I was browsing in a shop window a bird shat on my head. It's supposedly good luck and I did end up getting a job, but I'd rather commend myself on managing to sell myself rather than praising a pigeon.  All that bird did for me was force me to run to the nearest public loo while covering my head like a complete idiot.  

Why can't people just live life accepting all the bad things that happen to us, rather than wasting half the time blaming it on ladders, birds and mirrors? It's pointless and time wasting and even though it might give you some hope, it's ultimately false.  If I had money to waste, I would smash all my mirrors just to prove it once and for all. 

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Updated: 12/01/2009


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