SUPERSTITION

Good day everyone. Today, Im here to share views and insight on superstition.
This topic is rarely discussed even though every one of us experience or practice
this in our daily life. Its a food for thought. Does superstition have relations with
religion? Or it is simply a mythology? Or it is a tradition and practice inherited
from our ancestors? Let me share and discuss what superstition is and how it is
related to our daily life. Superstition denotes a belief or notion that is based on
irrational thoughts. It can be related to religious, cultural or personal values. It is
often associated with blind faith. It is often exhibited in the thinking and behavior.
Here, I would like to further elaborate on superstition versus religion , superstition
versus science and superstition versus psychology.

Firstly, superstition versus religion. Obviously, not everyone who is religious

is also superstitious and not everyone who is superstitious is also religious. A
person can faithfully attend church services all their life without giving a second
thought to a black cat walking in front of them. On the other hand, a person who
completely rejects any religion whatsoever may consciously or unconsciously
avoid walking under a ladder even if there is no one on the ladder who might drop
something. Hence, from my point of view, superstition is nothing to do with
religion, as it merely lies on the individual itself who practice superstition believe
in their life.
Secondly, superstition versus science. Albert Einstein once said, Science
without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.Science is a branch of
knowledge that particularly refers to the experimental knowledge. Science is based
on investigation and it provides an organized study of a particular subject. For
example, in science, solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is in line between the
Earth and the Sun. In contrary, the Chinese in the ancient times believed that solar
eclipse occur when a dragon eats the Sun. This clearly shows that superstition
beliefs are all based on assumption and acts. For me, I rather lean to the science
side because it is more reliable and based on discoveries and knowledge.

Thirdly, superstition versus psychology. Half of Americans say theyre

superstitious. In some condition, people believe that superstitious can help us feel
more confident and more in control over our lives. As human are very influenced
by folklores told by ancestors, in some way they aware of their actions in order to
prevent scenes like breaking a glass. This scene brings bad impact on superstitious
believers. They believe in superstitions to try restore some prediction and control
to their world. Not knowing what will happen to them is discomforting, and
performing superstitious behavior can make people feel a little better about the
future. But in certain circumstances, phobic (fearful) superstitions can also
interfere with our lives, and cause a lot of anxiety. Some even scared of Friday 13 th
and this actually bring no benefits to the believers. I think this situation can bring
detrimental effects to the believers as they are so obsessed with their beliefs and try
to avoid some dates that are unlucky or seems to bring bad luck to them.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that superstition is an irrational belief and it is
undeniable that it still hunts some individuals in this world. This is because it is
passed by their ancestors to their parents and to the children. I myself is under this
control as my parent accept superstitious believe in some part of their life. My
father always warn me during my childhood from playing with an umbrella in the
house. I totally scared and avoid using it anymore. As I grew, I learn to understand
that using umbrella in house may hurt the others due to it sharp edges. It same goes
to warning not to cut nail during night because it is dark and we may hurt
ourselves. So, superstition believes can actually applied in our daily life but it fully
lies on the believer to what extent of their acceptance. As saying goes, we can
always pluck the roses without hurting ourselves.