Recently I had a lengthy discussion with a group of people (strangers) that happened to be waiting with me for a Toastmaster’s meeting. The topic somehow managed to turn to “superstitions” and I stood there listening contently as it was a somewhat bizarre topic to come up amongst a bunch of strangers.
One person went on and on about the importance of having a proper “Mezuzah” at their door to protect a home (a mezuzah is a oblong box with a piece of paper in it with specific scriptures written on it) and the awful things which occurred to them when it was not “proper” and then how life changed for them after a clergyman “fixed” the problem. Apparently something was misspelled and that caused them all sorts of bad luck.
Another was originally from Cajon Country. This individual explained the importance of burning hair from your hairbrush and your nail clippings so that they could not be used against you in Voodoo, Witchcraft, and Santeria. They went on to say how important it was to do this or you’d be given a curse for bad luck.
A woman that had stood there with all of us quietly began to whisper about the importance of having someone with proper authority to come bless your home. She went on to say that her house “cried” (meaning it leaked a lot) when she first moved there and she had been convinced that a bad spirit had been there. After it was blessed things got better.
The rest of the group spoke about tossing salt over their shoulder, putting the right sock and shoe on first, Friday the 13th, and even the importance of having certain colors in your home. One said that they never move into a home without painting the front door. Another said that they never wear black to a wedding and on a certain level I agree with that as it is rarely a black-tie event which had nothing to do with bad luck.
What I found interesting about these people was the fact that they each gave so much power to superstitions. By giving a superstition power they then gave precedence to actions which may or may not have been related. I had stood there and not said a word and just listened. One of my biggest pastimes is observing people and I was observing a really odd group of people which represented many nationalities and cultures.
One of the group had realized that I had said nothing and then asked my opinion. I explained that I felt when someone “chooses” to believe a superstition, they then gave a tremendous amount of power over to that belief. Choosing a belief gives it power in your life. I think most people do not consider that is an actual action but it is—you either choose to believe or you don’t. I asked them to consider the power they had willingly given beliefs that are probably not good for them and asked if they realized that they have the freedom to change that.
I do not think they were prepared for my answer. Often people do not spend hardly any time at all considering the beliefs which may do them harm, yet they focus intently on the beliefs they hope to save them. It isn’t as if I were suggesting that they change their focus at all but to consider and actually actively decide what their other beliefs are.
I had a patient that could never make a left turn while driving. He would tell me at great length all the good reasons he had come up with to justify this problem. Sure he may save a little time not waiting at lights because most of the time turning right on red is permissible but what if he had an emergency that required him to turn left? While that example may seem silly and you find yourself saying “Well obviously this guy had issues” I ask you to stop and think about whether you have what some may consider an irrational belief. You’d be surprised how many do.
