by Faye Grigg (6th)
Hello once again! After the issue of our dearly departed rodent friend, Richard Cattial, I’m here to bring you the topic of the second article of my career: Superstitions! Superstitions, in case you didn’t know, are cautious beliefs that you hold to counteract certain events and often narrow down choices in life. Superstitions can also be considered myths or make-believe sayings (by some seriously coldhearted beings, no doubt), but that’s not true at all! Here’s where things get confusing: you may think superstitions are those little things people do, like picking up their feet when walking over a threshold or throwing salt over your left shoulder when you spill it, but no. What superstitions really are are those little beliefs that make you do all of those things!
Do you like cats better than dogs? If yes, can I tell you something crazy? That’s a superstition!!! Those weird things you do, like knocking on wood or never killing a spider, are for luck, right? Not superstitions! Giving good luck into the atmosphere instead of bad luck is really what keeps superstitions alive! Without them, we wouldn’t have our own opinions, likes, or interests, etc. So what I’m really here to talk about is how superstitions can help with our everyday lives. They often have a large impact on those who are superstitious because they change the way people think sometimes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!
For example, if someone has to choose between a few different options and they just can’t decide, superstitions could help with that! If they had trouble choosing, superstitions could narrow down the options until they’re left with just one or two. And if you really want my advice, if you’re down to two options and don’t end up with the one you want (which is usually what happens to those non-superstitious people), just choose the other option!
Now, at this point, you may be saying, “Faye’s a liar! None of the things she’s saying are working!” But like anything, you have to get used to something before deciding whether or not it’s something you’re okay with doing! Just like any belief or cultural tradition, people have to keep them alive! So, if you’re interested in helping superstitions stay alive, here’s what you can do: don’t release bad luck into the air, be careful about what you think and say (for your sake and for those around you), and maybe even sometimes avoid certain superstitions. Only do that last thing in very specific situations because, if you do it at the wrong time, things could go sideways. For your safety, I’d recommend not doing that unless you really have to.
The simple ways to avoid releasing bad luck into the air are things like not spilling salt everywhere, not killing spiders, or not opening umbrellas indoors. You know, don’t threaten the spirits of bad luck (yes, sue me for my nerdiness)!
By now, you’re probably wondering why I wrote this article and why we have superstitions in the first place. Well, the main reason why we have superstitions, as I’ve already mentioned, is because some people (believe it or not) dedicate their lives to them, and I, personally, don’t blame them—though 91% of the human population would. Superstitions are in our lives for a reason! But the spirit of being superstitious isn’t thriving well. So, if you’re interested, I’d recommend doing something about them!