Superstition

By: Jieun Woo

Now that it gets nearer and nearer to Halloween, many activities come to mind. One might be readying what costume they are going to wear, planning out a halloween party, or buying candy for trick-or-treaters. There is also one other thing prevalent during Halloween: superstitions.

Most superstitions have been proved untrue through science and logic. However, many people still believe in them, why? 

In history, the relation between anxiety and superstitions can be noticed. There are many events where superstitions were most widespread and common at times of economic crisis and social uncertainty, especially during wars and conflict. For example, during the times of the Reformation and the religious conflicts, almost everyone believed in magical practices, but as the religious wars started ending, the amount of superstitious people declined as well, evident in the change in the numbers of witch accusations. From this event and many others, we can see how people used superstitious behaviors more often during times of stress and tension. Superstitions allowed them to have a sense of control and reduce anxiety.

Those superstitions that reduce anxiety are still prevalent today, especially in sports or high competitive situations. While superstitious beliefs can lead to irrational decisions, it also allows a more positive mental attitude, reducing tension and providing reassurance. Many athletes have a specific ritual before game. For instance, Michael Jordan’s fashion statement of baggy shorts is actually from his superstition of having to wear his North Carolina Tar Heels shorts beneath his Bulls shorts.

There are many ways a superstition could occur. First, a superstition stems from the assumption that a connection exists between two non-related events that happen at the same time. For example, the belief that a charm allows good luck mostly likely occurred because of an overlap of a good result or event while you had that charm. Second, superstitions could have its origins from a culture, religious belief, or mythology. For instance, the superstition of Friday the 13th has multiple stories of origin. One is from ancient Norse mythology with the belief that Loki, the God of mischief, broke the sanctity of the twelve perfect numbers by becoming the thirteenth member of Valhalla. Another origin of Friday the 13th is from Christian beliefs. Jesus was crucified on a Friday and Judas Iscariot, someone who betrayed Jesus, was the thirteenth guest at the Last Supper.

While it may be good to use a small amount of superstitions for an outlet of stress, please don’t let superstitions override your actions that affect others. In fact, some superstitions that worry me are the numerous about the “bad luck” associated with black cats and dogs. Although proved untrue, due to bad stigmas labeled on the black cats and dogs, many shelters have to work much harder to promote adoption and during the month of October, some animal shelters won’t place black cats in homes for fear of them being used sacrificially. These untrue superstitions pose a danger to these animals.

In conclusion, there are certain superstitions that may actually have positive effects, allowing some people to have a sense of control and reduce anxiety. However, in other aspects, superstition may be an unnecessary negative belief, possibly interrupting everyday life and endangering others. Think about how superstition affects your community and life around you. Does it help or endanger? And if it endangers, what could you do to contribute to a change of the ideas in a more positive direction? A contribution does not have to be grand and can easily start with something simple, like spreading the knowledge of a negative superstition to friends and family.