Fearing The Unknown - Zainab Sudani 9B

 

Name: Zainab Sudani


Grade: 9B

   To what extent do people nowadays believe in superstitions? Superstitions are similar to myths as they are mostly made up based on either events that made a significant change in history, or experiences individuals have been through. I firmly disbelieve in superstitions as they do not align with my culture and the belief system that I was raised to follow.

 

To begin with, every culture is different from the other. They each have their own traditions and beliefs, such as the Ancient Romans. “They used to believe that mirrors represent our souls, and if these mirrors shattered, our souls did too.” (Wolchover, Natalie.) “Another superstition found in the Turkish culture, the colour blue is a shield to protect from the evil and reduces the negative energy.” (Williams, Victoria.)  My own culture has several superstitions, such as the evil eye to protect people from any type of harm or envy. Although it is my own culture, I still don’t believe in them as all superstitions sound outrageous to me. 

 

Additionally, belief systems are all different. An individual's belief system can be changed over time due to experiences. Superstitions are beliefs that reflect peoples’ fears of the unknown and believe that some events can bring either good or bad luck. (Encyclopaedia Britannica). This can indicate that individuals can believe superstitions or not based on what they were taught to believe and follow. Although, this can be easily changed by one’s experience. These experiences that happen several times can gaslight anyone into thinking that a certain superstition is real, such as “The Monkey’s Paw”. This short story clarifies the Indian culture by explaining that the monkey’s paw grants three wishes to three people. As one of the characters in the story is curious to find out if this superstition is real or not, then his family was warned that they will face consequences, and without considering these consequences they used their wishes. This proves that superstitions are simply based on luck and nothing further or less even coming from a different culture.

 

All in all, superstitions are based on what a person follows, believes in, and their personal identity or culture. I strongly disagree that superstitions are real. Walking under a ladder and getting bad luck, or a ladder leaning against a wall represents the trinity of the gods are all simply coincidences. “Fear is the main source of superstitions and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”, a wise quote that I agree with (Russell, Bertrand).        

 

Comments

  1. Farah Al AssafMarch 2, 2024 at 10:00 AM

    I liked how you explained the reason people believe in superstitions. I also liked how you gave "The Monkey's Paw" as an example to support your explanation. I found it interesting how you mentioned your own culture's superstition, yet you disbilieve in it; which indicates your awareness and understanding of superstitions falsehood. I, too, strongly agree with the last quote in your conclusion.

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