Set 1: Essay On Superstitions
Superstitions are the illogical believes that remain inexplicable, mysterious and strange because of lack of sufficient knowledge and outlook. However, today, superstitions are on the decline because of the spread of education, reasoning and scientific advancement. Yet, they may not be wiped out from society for a long time. Even educated people have their own superstitions. Emotional doubt, religious orthodoxy, blind belief in absurd rituals, customs and practices make people an easy prey of the superstitions.
Superstitions are not limited to a specific part of the globe, people, race or community. They are universal and found all over the world in various forms. They are more common among uneducated and scientifically less advanced people and societies. Superstitions are being passed on from generations, especially through religious practices.
Belief in supernatural powers, evil spirits, ghosts and spiritual healing, etc. have their deep roots in superstitions. For example, sighting of shooting stars and comets, the fear of number 13,cries of certain birds like owls and wailing of dogs, mewing of cats, howling of jackals and braying of the ass at certain hours are still regarded as warning in many communities all over the world. When some occurrences cannot be explained and understood, people start fearing them and give them divine, spiritual and secretive roots.
In spite of advancement of science and technology, the grip of superstitions on human mind is strong. Although India has seen many fast changes, but there are some people who are superstitious and have a strong faith in the local beliefs.
Most of the Indian beliefs exist under the impression of protecting themself from evil forces. These beliefs have no scientific reasoning and are unproven and false. There are many Indian beliefs that are absurd. Some people assume that Friday is not a favourable day for haircut while some think that Saturday is good for purchasing new things. Moreover, sneezing when someone is about to start work, is considered inauspicious.
Likewise, the crossing of the path by a cat, especially a black one, is regarded as bad luck. Sacrifice of birds and animals to please the Gods and Goddesses is a common practice among many communities all over the world. However, besides these, there are lucky superstitions too, which are regarded as good luck and fortune.
People have actually failed to draw a line between religious faith and blind faith. We regard certain hours and days as inauspicious and thus, consult astrologers to know the lucky days and hours to start our work and journey. Similarly, the time and date of marriage are fixed according to the advice of astrologers and the positions of the planets and stars.
The need of the hour is to cultivate more and more rationality and scientific approach in things, including those that are mysterious. We must be alert and watchful so that none of the superstitions can dominate our abilities of reasoning.
Set 2: Essay On Superstitions
Superstitions are rooted in ignorance and so is very very bad. Boasting is a bad habit and many people do boast. Most people boast about their riches or skill or possession which is harmless to the listeners. But there are many who boast about their ignorance and their closeness to primitiveness by being superstitious. The very sad part is that even the very educated type of people easily tend to believe in superstitions.
Many superstitions are very amusing. The fear of the number 13 is very common and very clearly seen in the topmost position holders in the country. Most of them wouldn’t dare start a new venture on the 13th of any month. If a cat and worse still a black cat crosses the street often times people just stop short and wait for someone else to cross the cat’s path before continuing on their way. Because it is supposed to bring bad omen.
Similarly the howling of a dog, braying of a donkey, the hooting of an owl and the howling of a jackal are all considered ominous. It is commonly believed that a worn-out horse-shoe brings good luck if fixed on to the door of a house. It is very sad indeed, that people don’t even mind appearing so ridiculous after conforming to such and many other superstitions.
At the time when small pox was a common disease, it was considered as the result of divine wrath or the visit to the house by a certain goddess whom they have to welcome. Advancement in medical sciences have resulted in the eradication of small-pox with no effect on the superstitions.
Set 3: Essay On Superstitions
People have a tendency of believing certain things that are not real, logical or reasonable. Many people believe that if a cat, especially a black one crosses their path then their work will not be done. However, there is no scientific proof to show that this is true. As soon as people see a black cat crossing their path, they turn around, go back and start walking all over again. Such people are the victims of superstitions and blind belief.
Almost all of us have some or the other silly belief in the corner of our minds. We can catch our silly beliefs by reasoning them. We must utilize the power of our own mind to think, understand and examine the situation. After this, we must find the courage to throw out the mindless belief from our mind. We must understand that the silly belief is nothing but a superstition. Therefore, superstition is a belief that is not based on reason or knowledge. Unawareness, fright and illiteracy leads to superstition.
As far as India is concerned, although the country has seen many fast changes, but there are people who are superstitious and have a strong faith in the local beliefs. Most of the Indian beliefs exist under the impression of protecting themself from evil forces. These beliefs have on scientific reasoning and are unproven and false. There are many such Indian beliefs that are illogical and absurd. The daily life of many people is led by beliefs and superstitions. For example, some people assume that Friday is not a favourable day for haircut while some think that Saturday is good for purchasing new things.
Different religious practices are also responsible for the spread of superstitions. The curved horseshoe outside the main door of the house is always said to bring good luck. In addition to this, some other illogical human actions that are assumed to bring good luck to a person include, crossing the fingers to fulfil ones wish and knocking on something made from wood. Certain superstitious things that are believed to bring bad fortune for a person are breaking a mirror, stepping on a cracked object and walking under a ladder. However, it has not been proved whether these superstitions actually bring bad luck to a person or not.
As early man had no scientific knowledge, he offered human sacrifices to please his deity. He worshiped various forces of nature like moon, wind, sun, fire and rain. He strongly believed that they controlled the universe, as they were sometimes kind and sometimes very harsh. Centuries later, witchcraft became a famous superstition in many European countries. People imagined that there were old wicked women who had sold their souls to the evil spirits.
Today in scientific age, slowly the evil of being superstitious is being thrown out of men’s mind. He is becoming more and more rational. However, our knowledge will not grow until all the superstitions are totally thrown out of our mind and from society.
Set 4: Essay On Superstitions
Man has kept on believing in some power unseen but present and working. It is this belief of his which has given rise to superstitions. They are unreasonable and irrational, though but they had been existing and they still exist inspite of all science and scientific development. They exist and are believed in not only in the East but also in the West.
Man began to believe in superstitions when he had a feeling that he was at the mercy of natural elements. Some superstitions also were created due to social values.
Forces of nature had ever been worshipped. Even the Greeks, the Pagans – worshipped elements of nature in the forms of gods and goddesses. There were gods and goddesses among Pagans for every phenomena or force of nature. So has it been with the ancient Indian tradition. The sun, moon, stars, planets, even plants were and continue to be worshipped with the belief that they have the power to influence our lives.
‘It is the effect of some evil star’ that is what people say when some disease or disaster overtakes them. This is what even the people of the West have been believing. Shakespeare has made full use of these superstitions in his plays. Ghosts and witches have been made significant characters by Shakespeare in his plays. Calpurnia, the wife of Julius Ceasar, in Shakespeare’s play ‘Julius Ceasar’ sees a dreadful dream which foretells her of some grave tragedy befalling her husband. The horses are said to grow wild and eat one another, before King Duncan is killed by Macbeth in the play Macbeth. Storms blow before tragedy overtakes King Lead in the play by Shakespeare. All these happenings show how people believed in such superstitions.
Even till today the number ’13’ is treated as an inauspicious number in England; the salt spilling over the dinner table is treated as an ill-omen.
In India, a cat crossing the way while some one departs on a journey or some one sneezing at the time of departure for a journey are treated as ill-omens. The hooting of an owl or the wailing sound of a dog or the long mewing of a cat in the backyard of the house are treated as bad omens; while a pot full of milk or water being carried in front on the onset of a journey is an auspicious thing. Curd offered before the start of a journey or a fish presented before on the doorstep when one leaves on a journey are treated as auspicious signs in India.
Students going to appear at the examinations are still another group in India who are much too susceptible to superstitions. A visit to the temple prior to proceeding for the examination – it is time to turn to religion and beliefs. Candidates turn to a ‘taveez-wala’ a lucky stone. A boy going for the examination forgets his pen at home, he would not go back home but preferring borrowing it from his friend candidates going back. home once set out for examination is a bad omen. Even if caught in a traffic jam the candidate would not take the shorter route as the longer route has been auspicious. The stationery to be carried for the examination should be put in the ‘puja’ room the night before the examination in the morning. The girl had been doing so ever in the past and had secured ‘A’ grade marks so how could she give that up.
Such are superstitions they might be considered weird or wild but they are there and no science, no advancement of knowledge perhaps can take these away. It is, perhaps, a sense of insecurity or just a sense of faith due to past positive or negative experience which sets the mind to keep on believing in superstitions. They may appear irrational but, somehow, they are there East, West, North, South that has nothing to do with they have been there and they may continue to be even the most educated would also go with them and keep them at the back of their minds. there it Political leaders are found waiting for the auspicious day or the auspicious hour to file their nominations for elections or take the oath of office.
All this is even at the highest places when science has so far advanced. There are superstitions which have been created out of some Social Considerations. Sleeping at dusk is treated as a sign that one may fall ill. It is actually that one should not be languid or lazy in the evening. Do not cut the ‘Peepal’ or the ‘Baniyan’ tree – that only is a superstition to save trees from destruction. Dogs are very sensitive to natural calamities and become very restless before a natural calamity actually occurs.
These are some of the superstitions which generally people keep believing in the West as well as in the East. Human mind and human soul keeps on believing that there is some hidden power somewhere which governs their lives and this is the basis of some of these superstitions. The belief in them has gone on, also because some of the superstitions believed in have proved to bring about the anticipated results or effects. May be it is just coincidental but that makes belief in them all the more firm.
There is no logic behind belief in these superstitions but they have grown age-old and even all the scientific advancement of thought does not make them disappear.
But the less we subject ourselves to them the better, otherwise every moment of life would be on tenterhooks.
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