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SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS - A FACET TO A PERSON’S PERSONALITY
Marian Baltazar
Class of 1980, University of the Philippines College oif Manila
AB Political Science
In this modern age that we live in, superstitious beliefs are still prevalent and rampant which shows that it
reveals a facet to a person’s personality. We know pretty well that superstitions are not backed up by Science
and are even far from rationality. It seems that everything has a superstitious belief associated with it. People
are so much attached to it that sometimes they can’t even seem to survive without them. It barely seems
impossible too for people to ignore them.
It looks like superstitions have been part of the people’s lives for it has been rooted in our society for over a
period of time. It has made a place from people of all walks of life and that includes politics and sports too. As a
matter of fact we can find a lot superstitious beliefs and practices all over the world. They are actually illogical
assumptions of people who are found to be so gullible. Even the elite can be called practitioners of superstition.
There are psychologists who believe that superstitious beliefs actually reveal a facet of a person’s personality. It
can even be related to the lifestyle of a person. Superstitious beliefs can also be accounted to false
interpretations of the natural events. On the other hand, it can be a crucial part of one’s culture too. It has
been handed down to us from generation to generation by our ancestors, making us hold on to these beliefs
and practices. It is even termed as a folklore belief.
In fact, we can quote as many superstitious beliefs that we may know and a lot of them have been very popular.
There are times that we are unconsciously doing or acting out these practices in our daily living to the point
that it directs our way of thinking or our way of life. For this reason, there are some superstitious beliefs that
become social norms too. We tend to put a lot of meaning to what happens in our life and a lot of underlying
circumstances. At times we get these beliefs from sources such as the leaders, elders, government, myths,
imaginative stories and from some of the scholars.
It has been a fact that superstition can neither have a scientific nor biblical basis for that matter. Even then, it
has proven to influence the lives of many people and what is more puzzling is that it also affects the
responsible professional people. It can also come to the point of people developing a personal superstition,
when in fact it is actually a behavior that has no rational basis or history. In reality, these superstitious belief
stems out of our curiosity regarding things that are hidden or those things which are still in the future. Believe
it or not, people tend to be “so superstitious” because of stress.
Yes, we always worry too much about life, not considering the fact that we don’t like ambiguity in our life. We
can never run out of reasons why superstitious beliefs exist, simply because it only shows another side or facet
of a person’s personality.
Questions for discussion:
1.
What is the real reason behind having superstitious beliefs? Elaborate on your answer.
2.
Do we have a lot of superstitious beliefs that makes us worry too much? Why or why not?
3.
Are we that gullible in life to be so superstitious in a lot of things? Explain your answer.
4.
What are the circumstances in your life wherein you were so controlled of these beliefs and practices?
Justify your answer.
5.
Do you always associate yourselves with superstitious beliefs? Why or why not?