Many people use the scientific method to some extent, but many superstitious notions and customs persist. Some of these are old and amusing — and many of them are harmless. Even at best, such superstitions show an uncritical attitude of mind — and some of them are harmful.
My grandfather believed that the tendency to cling to superstitious beliefs is strong among people who have little education. However, many educated people like our neighbor lady went to fortune tellers and played the Ouija board and conformed to these undertakings because they felt safe doing it.
Many superstitions are innocent, but they can influence conduct. For example, the number 13 is often left off hotel room doors because some people believe the number 13 is unlucky, like my friend Tom who agonized about taking tests on Friday the 13th.
I even had a person tell me that a blister on your tongue meant you had told a lie, or if you step on a crack you will break your back, and breaking a mirror, postponing a wedding, wearing clothes inside out, opening an umbrella inside, and crossing paths with a black cat will lead to misfortune.
Some superstitious practices are less innocent, specially those by which fortune tellers and palmists claim to predict future events, read character, or communicate with the dead.
From what I read, these practices have been around since ancient times.
After hearing all about superstitions and knowing superstitious people, I came to believe that people who visited fortune tellers and the like were being relieved of hundreds of dollars — and fortune telling can be harmful to the one whose fortune is told.
We had a family friend who constantly visited fortune tellers because she believed they possessed certain powers that enabled them to foretell the future through divination.
This friend also visited palmists who would “read” the lines in her palm and tell her about her abilities, personal characteristics, and fate.
Fortunately, this lady got wise when she realized that none of the things she was told ever came true. In fact, she finally admitted that it was all only a form of hocus pocus entertainment.
There are people, too, who have been raised in the Pennsylvania Dutch [German] tradition of hanging a horseshoe over the entrance and exit doors of your home to ward off misfortune.
Over the years, I have realized that some otherwise logical people cling to superstitious beliefs because they hope that influences outside their normal experience will positively affect their lives and destiny.
Fortunately, the discoveries of scientists and scholars have helped to check the growth of superstition.
