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Don’t cut your nails at night, wait for some time before stepping outside if you or someone around you has just sneezed, your left palm is itching? Wow, you’re going to come in possession of a lot of money! How many times in our daily lives have we heard things like these? I’m sure it isn’t very uncommon. But all of this is no more than mere superstition. Put simply; superstitions are sheer myths. They are irrational beliefs that people have since decades and centuries. They are based on people’s faith in luck, fate, supernatural powers, magic, fear, etc.

Superstitions do not arise from any concrete evidence or proofs, but instead are a cause of our ignorance and misunderstanding. How many of us are dreadful of Friday, the 13th? Or should I ask how many of us aren’t? The reason why Friday, the 13th is considered to be the unluckiest day is because of two reasons. First, it is believed that if 13 people dine together, then one of them is bound to die within the next year. And second, people believe that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. All this has led to a great build-up of not so great superstition.

Because of the evil associated with the number 13, there are many buildings that do not label the 13th floor and also there aren’t many sports players who like to take up a jersey with the number 13 written on it. Besides other things that can bring us bad luck, breaking a mirror is considered to be the most significant. It was first believed by Egyptians and has now spread throughout the world. It is said that breaking a mirror brings you 7 years of bad luck. Why 7 years? The reason behind it is that it takes the body 7 years- time to renew itself, i.e. all of its cells.

A common superstition that is believed across India is to never go near a Peepal tree at night. It is believed that ghosts hover around it in the dark, and if you sleep under it or rest under its branches during the night-time, you will end up dead. We say we are a progressing country but with these kinds of beliefs? I guess not. Numerous causes lead to superstitions securing a place in the minds of individuals, but the most substantial reason for it is illiteracy. This is why they are more widespread in rural areas. Superstitions are just passed like ancestral property from one generation to the other. They are not questioned; they are simply accepted and believed in.

Some people also start believing in superstitions because of convenience. For example, a student walking to his school sees a black cat cross his path in the morning. He then later finds out that he failed his mathematics exam. The reason for him failing is that he did not study properly or seriously. But instead, he might end up thinking and telling others that his failure is attributable to the fact that a black cat crossed his way earlier in the day. This gives him a chance to put the blame on something else rather than to own up to the fact that he just didn’t study well enough.

One shouldn’t become a slave to superstition. Instead, take your luck in your own hands. These are baseless beliefs that have been inculcated in us from ages. It is time we shatter them and believe more in things that have a scientific standing. There are plenty of ways to overcome superstitions. The first way includes a change in one’s mindset. You should think that you and only you are responsible for carving out your own future.

No broken mirror or black cat can have any influence on it. Education also has a major role to play in this. The more educated a person becomes, the more he or she starts differentiating between what is real and what are lies. You can also spend more time with people who are not superstitious. They may help you in learning about how these irrational beliefs originated and why they hold no truth in them. All of these ways may help you and your near and dear ones to look at yourself and your life from a newer and more empowered perspective.