Now isn't that a really favorable superstition?
By cannibal
@cannibal (650)
India
July 11, 2009 2:17am CST
I really love some of the superstitions. They have an underlying benefit associated with them. There are many such examlples, and the following is the latest to join the bandwagon for my knowledge:
There's a pal of mine, whose relative (distant cousin) had come to visit our town. The new boy was a total country-boy and with typical qualities. We didn't mock him (why should we? on what basis?) but we enjoyed pulling his leg and so did he by subtle ridicules.
In one of the conversations, this boy mentioned about cows, milk and milking (Hmmm... I can hear those eeks!) According to him, their village believed in this 'fact'. He According to him the milkmen there always make sure that the calves of the cows/buffaloes first have their fill; and only then the milkmen are allowed to do that job. The reason is that their village believes that if this is not done, the milk converts to poison. Omg, how noble! Now isn't that a great news, vegans?
Further, he also elaborated that if, for someday and reason the calf doesn't consume its mother's milk, the children of the village are asked to play with the calf, including running and chasing; so that it gets tired and hungry and has its fill!
Hmmm. Superstitions are not always bad, are they?
1 response
@Dinu024 (315)
• India
11 Jul 09
Yes, I agree superstitions aren't always bad. If you look into some of the superstitious beliefs they are made by ancestors in order to bring man to a path to lead his life. They have paved a way with superstition because people of those days would not go by advices. If you tell them doing that is wrong they would not listen so, the wise-men of those times injected such thoughts like these(superstitious beliefs) into man, so he would fear (not the wrong thing but the consequences of the belief) wrong doings. Like you mentioned above cannibal, if we milk the cow first and then let the calf have it's drink it's selfishness. In order to avoid this sin of man, superstition was brought up by our ancestors.
There are many other superstitious beliefs like 'don't cut nails after 6pm', this i found to be very dump belief in my young age but only then i read an article stating that nails, skin and other parts of our body grow during the night so cutting them will affect the normal growth.
Stunning to see how our elders found all these in those days without science.
1 person likes this
@cannibal (650)
• India
12 Jul 09
You're absolutely right, Dinu. People could be arrogant and ignorant or incapable of realizing the right way; and superstitions were actually a wise way to encounter them. I agree that the move has, kinda backfired now. But we can always 'modify' them, can't we?
The instance of nails is interesting!
The moral of the story is that most superstitions are not baseless. I remember, in my school days I read a Hindi book 'Manyataein' (Beliefs) In that the author has explained almost all the superstitions based on science (However paradox-ial that might sound!) A superstition like cat crossing the road which can sound so silly was explained someway like this:
Generally when a cat is crossing your path, it is chasing its prey. Obviously you need to stay away from that. So you're advised to step back seven steps!
Most superstitions are based on the human psychology. Even horoscopes are probably based on the same!
Really stunning to see how our elders found and implemented that!
