Eukara Vox
Legendary AdventureGuide!
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Wishes and Superstitions
by Eukara Vox
With all of our medical and technological advances, increased intelligence (unless you have met my older son who swears people in the times of castles were smarter because they didn't have to use massive machines to build stuff like castles...) better resources and such things that define our day and time as "advanced", how is it that wishes and superstitions still play such a large part of our lives?
Growing up, most of us were encouraged to make wishes over birthday cakes, on falling stars during the darker nights, as we tossed a coin in a fountain or well, or when you and a friend pulled apart the turkey wishbone at a special dinner. Merriam-Webster defines wish as:
quote:
to have a desire for (as something unattainable)
Let's look at this definition. Desire is a very strong word. In most contexts, desire is used to show strength in what someone wants. It is a word of power, of might and control. The second part of this definition is in parenthesis. Notice that a wish involves what is unattainable. Not something that could happen tomorrow, something that shouldn't, couldn't and won't happen... ever. It's funny, but I never looked at wishes in this context.
But enough about what I think, what do you think? I posted a thread in the OOC, asking for your opinion. Here are some thoughts from some of you.
Josh: I doubt many people seriously use the word "wish" to believe they have a chance of forcing the universe into line merely by expressing a desire. When someone's in a bad situation, they might say "I wish x", but that's just - in most cases, I'd hope - them expressing dislike of a situation/preference for something else. So just another way of saying "I would prefer". At most, it'd be the hope that there might, just might, be a better alternative to whatever situation someone is in, however inconceivable it is. Something does not come true purely because you wish it to be. Of course, sometimes, it will seem as though it has, but that's simply coincidence. Aside from that, telling a kid they can make a wish at a birthday party - that's just a nice thing to do. Makes it a bit special for a while.
FC: Wishes are an escape of the problems. They are good because they give people hope, I know that every time you wish something a little burden falls of your heart, and bam a smile appears on your face. I think wishes motivate people to their wish themselves. They are our ray's of hope.
alexmacf: Wishes I see as silly. Either it's a goal or it isn't. If you're not going to work toward being on Broadway, why waste valuable time wishing for it? If you do something about your wishes, they become goals. Goals are worthwhile. If you keep wishing but never get around to doing anything, that's a mere wish and unless you'll change it into a goal, I say stop wasting your time. Life is short.
Master Champ: Wishes are hope for something we strongly desire. And when people wish for something, they will hope it happens. However, I believe that to get what you desire you must work towards it. Though, sometimes after you wish for something a event might arise where you can make what you wished for happen. But whether this is the power of wishing or just mere coincidence, we may never know.
I cannot pinpoint when I stopped wishing and believing in those wishes. And, to tell you the truth, I think a little bit of magic died that day. I don't mean magic as in hocus pocus... I mean, magic in the sense of wonder and innocence. In my mind, wishes are akin to dreams. They are things that we look forward to, set goals toward and long to have.
I used to wish for a horse. I mean, every time I had a wish to make, I wished for a horse. Now, deep down inside, I knew I would ever get one as my family was poor and we did not have the means to take care of a beast that size. But, that didn't stop my little heart from wondering "what if". I grew up in love with the scientific world as a result of that desire to own and take care of a horse. I concentrated on the animals I could have, learning everything I could. I still don't have that horse, though the wish is still there. What I do have is a degree in biology and a love for ecology.
Along the lines of strange and wonderful oddities is the concept of superstition. I see superstitions everywhere. Most obvious... sports! I find it interesting that people paid millions of dollars to hit a baseball, shoot a free throw or kick a field goal must first perform a series of moves and adjustments in perfect order before they can do what they are meant to. Even though these are drastic examples, you get the point. Merriam-Webster defines superstition as:
quote:
a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation b : an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition
So, if we were to look at this definition, the art of superstition stems from very negative things - fear, ignorance, false conceptions... irrationality. So many things that are ingrained into our heads as common practice stem from such things. I find this fascinating. In the aforementioned thread, discussion regarding superstitions was equally interesting.
Josh: As for superstitions, the *only* use - and it's a very, very tenuous one - that I can think of is in regards to a team. If they all perform the same ritual, believing it'll give them more skill for whatever sport, at least they'll have higher morale...aside from that, reasonably sure they're a load of bunkum.
alexmacf: I am actually a fairly superstitious person. I always say "break a leg" instead of good luck, I'd never say "MacBeth" in a theatre, when I spill salt I toss some over my left shoulder. I realize it's silly, but I have a feeling that if I don't do these things, something bad might happen.
Muramasan13: Superstitions are an easy way to inject a bit more "order" into our lives, give us more of an illusion of control. They're essentially a cross between a behavioral meme/taught habit and a security blanket- that's why they persist, why they spread, and why we'll have them long into the foreseeable future: myths have a certain allure, as do habits like not crossing under ladders. Together they're almost irresistible.
Dracoa: As for superstition, it's a load of junk that I don't believe in. I would sit/walk under a ladder on stage, while saying MacBeth and spilling salt, without doing any of the supposed counters. Actually, when I was in Stage Tech I would actually make a habit of sitting under or walking/ducking under a ladder on stage.
Wishes and Superstitions will always be a part of us and our cultures, no matter where we are. The part each one of us plays in relation to these objects of attention will vary, but we will react to them no matter what. Before I part, I want to share some interesting superstitions I found while browsing the internet.
1. Seeing an ambulance is very unlucky unless you pinch your nose or hold your breath until you see a black or a brown dog.
2. A swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.
3. If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps over your feet, you'll never get married.
4. Cows lifting their tails is a sure sign that rain is coming.
5. If a young girl catches a ladybug and then releases it, the direction in which it flies away will be the direction from which her future husband will come.
6. It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight.
7. An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.
8. If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will remember the answers.
9. The seventh son of a seventh son has magic powers, according to Irish folklore, but is a vampire in Romanian legend.
10. If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you have recently told a lie.
11. Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.
12. Cover your mouth when you yawn, or your soul can go out of your body along with the yawn.
And here I end on the number 12. Why, you ask? Well, in many cultures, the number 12 signifies a completion of things. Besides... you wouldn't want me ending on 13 would you?
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