Knock on wood, don’t cut your nails at night: Here’s why I am not giving up my superstitions
I am a man of science and reason. But childhood taboos, sporting rituals and four decades of indoctrination have taught me one thing: Why risk it?
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Superstition is one way that the generations before us tried to impose some order on uncertainty, says the writer.
PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
- The author, a man of science, reveals his deepening superstition shaped by childhood taboos and rituals taught by his mother, reflecting cultural beliefs in fate and caution.
- Superstitions serve as coded messages from elders to protect and guide behaviour, showing respect for nature and the unseen, and are deeply embedded in family and cultural practices.
- Despite rationality, the author maintains rituals to avoid bad luck, especially in sports, highlighting how such beliefs bring comfort and structure to uncertain situations.
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In the last year of his life, the 20th century’s great secular prophet George Orwell wrote in a diary that, at 50, everyone has the face they deserve.
He is mostly right, I think. By the time one gets to the golden jubilee, one’s physical appearance – and indeed personality and temperament – should have hardened into something reflective of the “real” you.
