I have just one: For some reason, whenever I think of something bad and want to negate the my-thinking-of-it-so-it's-gonna-happen chain of events, I knock on wood. This is regardless of whether I say it in the traditional facetious way (i.e., "watch, now i'm totally gonna get pregnant).
But I think technically this may not be a superstition. I'm not worried about eerie forces making things happen just because I thought of them. What I'm worried about is the strictly-scientific possibility that I personally may have subconscious probability-manipulating powers that would turn my thoughts to reality. Knocking on wood is my way of sealing an agreement with my subconscious that this is not to be done.
Since I'm already leaving a long answer, I'll go on to say that I've made a concerted effort over recent years to fight superstitions I held previously. For example, somewhere I heard that a hat on a bed was bad luck, so for the longest time I wouldn't put my hat on my bed; eventually I realized how nonsense it was so these days I purposefully throw my hat on my bed whenever I think of it. I fact, I bet it brings me good luck to do that...
Simply that "what goes around comes around". I've seen what happens when I've said not so nice things about someone, or purposely not picked up that piece of litter on the ground next to the trash can. Karma always finds me! Either that, or I just have bad luck in general...
I am SO superstitious that I am superstitious about talking about my superstitions.
I'm also afraid to learn of other people's superstitions, as I can't turn many superstitions away, and will most likely adopt them for myself. For that reason, I will not be revisiting this particular thread, though it was an excellent question, Jake!
As my friends will attest, I notoriously go to great lengths to avoid walking under scaffolding. Scaffolding is like a giant ladder. But I would argue this is less a superstition and more pragmatic action. Having worked in a few industrial settings, I know dick weeds are always leaving their tools about and something like a giant pipe wrench could come hurtling at my brain container at any moment if I were talk under scaffolding.
Sadly, I am very superstisious; mostly involving sports. If my team is winning I feel that the only way for them to contunue to do so, is for me to act like I know they are going to lose. I guess i'ts similar to jake's perception, in that I guess I believe that somehow I actually have the power to decide the fate of these games, maybe because I feel so powerless in my actual life. Sometimes I believe that if I watch the game then my team will lose, which sux cuz I wanna watch. Also I try to always bet against my team, that way if my team loses, I still win something, and vice versa; if my team wins, it was worth the money.
- Don't want people to wish me good luck... for some reason have it in memory of causing the opposite, but dont know the specific incident(s). - Don't like to talk about things I really want to happen, cause i am afraid I may jinx it... - Don't like to make fun of mental or physical retardation or disabilities, for fear that some higher power (Nature, God, whatever you wanna call it...) punishing me and/or my loved ones with the same fate... If I do make fun about it, I immediately apologize to God for it.
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8 comments:
I have just one: For some reason, whenever I think of something bad and want to negate the my-thinking-of-it-so-it's-gonna-happen chain of events, I knock on wood. This is regardless of whether I say it in the traditional facetious way (i.e., "watch, now i'm totally gonna get pregnant).
But I think technically this may not be a superstition. I'm not worried about eerie forces making things happen just because I thought of them. What I'm worried about is the strictly-scientific possibility that I personally may have subconscious probability-manipulating powers that would turn my thoughts to reality. Knocking on wood is my way of sealing an agreement with my subconscious that this is not to be done.
Since I'm already leaving a long answer, I'll go on to say that I've made a concerted effort over recent years to fight superstitions I held previously. For example, somewhere I heard that a hat on a bed was bad luck, so for the longest time I wouldn't put my hat on my bed; eventually I realized how nonsense it was so these days I purposefully throw my hat on my bed whenever I think of it. I fact, I bet it brings me good luck to do that...
Simply that "what goes around comes around". I've seen what happens when I've said not so nice things about someone, or purposely not picked up that piece of litter on the ground next to the trash can. Karma always finds me! Either that, or I just have bad luck in general...
I am SO superstitious that I am superstitious about talking about my superstitions.
I'm also afraid to learn of other people's superstitions, as I can't turn many superstitions away, and will most likely adopt them for myself. For that reason, I will not be revisiting this particular thread, though it was an excellent question, Jake!
As my friends will attest, I notoriously go to great lengths to avoid walking under scaffolding. Scaffolding is like a giant ladder. But I would argue this is less a superstition and more pragmatic action. Having worked in a few industrial settings, I know dick weeds are always leaving their tools about and something like a giant pipe wrench could come hurtling at my brain container at any moment if I were talk under scaffolding.
I am superstitious that if I don't come and sit in a certain cubical in Sunnyvale 10 hours a day my bank account will not be filled.
Some years I also pay "taxes" because I am superstitious of a "tax" bogey man who will come and get me if I don't do it.
Like Jake I have recently been trying to get rid of my superstitions.
Sadly, I am very superstisious; mostly involving sports. If my team is winning I feel that the only way for them to contunue to do so, is for me to act like I know they are going to lose. I guess i'ts similar to jake's perception, in that I guess I believe that somehow I actually have the power to decide the fate of these games, maybe because I feel so powerless in my actual life. Sometimes I believe that if I watch the game then my team will lose, which sux cuz I wanna watch. Also I try to always bet against my team, that way if my team loses, I still win something, and vice versa; if my team wins, it was worth the money.
pomo indians don't go to Blue Lakes.
- Don't want people to wish me good luck... for some reason have it in memory of causing the opposite, but dont know the specific incident(s).
- Don't like to talk about things I really want to happen, cause i am afraid I may jinx it...
- Don't like to make fun of mental or physical retardation or disabilities, for fear that some higher power (Nature, God, whatever you wanna call it...) punishing me and/or my loved ones with the same fate... If I do make fun about it, I immediately apologize to God for it.
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