This is not about the beloved song by Stevie Wonder. Rather this is about the superstitions that we allow to run our lives. This does not quite include fears; I am talking purely about superstitions that cause us to do very specific things hoping for a specific outcome. None of these superstitions have been proven to be 100 percent factual. Though I cannot lie and say I have not tried to avoid stepping on a crack or I have not thrown salt over my shoulder after it has been spilt, but some of these are more for fun or just to partake in a tradition which I understand is part of the sports superstitions but still, should they run our lives so much?
The main superstition I find that rules our lives too much is the number 13. This has now become a feared number in many people's lives because of the superstition behind it. This huge fear has caused building and hotels to ignore the number all together. There probably was not a 13th floor in the last hotel you stayed in (if it had that many floors). Rather developers choose to skip the number and look somewhat stupid for going from the number 12 straight to 14. This is quite common and so that it is so visible to others that it would be easier to skip a number rather than asking people to get over themselves and stay on a floor that really is just a number. However, with all the superstitions surrounding the number and all the movies referencing the number 13, it has become too hard for people to see past that. I believe if I was given a room on the 13th floor or a room numbered 13 I would be fine since when I stay on the 14th floor of a hotel that skips 13 I have been fine. To me there is no difference.
Another common example of a superstition would just be the rituals that many people do for any sports team, whether they play for them or not. The clothes that we have to wear just to hope that our team wins. The food we have to eat in a specific order; the OCD that we consider sane just for the sake of the game. And yet, our teams do not always win, even with whatever you "have" to do.
Personally, I am (sadly) a Redskins fan. I know not my greatest quality. I, of course, would like to see them win. However, often I would feel that I was jinxing the game myself! On the days when I actually watched the game, the team would lose but on the days when I had not watched the game they would win. I became slightly superstitious about this and felt that maybe I should not watch their games because they will lose. Of course this is not true, eventually I realized that some days when I did not watch the game they would still lost and sometimes when I did watch they actually won.
I find that there are superstitious people all around the world. I feel that many of the athletes in the Olympics have traditions (superstitions) that they must do to have a good game or race. Voodoo magic is not purely American made and the fear of the number 13 has many different origin roots of possibly Loki the 13th guest in Nordic lore and Friday the 13th fear began in medieval times with King Phillip arresting many Knights arrested. I feel that sometimes there is more superstition at times than other in the United States especially when it comes to football season yet I do not feel that we are just playing in humanness of superstitions that have been around longer than us.
Perhaps you put into question how silly your superstition. They are sometimes fun but maybe don't let it ruin your life and the things important to you!
