We're born with a blank slate for a mind. However, as we grow up, the people around us scribble a lot of things on it. Our ethics, ideals, judgments and opinions are largely influenced by the kind of schooling that we're exposed to. Gradually, we learn to assign different adjectives and values to every single thing and person that we come across, based on the kind of upbringing that we've had. And this is where so many superstitious beliefs are conceived and brought out into the open.
According to culturist Indra Mali, most superstitious beliefs are reliant on religion, culture or traditions of the society they originate from. But at the same time, he also doesn't deny that some of them have some logical rationale attached to them and aren't simply the result of pure coincidences.
"Some superstitions are quite pragmatic. For instance, you aren't allowed to trim your nails after sunset. This may seem ridiculous today when we have electricity but this made perfect sense when people had to depend on oil lamps after dark," he explains.
Mana Kumari Khatiwada is an MPhil student at Tribhuvan University. She believes such beliefs are a huge part of every culture and society. They pass on from one generation to another and it's quite difficult to uproot them because they have one of the most powerful emotions attached to them –fear.
"In our community, it's considered inauspicious for a child to be born with a tooth. It's believed that such bad omen causes death in the immediate family. Nobody really knows where this belief came from but whenever a baby is born with a tooth or more, everybody is filled with omens," she says.
In the olden days, when people were less educated and aware, such beliefs had firmer holds on the general psyche. However, with changing times, people have started using reason and rationality to comprehend the superstitions that have ruled our society throughout the ages.
Having said that, regardless of scientific deductions, it isn't that easy to override and thrash the theories that the elders in our family are so religiously devoted to.
Amrita Poddar, a computer engineer in her mid-twenties, has been taught since childhood that a woman isn't supposed to touch fermented pickles in the jar when she is menstruating. She admits that this has never made any sense to her even as a schoolgirl and now that she has completed engineering, such things appear further away from truth than ever before. And yet, she can't just reject them because her elders have huge faith in it.
"I live under the same roof with my mother and grandmother whom I love and respect. Deep down, I know this is a superstition. But then, I don't have the heart to disobey them because they genuinely think that they are doing it for my wellbeing," she says.
However, unlike Amrita, there are many other modern-day educated people who have their fair share of dogmas. They may not exactly be averse to certain colors, directions or days of the week but that doesn't mean that everything that they believe in has a theorem to justify its existence.
A student at Oscar College, Utpal Jha has a strange affinity with odd numbers. He always makes sure that everything from his cellphone number to his movie seats add up to be odd digits. He cannot exactly explain the reason behind this. But he confesses to have felt this way for as long as he remembers.
"I don't wear any gemstones. I have never visited a palmist or bought any good luck charms. But I really don't know why my subconscious is so inclined to these specific numbers. Some things are inexplicable and I guess this is just another of those," he says.
According to Rojina Manandhar, a clinical psychologist, superstitions have such powerful grip on people because it directly appeals to their psyche. She attributes such beliefs to deep-seated ideas in human subconscious. It may be something that they grew up with or it may have been fed to them by somebody whom they really look up to.
"A cat is just like any other animal. But it's so intricately associated with witchcraft and black magic that even most educated people throw a stone, spit on the road or wait for somebody else to pass before them whenever it crosses their path," she says. "If you ask me, superstitions are one of the greatest examples of mass mind control that human civilizations have ever seen."
There's no concrete way to determine if something sinister is really going to happen if you see meat and blood in your dreams. You don't know if the little white spider that fell on your head is actually going to bring you good fortune and wealth. You don't even know if exchanging chilies with your mother is going to brew a quarrel between the two of you. You use your brains and rationality to brush off these thoughts and carry on with your business. But there's always that tiny voice nagging at the back of your mind and whispering the words, "What if?"
And perhaps this is where the greatest power of superstitious beliefs lies. Despite all your logic and reasoning, they make you believe the unbelievable.
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