Superstitions: Why Do We Believe in Them?

　　 It is said that the famous writer Marquez was influenced by Latin American culture and was more superstitious. He always wore a yellow rose on his chest when he went out, thinking that it could ward off evil spirits. Reminiscent of a series of “superstitious” stories described in his famous book “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, this “said” has a high probability of being true. In fact, superstitious celebrities are not uncommon, and many of them are famous scientists, such as Bacon, a materialist philosopher and scientist, and Newton, a famous British physicist.
　　 As an ordinary person, I also have my own superstitions. One day I need to deal with a “major event” – medical treatment, job hunting, etc. When I go out, I can’t help but observe, hoping that someone will come to meet me, which indicates that everything will go well for me.
　　 This saying comes from my hometown. When my parents went out to do errands when I was young, my mother-in-law would say “Meet the noble person face to face”, which means to go out to do errands. If I immediately meet a “face to face person” (the person walking towards us), it indicates that we have to do something. On the contrary, if we meet “backside people” (people walking away from us), it indicates that the things we want to do may not go well; if we have to go back after going out, then It means that what we have to do is basically hopeless.
　　 Although this is a typical superstition, it is not lacking in scientific elements. “Going out and having to return” means that you have not done enough preparations or the timing is wrong. Either you forgot to bring some important documents or you are not feeling well. You have to go back home, naturally, what you want to do is basically hopeless. The reason why superstition can always have a market is also due to the reasons mentioned above. Besides, whether you believe in heads or tails of the coin, you are always right about half the time, regardless of which side you believe. We need to always believe in something to deal with this ever-changing world.
　　 There are certain superstitions which I disbelieve when I see the trick behind them. When I was young, my mother-in-law who loved me always scared me and my two younger brothers: Don’t go to the water to play, there are water ghosts in the water, especially near the pond or river where a child has just drowned, there are “new” who died and wanted to be reborn Ghost, when they saw the cute child, they wanted to drag him into the water…
　　 There are also some superstitions related to feudal thought, such as menstrual shame and men superior to women. When I was a girl, every time I had my period, my mother-in-law always told me: “Don’t throw that around, hide it, don’t let your younger brother see it, if they see it, their eyes will be red and swollen and weep.” To my two younger brothers, I will repeatedly explain: “Don’t crawl around under the women’s pants that are hanging out, it’s not good, and you won’t grow taller if you die.” I was always puzzled when I heard these
　　 words , and I always feel uncomfortable. Isn’t my mother-in-law who loves me a woman? Why does she think that women’s menstruation is such a dirty thing? Why are women’s pants so unlucky?
　　 Slowly I grew up, and my mother-in-law who loved me also passed away. I finally understood the limitations of her thinking, which was born before the Revolution of 1911. I knew that although she herself was a victim of the idea that men are superior to women, she had become a woman without knowing it. supporters. Although the various “superstitions” she instructs us are ridiculous, they are all out of sincere love for us.