Very superstitious...

valoren · 13-07-2017 12:02PM

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

Agreed. We're pattern seeking animals. It is as you say hard wired.

Think of a caveman sleeping in a cave. He hears a quick rustle outside. It's an anomaly. But he just presumes it's the wind as it was very windy that day. In fact, it was a grizzly bear who subsequently kills him. He can no longer reproduce.

Another caveman experiences the same thing. Instead he, investigates the anomaly and seeing it's a bear manages to fight it off/escape. He survives, he reproduces.

That same survival instinct to take anything out of the ordinary with the utmost seriousness is not only behind the advent of natural philosopy/science. Think of the periodic table, the crowning achievement of this instinct.

It is also responsible for most superstitions and how they manage to get propogated.

Jaggo · 13-07-2017 12:13PM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Most likely it wasn't even anything to do with the shirt, it's usually the shoes!:D

Are you saying most of us have lucky shoes... and we aren't aware of it? Cool.

I am going to put my feet up, get my lucky shoes on my desk and see if I can score my colleague.

sbsquarepants · 13-07-2017 04:25PM

Jaggo wrote: »

Are you saying most of us have lucky shoes... and we aren't aware of it? Cool.

I am going to put my feet up, get my lucky shoes on my desk and see if I can score my colleague.

I assume you're shacked up in some hotel room with this colleague of yours by now.

You're welcome;)

freshpopcorn · 13-07-2017 06:14PM

One way I'm a little superstitious is I like having the television volume on an even number!

the beer revolu · 13-07-2017 06:23PM

Superstition brings bad luck.

pickarooney · 13-07-2017 06:45PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

a fear of something landing on my head is the reason i don't walk under ladders

I wonder what the chances are. Assuming it's someone up the ladder dropping something the chances are it will hit at least one step and could bounce anywhere.

Mena Mitty · 13-07-2017 06:53PM

gramar wrote: »

I know...the amount of times I've nearly ended up in a ditch looking around for a second magpie.

You do know if you salute the first magpie it eases the sorrow of not seeing the second....well known Offaly pissogue.......I kid you not.

snowflaker · 13-07-2017 06:54PM

I gave up superstition the day I gave up religion. One just seemed as ridiculous as the other. I do think some old wives tales are there to keep people from harm- ladders for example- why would you walk under one???

snowflaker · 13-07-2017 06:55PM

You could knock the person off the later either! (Going under it)

osarusan · 13-07-2017 07:03PM

Last Friday I drove to Galway to watch a match with my sister and her new baby.

About 5 minutes before kickoff, the baby got sick on her shirt. We had to wait to see the result of the game to discover if this was in fact a good or bad omen....it was a bad omen.

FreeFallin · 13-07-2017 07:31PM

I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.

donegaLroad · 13-07-2017 08:03PM

I don't believe that there is an invisible man in the sky who watches everything we do, and who sends his helpers around with collection baskets every Sunday..

millions of other people do though.

Sam Kade · 13-07-2017 08:27PM

donegaLroad wrote: »

I don't believe that there is an invisible man in the sky who watches everything we do, and who sends his helpers around with collection baskets every Sunday..

millions of other people do though.

WTF has that to do with being superstitous?

Capt'n Midnight · 13-07-2017 10:25PM

It's unlucky to be superstitious .

Ninjavampire · 13-07-2017 11:01PM

Sam Kade wrote: »

WTF has that to do with being superstitous?

superstition
ˌsuːpəˈstɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural.

donegaLroad · 13-07-2017 11:28PM

Sam Kade wrote: »

WTF has that to do with being superstitous?

religion = superstition

Super-Rush · 13-07-2017 11:33PM

gramar wrote: »

Magpies know shand communicate this to us through the number of them that you see.

Nothing worse than walking out the front door first thing in the morning and seeing one of the bastards sitting on the wall.

cbmonstra wrote: »

I'm a superstitious girl,
I'm the worst in the world
Never walk under ladders,
I keep a rabbit's tail

Rabbits foot, no?

Paddy Cow · 14-07-2017 12:04AM

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

I heard that if a bird craps on you it's a sign of good luck. One day on my way into work a bird crapped on me and instead of getting p!ssed off I went and did the lotto. I didn't win the lotto and ever since then I've never been so dumb as to allow myself to believe in superstition.

Since then I've become the owner to two parrots and 12 cockatiels so it's safe to safe I've been around a lot of bird sh!t and I still haven't won the lotto, so this is one superstition I can debunk.

14-07-2017 07:44AM

Lorelli! wrote: »

I'm not superstitious and don't believe in any of that stuff but I'm still not going to walk under a ladder.

In fairness you do not need to be superstitious to find walking under a ladder a patently stupid thing to be doing. Ladders are unstable. The people on them are unstable. The things they have up there with them like pots of paint and tools are often precariously balanced.

You will find superstitions are quite often built on basic common sense.

Some other superstitions are self fulfilling however. People start acting strangely and out of character on days like Friday 13th for example - which often leads to more accidents or mistakes.

And as the great sage of philosophy Whoopi Goldberg once said in star trek - if a person truly believes they will die tomorrow they will often find a way to make it happen.

gramar · 14-07-2017 07:47AM

Super-Rush wrote: »

Nothing worse than walking out the front door first thing in the morning and seeing one of the bastards sitting on the wall.

Rabbits foot, no?

The lyrics are 'rabbit's tail'...I think there's a joke in there somewhere.

snowflaker · 15-07-2017 02:54PM

It's raining on St Swithen's Day

Widdershins · 15-07-2017 02:56PM

You really don't have to believe in superstitions to follow them. It can be an enjoyable habit/routine that you just don't analyse or worry about its scientific correctness. Like astrology, it can be a bit of a game. If someone believes in them and it causes them anxiety, then it's not much fun anymore.

I only choose to follow the good luck ones

Capt'n Midnight · 15-07-2017 03:34PM

Paddy Cow wrote: »

I heard that if a bird craps on you it's a sign of good luck.

Little birdy way up high
drops a message from the sky
grateful farmer wipes his eye
"damn good thing cows don't fly"

indioblack · 15-07-2017 05:50PM

As Billy Connolly said, In some parts of Scotland it's still considered unlucky if a Rowan tree falls on your car.
Isn't the ladder business something to do with executions centuries ago - the condemned being hung from trees or from ladders propped up against walls?
So definitely unlucky.

DrPhilG · 15-07-2017 06:46PM

I work with a girl (quite intelligent and well educated) who let slip one day that she has to say "white rabbit" first thing in the morning to have good luck for the day.

If she yawns, sighs or says anything else before "white rabbit" then it won't work!!!

She was deadly serious and was a bit annoyed that we all either found it funny or worrying.

There were a few other factors that could potentially influence the effectiveness of chanting white rabbit but I can't remember them.

snowflaker · 15-07-2017 10:05PM

DrPhilG wrote: »

I work with a girl (quite intelligent and well educated) who let slip one day that she has to say "white rabbit" first thing in the morning to have good luck for the day.

If she yawns, sighs or says anything else before "white rabbit" then it won't work!!!

She was deadly serious and was a bit annoyed that we all either found it funny or worrying.

There were a few other factors that could potentially influence the effectiveness of chanting white rabbit but I can't remember them.

makes as much sense as praying tbf

_Whimsical_ · 16-07-2017 01:01AM

snowflaker wrote: »

makes as much sense as praying tbf

Well in fairness most people who pray either do so for their own spiritual fulfillment or to offer a hope or wish for a certain outcome, they don't do it because they believe that if they don't their day is wrecked. That's more in the line of OCD.

Pherekydes · 16-07-2017 10:36AM

snowflaker wrote: »

It's raining on St Swithen's Day

We're going to need a bigger boat.

snowflaker · 16-07-2017 11:17AM

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Well in fairness most people who pray either do so for their own spiritual fulfillment or to offer a hope or wish for a certain outcome, they don't do it because they believe that if they don't their day is wrecked. That's more in the line of OCD.

Wishing for a certain outcome...

_Whimsical_ · 16-07-2017 12:59PM

snowflaker wrote: »

Wishing for a certain outcome...

Wishing for an outcome and actually believing that you weild control over a million small variables that make your day and determine if it's good or bad just by saying "white rabbit" are not the same.

Very superstitious...

Comments