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The Voodoo that You Do

Rabbit feet, lucky socks, red candles, and spells are just the beginning when it comes to magic. Superstitions are notions strongly followed because, due to some coincidence of sort, they are believed to be true. Despite advance in technology, superstitions and myths continue to play a major role in our society today.
Superstitions range from good luck gotten from hitting one’s right leg against a stone, to the seven years of bad luck gotten from breaking a mirror. Tales go as far back as ancient Egypt, where either good luck or ill luck befell people because they either followed a superstition or did not. For example, cats were seen as holy in ancient Egypt, any person that mistreated a cat, was believed to be doomed to Hades for eternity. On the other hand, if a person treated a stray cat with enough respect, whatever venture the person went into always flourished. Although scientists have proven these tales of good fortune and ill luck to be nothing but coincidences or myths, superstitions are still being followed religiously and these hold numerous effects.
Belief in magic can be harmful to a society. It can bring about an astonishing fear of the person being believed to deal in this magic. Using the Salem witch-hunt as an example: the people used different ignorant tests to determine if a person was a witch and if the person failed these tests, the person was sentenced to death by burning at the stake. They did not understand medicine, and saw it as the devil’s tool and as such, resorted to killing off anyone that showed signs they considered supernatural.
Furthermore, superstitions can be harmful to a person. They can cause a person to be restricted. For example, if a person believes the superstition that says seeing a black cat cross a road means bad luck for the rest of that day. This could cause the person to remain indoors to try to avoid the full brunt of the bad luck. This person is throwing away a day full of possibilities just because of a superstition. In addition, a superstition states that if you break a mirror, it brings along seven years of bad luck. If a person breaks a mirror and due to an unforeseen coincidence, gets bad news later on, this person might actually believe that he or her seven years of bad luck has begun. A weak-minded person might resort to suicide so as not to experience the alleged seven years of bad luck.
On the other hand, belief in magic can be useful to a person as they can bring in profit. Fortunetellers, palm readers, and seers earn a living by feeding off peoples thirst for magic. Just how true these readings are, is unknown but there are recorded cases of people who claim to have had everything predicted, come true. Producers have realized that movies, series, and books based on magic tend to get more audience. One of the highest grossing book series, Harry potter, was based on magic and although initially intended for kids aged between seven and fourteen, it ended up appealing to readers of all ages because it satisfied the average human’s thirst for magic and the unexplainable.
In addition, superstitions can be useful to a person as it can help boost optimism. It has been scientifically proven that just going about a day with a positive mental attitude can make all the difference. It can boost the flow of blood in the body and makes one healthier. A superstition states that finding a lost penny is a sign of good fortune to come. If a person that believes in this superstition finds a lost penny, this person expects a flood of good luck to come their way and as such, looks for the unseen benefit in every cloud from then on; this will boost the person mentally and in the end, physically.
Conclusively, superstitions and belief in magic have always been around and will always be around. They have acted as determining factors in elections, mergers, and even contracts. Although we may critically analyze them with science and find wanting in terms of explanations, we will continue to throw the salt over our shoulders and avoid walking under that ladder. Superstitions and myths have both negative and positive effects and neither outweighs the other. In the end, it is all about the fact that these are beliefs we are not yet willing to part with.

About the Author

A college student studying telecommunications and wireless technology. Has a love for literature.

I'm looking for a book titled: 'Little White Rabbit', a favorite from my childhood?

It's not the one that is popular now; it was a first reader that started out "Look a box, a box for me. Open the box, open it, open it. A rabbit, a rabbit, a little white rabbit. A little white rabbit for me." I know almost the entire book by memory, it's about a little boy who get the rabbit, it starts to run, he catches it by it's ears, and it's ears get hot. He takes it to the vet and the vet teaches him to carry the rabbit by it's neck. I would really love to have it again. It was written pre 1970, I think in the 50's sometime, and I don't remember the author. If anyone knows where I could find it I would be very grateful!! Thanks!

"My rabbit is sick. He will not eat. He will not drink. He will not hop. He will not play. My rabbit is sick." These lines come from:

Little white rabbit.
Edith Osswald; Mary Maud Reed
1941
English Book 32 p.
D.C. Heath,

You can see pictures from this book on this closed auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-LITTLE-WHITE-RABBIT-Edith-Oswald-Mary-Reed-1941_W0QQitemZ220069027959QQihZ012QQcategoryZ279QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

And buy a copy here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007ILQ5I/24680e-20

Burton does the book one better
As a young reader, I found Alice in Wonderland creepy and rather distasteful. Alice’s adventures played like a series of encounters with characters whose purpose was to tease, puzzle and torment her. It felt to me that few children would really want to go to Wonderland — and none would want to stay.

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