Does that mean that I think babies are being haunted by ghosts when they cry for no apparent reason? No, but the superstition does put you in mind of the thought that we should have respect for the spiritual world. The Chinese words for spirit and breath are similar, which keeps one in mind of the fact that life is filled with the spirit, just as the body is filled with breath. These thoughts are not necessarily bad -- and they keep us in mind of the old traditions of my culture. I like to think about the old traditions and learn from the old people how they lived and what they way of life was like. It helps me think about my own way of life and how I should try to live.
For these reasons, I do not find superstitions necessarily bad -- even if I do not believe in many of them. I still like to ask about them and tell them to others. If someone were to say to me that it was wrong to believe in superstitions I would ask why, but no one has ever really said that to me. Some people will say that they are not real or true, but how can one ever really know? Maybe there is some truth to some of them -- who knows?
I think that some superstitions developed because people wanted a kind of guide for life -- a sort of rule book for a way to live. They wanted some explanation of the things of this world and how they were to be observed and understood. They wanted to know how to conduct their lives and what actions were good and what actions were bad. They wanted to know what their relation was to the world around them and how to communicate with the natural world and with the supernatural...
Old customs always seem to dwell on the spiritual side of life. I wonder what people who do not have old customs think about the spirit?
I myself never get tired of thinking about the spiritual side of life, and maybe that is the reason superstitions appeal to me…At least they let the topic come up in conversation, and you can hear what others think about the soul and ghosts and the supernatural world. People seem to be able to more easily express their thoughts on such things when the topic is given in such a context. If you ask someone outright if he or she believes in God, he or she does not always know what to say. But if you talk about ghosts or superstitions, then it is easier for the conversation to go. For example, with my friends I do not mind being superstitious because we can all have a fun time in that way. We do not take such things very seriously, but that does not mean that we do not observe the spiritual side of things. I like to think that I take seriously the spiritual side of things, and I hope I do not slight that side by taking superstitions slightly. Am I becoming superstitious about not being superstitious? Oh dear
In conclusion, the superstitions my grandparents tell me about are good for stories and good for learning about one's culture, and they also help us all to communicate about other aspects of life. They open the way to other subjects that we can talk about more seriously, that otherwise might never come up. For this reason I do not think superstitions are so bad, even if I do not necessarily believe in them myself.
