I’m in general a very superstitious person. If you look up the Wikipedia Page on Superstition, it defines it as any belief or practice that is irrational, including religious belief or any action that arises from irrationality. I’ve always been fascinated by things that I don’t understand. When I was 5 I was obsessed with Scooby Doo, and “broke up” with my best friend because she started liking horses instead of Scooby Doo. In 5th grade when we got to check out books for library time, I would always check out the same three books our Catholic school library had about ghosts and paranormal stuff. I still hold my breath when we drive past a graveyard, in order to not breathe in any spirits just floatin’ around.
Unlike most people (especially at Uni) I have no problem in believing things that don’t make sense or I don’t fully understand, which is probably a result of my upbringing. Those who know me probably know that I’m Catholic, which is a huge part of my identity, and since all forms of religion are technically superstitious beliefs, often can discredit me in some people’s eyes. I am always fearful that because I’m religious people will think that I’m anti-science or believe that God planted the dinosaur bones or something, but luckily this is hardly ever the case. I personally have no trouble in consolidating my trust in science and trust in a higher power, and it actually in some cases can make things make more sense.
I may or may not believe the government has strong evidence of alien life and is hiding it from the general public by discrediting witnesses and in general characterizing believers as “crazy”. I may or may not believe that Bigfoot is alive and real, currently residing in the pacific northwest. That’s the best part -- it doesn’t matter if I truly believe in any of this stuff or not, or if this entire post is in fact a joke, because it’s all harmless fun that doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s a good way to waste five hours on a Saturday afternoon surfing Youtube, digging myself further and further into an endless hole.
In conclusion: Ghosts? Cool. Bigfoot? Rad. Conspiracy theories? Wacky. But don’t take anything too seriously, because there's crazy people like me out there.
Further info on these topics for any that are interested:
Buzzfeed Unsolved (a personal favorite)
Unacknowledged (available on Netflix)
I also believe my fair share of superstitions (I am pretty sure big foot exists), but I also like how you connected it to your upbringing. Great post, I love it!
ReplyDeleteEllie, excellent post! I thoroughly enjoyed reading what you had to say and could definitely see your personality shine through. You shared your perspective very effectively and made various points about the importance of not taking things too seriously. The personal connections you make throughout really help the reader to understand the page you are on and why such is significant. Looking forward to what's next!
ReplyDeleteThe light, playful tone throughout the essay makes it delightful to read. I like how you discuss the potentially controversial topic in a personal way that makes for an essay that anyone can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I love the humor you use while writing blog posts. I think it is really meaningful that you can recognize being superstitious and make a it a part of your identity. (Also, for a while I believed that I needed to touch this one sign on the way to school for good luck, but one day I touched it and got a 12 on a physics quiz --> never touched it since)
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