People’s superstitions can be very interesting since they can often reveal a great deal about the person and the way that person thinks. One type of superstitious person is a person who thinks in terms of magic. For this person, the world is literally, filled with magic. He is a super naturalist. This kind of superstitious person is an extremist and very stubborn. Whenever anything happens, super naturalist would at once think in terms of magic, not in terms of simple physical causes or arbitrary coincidence. Although many beliefs are conflicting, this person believes in everything. Many things that we would not believe in or just use for fun are not at all just toy objects for this person, but very real, just as the sun and the moon is to us. This person believes in things such as good luck charms, ghosts, the Ouija board, palm reading, demons and possession, astrology, Fate, the abominable snowman, The Bermuda Triangle, and Unidentified Flying Objects. This person is the most obstinate kind of superstitious person, since no matter what you do, you cannot convince him otherwise. If you try to divert him from his beliefs, he will regard you as ignorant and blind, because this person, nothing can lure him away from the “Truth.”
Another kind of a superstitious person is a person who is not very extreme about his beliefs. He hangs onto his possessions greatly as if the end of the world is tomorrow. He is the kind of person who, at a casino, blows on the dice before he throws them. He is the kind of person who wears his lucky socks when he plays golf. He is the kind of person who touches wood for good luck. He is the kind of person who will only drink from his lucky thermos while playing football. This is your average superstitious person. He hardly worries about the supernatural but thinks there might be more to it. He is the kind of person who laughs whenever he sees the nonsense in tabloids but looks further into it. His beliefs come naturally or because of the environment he has lived in.
There is of course, another kind of extremist; but this one, is not at all interested in supernatural affairs or interested in the “Truth.” This person is thought to be more learned than a person whose superstition revolves around magic. This type of person is probably the rarest kind of person who believes in superstition. Unlike the first kind of superstitious persons, this person is only interested in physical affairs. To him, magic does not exist; neither do UFO’s or abominable snowmen. There are no magical influences whatsoever. This person believes that everything in the world has a physical cause. To him, even ostensibly outlandish events turn out to be uncomplicated, pointless coincidence. This kind of extremist is more of a rationalist. No spirits protect him, and none are out to get him, unlike other superstitious people. He wears no Jade necklace around his neck medallions to guard him against a universe and its evil. This mans world may seem much less interesting that of a world full of spirits, influences, and inexplicable supernatural powers. This kind of person does not think of a knife as a gift to be an omen, but a generosity.
There are many superstitious people around us today, even in the twenty first century; we are starting to become more superstitious than ever. This is not a bad thing; it is a sign of our curiosity and imagination. But sometimes, our imagination takes us farther away than our desired destination, and that is where it may start to become out of had. Please realize this though, if you happen to spot a rationalist and a super naturalist driving along a highway, please note how the super naturalist will be protected by his medallions, statues, and charms, and how the rationalist will drive carefully.
