Some superstitions most likely spawned from simple common sense. Do not walk under a ladder, because you might get hurt. Do not put your shoes on a table because it might get dirty. Etc etc. But they warped into "bad luck" things which are just nonsense. Why do people make a wish on the first star they see, or a shooting star, or when the clock turns 11:11???
Before I continue, let me say something, because I don't want to risk offending anybody. I'm not a religious person. That being said, I'm not 100% opposed to religion. My viewpoint on things is "if its not 100% proven fact, there's room for error", no matter what it is, so religion applies as well. Since there's no proof of God, I can't wholeheartedly believe in one, however, there's no proof that there ISN'T a supreme being, so I can't wholeheartedly deny it, either. As far as the Bible is concerned, I look at it in the same light as other forms of mythology...stories that people based their lives around in order to give themselves direction and meaning, as no human can really fathom existence and the perplexities of the universe on a grand scale. Nobody has all the answers, including myself, so I say believe in whatever religion you want to whatever degree, just don't force it on anyone, just as I won't force my "just be a good person and see what happens" views.
SO...
Superstition to me is the same as people instantly believing in fate. They feel that "true love is meant to be", "whatever happens, it happens for a reason", and so forth. Now, I don't have a doctorate in psychology, but I've done extensive research. Believing that there are lucky charms, bad luck charms, or fate that controls your life...it takes all the responsibility off yourself. If you believe that something bad that happened is because of fate, you don't end up looking at yourself and saying "I did this, which caused that".
Probability is probability. Consequence is consequence. Cause leads to effect. Coincidence is merely coincidence. Life is not a movie. You can't dump your girlfriend and say "well, if we're meant to be, we'll get back together", and then when you don't get back together, say "well it must've been fate". Luck is merely a term for "your chance of receiving the benefits from the effects of probability". Did you hit the slot machine and win a million dollars because of the fact that you crossed your fingers....or did you win because it was the X number of pull and you just happened to be the one to pull it?
That being said, some people depend on superstition. To say it in a bold way, "ignorance is bliss". If you believe something that makes you happy, and you never think otherwise, then you're always going to be happy. Just the same, if you're one of those unfortunate people on Maury or whatever that, for some reason, fear pickles and balloons, and you never wake up from that, you're always going to be afraid/sad. Superstition is perfectly fine as long as you don't let it run your life or you don't try to push it on other people. I don't believe that I have a lucky pair of boxers or if I put my right sock on before my left, I'll have bad luck, because I have no reason to believe it as no quantitative studies have shown that if you step on a crack, your mother's back is broken lol.
(By the way, the reason for my user name, NoFate007, has nothing to do with how I don't believe in fate, haha. Its actually because of the Terminator quote, "There is no fate but what we make for ourselves", and 007 for James Bond, as Terminator and Bond have been two of my favorite film series since I was around 4 years old lol)
