AH: You superstitious lot !

[Ginnie]

I know most forum members are sensible, logical and in general, not prone to believe in anything that doesn't have a scientific explanation.

But I know - and you know too, that sometimes we do things that just don't make sense.

Have you ever thrown coins in a fountain and made a wish?
Have you ever prayed in a time of crisis, even if you didn't believe in God?
Have you ever had to pick up a penny on the ground - just for 'good luck'?
Have you ever done any superstitious ritual?

Come on now, you critical thinkers - fess up.

[gillianren]

I pick up pennies because, hey, free money.

[raven]

I am an agnostic who believes in a faith based diety, so I can do whatever silly little rituals I like withen the context of my personal faith. And free money is free money.

[tedward]

Echo the free money. And I do not waste in in fountains. I don't walk under ladders because of heavy things hurting my head or other appendages. What else is superstitious? Salt over the shoulder? I prefer it on the shoulder of lamb.

[Jason]

Hmph. If I admit to any of this stuff everyone will say "well of course Jason is superstitious."

[Ginnie]

Aug 22, 2008 16:08:00 GMT -4 Jason said:

Hmph. If I admit to any of this stuff everyone will say "well of course Jason is superstitious."

Scaredy cat.

Oops, hope this doesn't get me banned... ;D

[Al Johnston]

I used to have various "lucky" items of clothing for rowing competitions, usually based around the idea of doing everything the same as the last time I won, in order to repeat the result.

On the whole, getting fit worked better ;D

[Ginnie]

I bet even Jay has done something like that.
Maybe straightened his bowtie a certain way, or cracked his knuckles before playing keyboards, or making the sign of the cross before replying to a knucklehead post. ;D

I'm not saying that making the sign of the cross is necessarily superstitious but in the context it probably would be, given that God would have no interest whatsoever in this forum I would presume.

[Jason]

Aug 22, 2008 17:12:57 GMT -4 Ginnie said:

I'm not saying that making the sign of the cross is necessarily superstitious but in the context it probably would be, given that God would have no interest whatsoever in this forum I would presume.

It probably depends on what subject we're discussing at the time.

I have dropped coins into fountains, and made wishes over birthday candles. I owned a rabbit's foot for a while. It didn't seem to make me any more lucky. I also had a "lucky cent" for a while - a penny with the shape of a four-leaf clover stamped through it. I have searched patches of clover for the four-leved variety.

I shake dice around a lot before rolling them when playing any game that involves them, and will throw away a die that doesn't seem to be performing to my satisfaction. That's probably when I'm at my most superstitious.

[dmundt]

I was actually going to post something like this in the Life and Death thread. My recent experience was finally going over to where I buried my dog two months ago. I had this compelling urge to talk to her -- but I didn't. I don't believe she is there. She ceased to exist two months ago. But I still felt like talking to her.

I think a lot of superstitions are based on this strong connection the living feel to those who aren't living any longer. I can't tell you how many people have told me that I'll see my dog again or that she is really still here. I nod politely and don't say anything.

A lot of us grow up in situations where existence beyond death is taken as fact. People have believed it for thousands of years. The reason we believe is that the loss of someone can be almost unbearable -- and if we make ourselves believe they aren't really gone and that we'll all be together again -- then it almost makes it bearable.

If you stop and think about our superstitions, though, they seem pretty silly.

Walking under a ladder is bad luck. So... before there were ladders, where did that bad luck reside? How did it come to be attached to ladders? Was there just some bad luck floating around waiting for the invention of the ladder?

Picking up a penny (heads only) is good luck. Same problem. Where was that luck before coins were invented?

A Christian crucifix can ward off vampires. Then why didn't vampires take over the world before Christianity?

It's all silly stuff.

And still -- I occasionally "knock on wood."

[Ginnie]

Sorry to hear about your dog wdmundt. Which one?
They were both so beautiful.

[dmundt]

It was Madison, the Husky -- the one from my silly "spot the faked photo" thread I did a year ago. She got almost a whole year after she was diagnosed with cancer, and she was able to play with our other dog on the morning of the day we had to put her to sleep.

[Ginnie]

Aug 22, 2008 17:40:37 GMT -4 Jason said:

Aug 22, 2008 17:12:57 GMT -4 Ginnie said:

I'm not saying that making the sign of the cross is necessarily superstitious but in the context it probably would be, given that God would have no interest whatsoever in this forum I would presume.

It probably depends on what subject we're discussing at the time.

I have dropped coins into fountains, and made wishes over birthday candles. I owned a rabbit's foot for a while. It didn't seem to make me any more lucky. I also had a "lucky cent" for a while - a penny with the shape of a four-leaf clover stamped through it. I have searched patches of clover for the four-leved variety.

I shake dice around a lot before rolling them when playing any game that involves them, and will throw away a die that doesn't seem to be performing to my satisfaction. That's probably when I'm at my most superstitious.

I knew it.

Can you give any explanation for your weird behavior? ;D

BTW: the "AH"in the thread title refers to "Apollo Hoax", not Ahh , if anyone misinterprets it that way.

[Ginnie]

Pictures are wonderful, aren't they?

[dmundt]

Here's a video, too:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQPj5QlxgVk