Superstition and The Human Belief
"A Few Kind Words for Superstition" is an essay by the Canadian writer Robertson Davies. The essay focuses on the belief of the human world in superstition and its different forms. Davies states that superstition throughout human culture is something of an underground belief that no one will admit to, and most frown upon, yet most people still participate in it. The author inquires on why, so called, irrational things such as "Parapsychology, UFO's, miracle cures, transcendental meditation" are condemned in our societies yet, superstition is slightly disapproved of. Davies believes that superstition has some sort of unmentioned hook with all of us. He states that even though people won't admit they are superstitious, he sees all four forms of superstition everyday at the college he attends. Davies writes that the four forms of superstition are Vain Observances, Divination, Idolatry, and Improper Worship of the True God. The author tells us that Vain Observances can include things like throwing salt over your left shoulder after spilling it, or avoiding walking under a ladder. Davies goes on to tell us that Divination involves basing a decision on the advice of prophecies, or oracles. He then proceeds to say that Idolatry
is the belief in the luck or fortune of a certain item, whether it is a lucky coin or some sort of other charm. Improper Worship of the True God is something Davies describes as the "bribery of the Deity", or basically trying to pay off God to get what you want. Davies tells us that superstition is an ancient belief and is actually, he believes, not even as widely believed in today than in the past. He also goes on to say that superstition can be seen very early in life as well. The author informs us that superstition is ancient enough to have sprung from the part of the human mind that does not see race or creed. According to Davies there are superstitions found in such cultures as Judaism that are found in Chinese belief as well. Davies believes that superstition is something that exists in humans because humans want to know what their fate is and have some control over it. He also lets us view into a superstitious part of his life when he would pay a gypsy woman in England one schilling to touch her lucky baby before he took an exam, and he says that he never once failed a test. Superstition is an element of the human culture that I also believe is something that is quite prevalent and prac
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 815
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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