How to Be Superstitious
- 1). Dread the darkness. Empathize with ancient people, who had every reason to be afraid of the dark because they lived in endless forests, vast deserts and great plains, where prowling beasts lurked behind every shadow.
- 2). Cringe whenever a black cat crosses your path. Medieval people thought that black cats were mascots for witches; the cats became witches after seven years of service.
- 3). Remember that a dog's howl means imminent death. Primitive people, awed by a canine's uncanny ability to detect enemies and locate prey, determined that dogs must have the ability to see invisible demons.
- 4). Snap your fingers while whistling for your dog, a tradition implemented by early humans who believed that evil spirits would answer if they whistled for their hounds. They snapped their fingers as contrary magic.
- 5). Assume that fish is a brain food and concur with 19th-century chemist Jean Dumas. Dumas concluded that fish is rich in phosphorous, a major component of the brain.
- 6). Sign a 99-year, rather than a 100-year lease. Long-term leases are usually penned for an odd number of years because old-timers believed that when it came to material possessions, even numbers were influenced by evil forces.
- 7). Say "gesundheit" or "bless you" when someone sneezes, a custom from early men and women who believed that the spirit resided in the head. They assumed that a sneeze might accidentally discharge this spirit unless God prevented it.
- 8). Wear earrings as amulets for protection from evil spirits. Sailors believed that a pierced ear with a ring through it meant better eyesight.
- 9). Carry an acorn to ensure good luck and a long life.
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