Mr Murphy Vs Dr Peale...

What is it in some of us that makes us doubt even our most fervent beliefs? Personally, I think,A lot of us are believers (in our own ways) and cynics at the same time.I beg to be excused, if you disagree with me, but in my defence, I'd like to put forth a few points - We pray for sun on a cloudy day and yet step out with umbrellas...We give our best at a job interview and come back hoping for the best,but secretly we're already considering taking up the next best offer that comes our way, if we fail to make it past the interview.At work, we give our heart and soul to getting the project at hand completed well before deadline,and yet we're also thinking of plausible explanations to give Mr Boss if we don't make it to the deadline..Isn't it strange that, despite things going on well,its hard not to think of stuff going all wrong?Even before the going gets tough,some of us are already making plans to bail ourselves out?!

Well,If you're a person unperturbed by such conflicts, CONGRATS, you sure are one hell of a believer and I beg you to leave me your contact details(And I'll be in touch!!).It could be that you're a true believer, confident in whatever you do or it could also be that you're so sure of yourself,brimming over with overconfidence that you simply fail to plan for any contingencies and get smote when things go awry..(there,the cynic in me speaks again!).Personally,I'm a great ''backup plan specialist''- You'll find multiple backup archives of even my least important files on the computer.I double bag even tissue paper rolls fearing that the first bag might just rip!Oddly enough, its easier for me to imagine a worst case scenario than the best possible one..(I don't know if its just me,folks!)I sure am a great believer,but I do admit,I have this big battlefield in my mind where there is a perpetual war waging between my steadfast soldiers of belief and the mighty orcs of doubts!!!

But I guess its the 'never-say-die' attitude of my Lilliputian soldiers that makes them put up a stiff fight and yet hold fort against the dark orcs of doubt and mistrust.And come to think of it,If the fort were to fall,it would mean the end of all hope - And the thought of a life without hope seems utterly unlivable even in my darkest dreams...Though it would be lovely to wake up to great mornings and think of nothing but positive thoughts all through the day,I've got to admit,Mr Murphy's Laws somehow takes over Dr Norman Peale's positive vibes!And its not that I haven't tried,but the battle still continues - But watch out this space, cuz I've not given up as yet on my little soldiers ;-)

To believe or not to believe....

How often have you rolled your eyes at the sight of a friend getting all worked up after an unfortunate black cat crosses her path or roared with laughter while at work when someone remarked ''I knew it would be a bad day - there was this jet black crow staring straight into my eyes this morning just as I stepped out..'',well I could personally recall countless incidents at home and at work when I've even made caustic remarks on all this mumbo jumbo of illogical beliefs and superstitions.

I would think - why do people believe in superstitions, myths and legends still? After what globalization has done to the world, making NY and London look like global villages.And our own India, being touted as becoming the world's third most powerful country by the year 2013- Isnt that just great?!Touch wood,Hope we get there real fast!!! Oops, did I just say 'TOUCH WOOD'??? What was that about?!Thats when I realised that I was not as immune to superstitions as I thought I was..And that was why I was forced to have a little 'think' about a lot of these unfounded beliefs that millions of us still have...Of course they were all inherited - from grandmothers and greatgrandmothers. But, how is it that it manages to outsmart even the most suave modernists amongst us and pops out of the blue and hits us when we least expect it? How does it manage to work like a reflex in many of us - The furtive touching of the other earring when someone accidentally touches one or perhaps the anxiety that a tiny house lizard that fell on your shoulder can create - and let me not get into the universally detested number 13!Im sure these beliefs have nothing to do with religion . Could it be because we find it hard to accept so much randomness in life that we ended up creating our own irrational rules for certain things that happen, thereby taking relief from it? We are well aware of scientific explanations to every phenomenon around us and yet a lot of us choose to hold onto what grandmothers' tales taught us..

Scientists in a recent study have established that superstitions have helped us evolve and survive - centuries ago,(hypothetically speaking, of course) pre historic man could have interpreted the cry of some animal as a sign that some dangerous animal was lurking nearby and would have headed for safety - but the animal's cry could have been for any other reason too. Yet the fact that the prehistoric man moved into safety would have worked out well for him if there really had been a leopard in the grass! He would have been alive for a few more decades to retell his dangerous encounter to his children and grandchildren!!

So this false linking of cause to effect could also have been beneficial at times.That would explain why even today we are pleased at the thought of forseeing things that could happen and averting them or changing the course of things in our favour.In this light, I think it would be right to believe that as long as we know where we stand between ignorant and being superstitious and more importantly,as long as the tradeoff between believing and not believing in something works out positively for the believer, it really doesnt matter if the sight of the old balck cat freaks you out!!