write a paragraph on science and superstitions
Answers
As man gradually gained more knowledge about the causes behind the natural phenomena; he began shedding off some of the fear associated with them. This was because man could now find and understand some of the ‘natural’ secrets. Once the ball was set rolling, the pace of the progress of science gained acceleration and momentum. The progress of the one meant the regress of the other. That means the science progressed as the other regressed, it w as the mental standard of the superstitious people that deteriorated, they became more and more superstitious, while the scientific minded people became more scientific minded. As compared with the superstitious people, the men of science proceeded more scientifically, more logically. The men of science are gods as compared with their ancestors, who were not scientific or even scientific, minded. Yet whereas it would be perfectly correct to say that science is the sister, if not the daughter of ignorance, it must be remembered that this daughter is modem and is a thoroughly transformed child. It is the men of science who have revolutionized the world who made it at once a heaven and hell by their inventions of comfort and the devices of destruction. Had it been not for the revolutions of science, the world would have been much i different from what it is as we see it.
Answer: in this scientific era of many discoveries and inventions, science making the impossible possible with the blink of an eye, there’s no place for superstition. Science and superstitions are poles apart. Yet they are the two sides of the same coin unknown of their interdependence.
Superstitions are self-imposed selfish beliefs, something imaginary yet unimaginable disbelief, or mere beliefs. But science – the most well-known and popular word of this era. Science as is believed to be something realistic which even makes the unreal real; the unachievable achievable.
Science in itself is a sweet beginning and sometimes a bitter ending whereas superstitions have neither beginning nor end; it is complete in itself.
But still, these two unrealistic and realistic, unimaginable and imaginable, never-ending and ever ending concepts are interconnected somewhere beyond the universe by some unpredictable threads of God. Science completes superstitions in the same way as reasons complete assumptions. Reasons sometimes fail to explain rendering the assumptions to be almost dark and blank. And sometimes baseless reasons succeed in explaining a taboo.
Let’s have a quick look at the following examples:-
1. Eat curd and sugar before heading out Eating curd and sugar before stepping out for something new and important is considered to be good luck as the consumption of curd has a cooling effect on the stomach and sugar which is added provides instant glucose which makes your work easier and successful. This combination is indispensable for Indians and its consumption was slowly linked to good luck.
2. Don’t wash or cut hairs on certain days Washing or cutting hairs on certain days like on Tuesdays or Thursdays are considered to be bad luck but there’s no truth in this as it was one of the water management practices. And moreover, during those days, barbers got a holiday on those days. So, just to give them a holiday people don’t cut hairs on those days.
3. Swallow tulsi leaves never chew
Tulsi leaves shouldn’t be chewed, it needs to be swallowed. The science behind his is that the tulsi leaves contain a little amount of arsenic. Thus, chewing it directly could result in degradation of enamel.
4. Bathe after attending a funeral ceremony Earlier bathing was necessary after attending a funeral ceremony but today it’s not like earlier as our ancestors didn’t have vaccinations against smallpox, hepatitis and other deadly diseases. So they came up with this ritual of bathing so as to prevent themselves from infection from the dead body.
5. Menstruating women are considered impure and unclean: In a country like India, it is very prevalent and this gave rise to many other superstitious beliefs. At that time women were not allowed inside the kitchen, temples, mosques, and other religious spots. They are not allowed to perform any household duties. The reason is that at that point of time women are comparatively weak because of a lot of blood loss. So, they are given complete rest. Moreover, ancient stone statues of God maintain a certain equilibrium with the atmosphere and may collapse if any disturbance occurs. As women release a lot of heat during this period, they are not allowed inside the temple since this may cause a disturbance in the natural equilibrium and may result in cracks in the idols.
6. Lizard falling on human is bad luck
It is said to be bad luck but the scientific reasons behind this is that the lizard releases poisonous chemicals from its body in order to protect themselves from enemies and if it falls on human body or food, it is bound to contaminate it. So, bathe is taken after it falls on someone.
7. Using lemons and green chillies to avoid buri nazar The nimbhu mirchi tadka is one of the commonly visible superstitions among the society whose use is often encouraged due to the qualities of lemon and chillies as they both are rich in different vitamins Ad create certain acidic odour which helps keep away insects. Thus, our ancestors used this as a symbol during ceremonies which now turned into a tadka.
8. Bats entering the house means death It is considered to be a bad omen. The real reason behind this superstition is that the bats bring a lot of deadly diseases along with them and when there was no medical facility available during those days, people would die due to rabies, Ebola, Nipah and other illness brought in by the illness.
9. Ghosts residing in peepal trees
This myth continues to prevail even today. But the scientific reason behind this is that the trees use carbon dioxide during the day and releases oxygen but at night, it is the other way round. So, when you sleep under the tree, the excess carbon dioxide level can make you feel heavy in the fist and suffocated which is associated with the feeling of being possessed by some spirits.