i am plnning to cover superstitions in detail later some time. but right now let me share a story.
superstitions are lost kites. some one put it in the sky and with a purpose. but the string is broken. so we cannot trace the owner or know the purpose . here is the story.
in a remote village in bihar people believed that they should never dig a well anywhere in the village lest they would be ruined. a reformer group said this is superstition and dug wells all over. they thus solved the acute drinking water shortage in the village and became instant heroes.
a few decades later a medical team investigated the cause of a bone breaking disease ( i dont recall the name ) seen in almost every kid born after a certain year. they found that the water the villagers drank contained dangerous dose of flourides.
of course the wells were closed and future generations were saved.
but what a price to pay to learn the truth behind a superstition
m k mathai
superstitions are lost kites. some one put it in the sky and with a purpose. but the string is broken. so we cannot trace the owner or know the purpose . here is the story.
in a remote village in bihar people believed that they should never dig a well anywhere in the village lest they would be ruined. a reformer group said this is superstition and dug wells all over. they thus solved the acute drinking water shortage in the village and became instant heroes.
a few decades later a medical team investigated the cause of a bone breaking disease ( i dont recall the name ) seen in almost every kid born after a certain year. they found that the water the villagers drank contained dangerous dose of flourides.
of course the wells were closed and future generations were saved.
but what a price to pay to learn the truth behind a superstition
m k mathai
Spreading something as facts without any proof or logic is superstition.Finding some facts to support superstition is now became an accepted practice to spread superstition. Smart guys are now using the technique.
ReplyDelete