Superstitions

     A number of superstitions exist in society; for several reasons. Before discussing specific superstitions, perhaps it is understandable to cover a major cause of such first. As a species, humans are often curious about why events occur and how things come to be. When faced with the logically inexplicable, human minds tent to create rationales whether they are true or not. Knowing this, the task of identifying the origins of superstitions becomes more feasible.

     One common superstition today is the act of knocking on wood when wishing for a certain future happening. This ritualistic behaviour may have been derived from touching a wooden cross while pledging an oath. This means that past beliefs can be handed down and adopted by society, albeit in different forms and interpretations. In addition to conservatory reasons, there are also scientific explanations for why superstitions exist. 

    In tales, it is not uncommon that unfortunate events will present themselves in groups. This is thanks to the superstition that bad luck comes in threes. There is a psychological phenomenon that aids in the explanation of this superstition, and it is called confirmation bias. Confirmation bias has an effect that makes people interpret occurrences in ways which agree with their beliefs. For example, someone may believe they are having a bad day because of a conflict that had taken place. This person is likely to think that their day is getting worse as more events take place; they would correlate said events with the initial negative conflict and mindset. As a result of this, the person may interpret the happenings throughout the day as unfavourable, even if they would be considered neutral if the person was having a normal day. This causes a snowball effect, and gives the appearance that bad things happen in bunches - in three's, for example.
     Despite evidence debunking superstitions, a handful are still used by society, for different reasons. One is the placebo effect, which generated partly because of confirmation bias. Comfort can be derived from the placebo effect, such as the age-old example of sugar pills relieving physical pain. Although the "medication" has no actual effect on one's condition, the belief of taking a prescribed drug can uplift one's state. Another reason why superstitions exist is due to humans being stubborn and neglecting data. People are said to often uphold their beliefs even when faced with contrary evidence, as acceptance change can cause discomfort. Additionally, some people are fearful of being proved wrong or exposed to other ideologies, and this causes a lack of investigation and drive to learn more. This means that humans take bliss in their current mindsets, and are often not very malleable - allowing superstitions to live on.
    Whether it is about black cats or cracked sidewalks, superstitions survive in society. There are numerous causes for their existence, and just as many studies downplaying them. Despite the evidence against them, superstitions are likely to not be banished from the human race in the near future because of the mindsets that are possessed and their tendencies.

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Many superstitions propose luck-influencing objects and occurrences. The picture above shows several of these - good luck is often represented by horse shoes and four-leaf clovers. In contrast,

bad luck is shown by shattered mirrors, Friday the 13th, walking underneath ladders, and

shattered mirrors. Black cats can portray good or bad luck, depending on culture!

About Me and Personality Quizzes

     I am a Canadian eleventh grade student. As most students, I partake in several different activities. I am involved in combative sports and like to read adventurous, thrilling novels. I also enjoy writing, and of course, exploring the internet. I have decided on three learning goals for this course. The first that comes to mind is to strengthen my vocabulary; as the knowledge of a plethora of words invokes insightfulness from various angles (as opposed to redundancy). The second is to become a better short story writer and free verse poet. I believe that these types of works develop creativity skills, which I deem an important aspect to help set individuals from others. Lastly, I wish to enhance my formal reports, as this style of writing is used "in the real world," a la career applications.

I have completed two personality quizzes: the Jung Typology Test and Multiple Intelligences.
     Once I completed the former, I was shown "INTJ". According to the results, I am moderately introverted and intuitive (opposed to extraverted and sensing). Additionally, I was said to be strongly thinking and slightly judging (over feeling and perceiving). I believe that this test was a rather accurate portrayal of me. I am introverted by nature and I consider myself to be a logical person. Derived from this, I am an intuitive and thinking being. Using my observations and thought processes, I can learn how the environment around me works, and I try to make decisions based on thought criteria instead of feelings and emotions. Noting myself as judging is not wrong, as I believe what is around me should be analyzed for its worth and/or opportunities.
     Multiple Intelligences scores eight different "intelligences," with a maximum score of five. According to the test, logic/math, at 4.14/5, is my greatest intelligence, followed by kinesthetic and intrapersonal; both at 3.71/5. The other five categories are ranked as follows:

While analyzing the results, I was slightly surprised that social is considered a more defined strength of mine when compared to spatial. This is because I consider myself to be rather aware of what surrounds me, coupled with the fact that I am somewhat asocial at times. Aside from this, there were no anomalies, and the outcome was similar to that of the Typology Test. With that thought in mind, it seems that the tests are not contradictory and therefore could be considered at least somewhat accurate when representing me. Overall, these personality quizzes affirmed what I had already believed to be my make-up; generally introverted and logical.

Identity Narrative

     "You're special from the rest of them". An unwritten law states that parents must tell this to their children. Despite itself, this trivial statement made me feel anything but special. It seemed rhetorical to me, but if everyone is "unique" then how is anyone special? It was with this mentality that I didn't bother to set myself apart from anyone else. School came easily to me, but I never fully exerted myself. In third grade, my teacher privately attempted to discipline me in algebra as I was mathematically ahead of the other students. She only gave me one lesson, and the session didn't surpass ten minutes. My teacher was quick to give up on me when I couldn't understand the material at first. Did I ask for another shot to get it right? Nope. I accepted that I was insufficient to complete the work, and I had no wish to try and just fail again. I know that I couldn't crash if I didn't pursue flight; but what was unbeknownst to me was that this ideology would cloud me for much longer than a ten minute lecture. This became apparent in fifth grade - my teacher at this time told me that I was classified as "gifted" to which I responded with a thought of "whatever". I lacked the desire to pounce on opportunities presented to me; at the time I was but a paradigm of stale, diminishing potential. I suppose all the dreams I never had would become lucid later in life.

     Today, I am much more aware and appreciative of my abilities than I was in the past. I have matured and begun to realize that I want to make something of my life. I immerse myself in activities that I believe will be of benefit or interest to me. I am not afraid to make mistakes in my endeavours, and I don't mind failures so long as I learn from them and eventually complete what I've started. Often, I try to build my skills in various subjects; even if this means glaring at my laptop screen late at night, while my mother wakes up just to tell me to go to sleep. I do whatever possible to gain an edge above others; in hopes of keeping my options for the future available. An example of this is that I have attended and volunteered the university that I am most likely aiming for (in the field of engineering). However, my repertoire of extra-curricular activities extends to other areas, such as sports (boxing/rugby). In the present, I am more advantageous when it comes to developing and honing my skills; loading the ammunition to fire off in the future.

      I would like to say that I hope to have a plan of what I set out to do in life by the end of high school. Unfortunately, this is merely wishful thinking, and there is a solid chance that I will not be sure of what I want to do until after my first year of university. From what I know now, I will most likely become a chemical engineer, or a stockbroker if I go down the business road, which is also a current interest of mine. Although, my career will require me to expend a large portion of myself, I will retain other facets of my life. This includes hobbies and activities, as well as a family of course. I know that I can make this vision become reality via priorities, and work ethic.

I Am Poem - Feb 25

I Am Muslim

Hey,
I'm not a computer nerd
Or a terrorist
And I don't live in a cave
Or eat halal
Or own a goat
And I don't know Abdul, Raafi, or Salaam from Pakistan
Although I'm sure they're really peaceful
I have a prime minister; not a dictator
I speak English not Arabic
And I don't shout "Allahu Akbar" in public
I can proudly state my background and I believe in standing up not crouching
Freedom not oppression
And that butter chicken is a truly prideful and tasty dish
Roti is mani and coffee is chai
And it is pronounced "chai," not "cha", "chai"!
Islam is the second largest religion
Often portrayed wrongly,
But it is a religion of peace and tranquility
My name is Fayaz and I am a Muslim!

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The star and crescent is a symbol used in Islam. The crescent represents the start of the

Muslim calendar's lunar month, and the star stands for hope and illumination.