Many people think that Friday the 13th of any month is an unlucky day. If this is the case, then 2009 has really been an unlucky year; we have had 3 Friday the 13ths (one of which is today!), and this only happens every 11 years apparently. An article about this topic entitled "Friday the 13th: Your Luck Is About to Change" grabbed my attention.
America has a tremendous fear of the number 13. In fact, in many buildings, apartments, hospitals, etc., there is no floor 13! It simply goes from floor 12 to 14. How strange is that? I personally think that's an embarrassment; this superstition needs to stop! Many historical figures have also had an unusual fear of the number 13. FDR, for instance, never traveled on the 13th day of any month and never hosted a dinner party with 13 guests.
This belief (that numbers are connected to life and the physical world) is called numerology. It has had quite a history, and now it is considered a para-science, just like astrology (don't even get me started on how much I hate astrology!). According to professional numerologist Sonia Ducie, "Numerology can 'make sense' of an individual's life...by recognizing which number cycle they are in, and by giving them clarity."
There's one little tiny issue here (which is why mathematicians dismiss numerology): THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF OR SCIENTIFIC MERIT!!!!!!!!!!!! According to astrophysicist Mario Lirio, "Seemingly coincidental connections between numbers will always appear if you look hard enough." This is why I am so annoyed by things like numerology and astrology; they aren't real! I wouldn't mind if this stuff were made illegal, personally, because I really think that people need to accept the fact that this stuff is a load of junk and should be spending their time worrying about reality.
What do you think?
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Haha, numerology is unusual. Apparently some workplaces tried deciding what type of people it would hire for employment based on the letters in their name (the numbers associated w/ each letter, and the meanings attached to those numbers). It's very arbitrary and bizarre, I'm surprised people attempted that.
ReplyDeleteYou should look in to feng shui. People organize their house according to 9 colors for balance, in ideally a square-shaped house with rooms laid out a bit like a tic-tac-toe board (3x3). Some people even spraypaint a color on their lawn if their house isn't the proper shape, and then cut it, so the energy from the spray-painted color can add its balance without actually having to be present... and a lot of feng shui experts make about the same as CEOs do because of their knowledge! Really weird.
Although I think astrology and numerology are just pseudoscience, it couldn't be made illegal, because what about other belief systems? Technically, you could consider Christianity or any other religion superstition. Through scientific study, prayer has been shown to be statistically ineffective, but people do it anyway for their own meaningful purposes, for example.