This broad question usually applies, but is not limited to, the existence of God, or any supernatural entities, things like aliens, ghosts, Bigfoot, and other paranormal creatures are thought to be real by some, even though they have never been proven to exist after hundreds of years of rumors, and supposed sightings. So why are people still debating that such things exist?
Probably the most prominent reason that people continue to believe is that it gives them hope of something better. If we take a moment to think about life, to think about the world and the people in it, it can be pretty darn depressing. Everyday hundreds of people die in third world countries from diseases, hunger, and civil wars, small militias in Africa continue to kill women, and children because of their ethnic differences. All around the world children are being abused, homeless people are dying in the streets, and with the economy the way it is, more and more people are getting close to being homeless.
Some people try everyday to make a better life for themselves. They say nice guys finish last, that’s because they don’t undercut their friends, they work hard, they follow the rules, and obey the law, only to see criminals, snobs, and jerks being the ones to live happily. They try to live right hoping life will get better, that someway, somehow their life will improve. People hope that what we experience in our life is not all there is, that there is something out there that will be better then what we are living through, or at the very least, make life more bearable. People believe in God, or other divine entities because they hope that by living as a good person in life, they will be rewarded in death, and that they will be protected from the harm others suffer.
Believing in superstitions also gives people a sense of comfort, being able to say that some things are just meant to be when life goes wrong. People, who believe in ghosts, aliens, or other paranormal figures, believe in them because it would show that there is more to life then what we know.
Another reason why people believe in things that cannot be proven is that they cannot be disproven either. While many people say something cannot possibly be real, if there is no proof that it does not exist, then there is a possibility it does exist. Faith does not have to be logical, something does not have to exist to affect a persons life. Who has never broken a mirror, and had something unfortunate happen to them? I have.
Several years ago I broke a mirror while sweeping, and later that day my pet bird died. I don’t believe that the two events are related, but who’s to say they’re not, it was after all, a healthy bird, only six years old, and it just dropped dead for no reason. Was it just coincidence, or was it because I broke the mirror? Many people have their own little rituals, or good luck charms that they truly believe bring them luck, and since it cannot be proven that they don’t, who’s to say it doesn’t?
Of course there are those who say that it is because we believe in something, that it exists at all. http://www.helium.com/items/1604436-superstition-origin-start. Many atheltes have good luck rituals they perform before they compete, whether it’s a prayer, or wearing a certain piece of clothing, it does matter to them if they do it. Scientists call this the placebo affect, where our actions are affected subconsciously by our beliefs when we are put out of our comfort zone.
Other scientists theorize that people believe in superstitions because they help us survive. Kevin Foster, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University, in league with Hanna Kokko, have theorized that many superstitions have developed from people associating events that naturally occur together has having mystical meaning. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14694-superstitions-evolved-to-help-us-survive.html
An example of such association is the superstition that a circling vulture is an omen of death. Vultures are scavengers with highly developed senses, they can naturally tell when a sick person, or animal is about to die by their scent, then they circle around the dying creature and wait. Its nothing mystic, but people believe it is because there was no other explanation so many hundreds of years ago when the superstition was founded.
So why do people continue to believe in things that cannot be proven? Is it out of ignorance, intuition, or imagination? Or is out of hope that there is something greater than ourselves, and the cruelty of the world? Either way, believing in something helps us by giving us hope. Whether you believe in science to come up with an equation to solve the problem, or you believe God will solve it for you, faith helps us live.
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