Good Luck Charms
Read more articles on Life's Nuances and Let Me Share With You.February 26, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
February 26, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
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Every so often, we read about people in the news who refer to specific things they either wear or have on them for “good luck”. This always surprises me for some reason; I guess I figure that people who are successful enough to be in the news in the first place are there for reasons other than dumb luck.
What started me thinking along these lines was hearing that Anna Nichole Smith buried her son with a rosary blessed by the pope. Now, growing up Catholic, blessed medals were nothing new to me, although as I got older, I did question how my mother could actually believe that they really provided any kind of protection or luck.
Now, this may be hard to understand for those of you who did not grow up Catholic, but there is much of this kind of reverence in regard to things and rites-what with holy water, scapulars, novenas, etc., that seem to be contrary to the simple acts of having faith and being a good person. But all religions have an amount of this-for example, consider Jewish mezuzzahs and tefflin. We all need reminders for staying grounded. Most people wear or have religious symbols not as good luck charms, but as a declaration of their faith, or out of sentiment.
This I can understand more than something as obvious as a rabbit’s foot, Italian horn or crystals, and at least those symbols are usually carried around for general “good luck”. What about situations like bingo games, where players spread out their trolls and whatnot in order to win a game? (Remember the Roseanne episode?) If you take a long-view look at that, we do appear to be a really silly society.
I guess I’m fortunate to not be a slave to any such good luck or lucky item. Relying on such a thing seems to be going backwards to a less aware age, where magic appears to be the answer. I remember seeing ads in tabloids, and I’d think, “Who would fall for that?” But to be honest, I can see where anyone who has given up on the more rational course of life would. When one’s resources are tapped out; when one is exhausted and confused, any ray of hope is worth trying. I think that for most people, that time does not last, though, and after the natural course of happenstance, they’re back on a positive cycle. If they’ve been smart, they’ve seen charms, for lack of a better word, as simple crutches that helped get them through to better times. But I don’t think man is meant to clutch any object in order to be happy or successful. Intangibles don’t seem to be able to spring out of tangibles.
Maybe those who practice a form of Wicca will disagree because of their view that charms are simply a focal point for a positive thought process, and to that end, I agree-but I don’t think life will end if one’s lucky penny gets lost. Superstitions may have interesting stories behind them and be entertaining, but when all is said and done, I think we only have ourselves to rely on-and that’s rather liberating, isn’t it?
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