Where do superstitions come from? - Stuart Vyse

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

Are you afraid of black cats?

Da li se plašite crnih mačaka?

Would you open an umbrella indoors?

Da li biste otvorili kišobran dok ste u kući?

And how do you feel about the number thirteen?

I kakav osećaj u vama budi broj 13?

Whether or not you believe in them,

Bilo da verujete u njih ili ne,

you're probably familiar with a few of these superstitions.

verovatno su vam poznata neka od ovih sujeverja.

So how did it happen that people all over the world

Pa, kako se desilo da ljudi širom sveta

knock on wood,

kucaju u drvo

or avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks?

ili izbegavaju da staju na pukotine na trotoaru?

Well, although they have no basis in science,

Pa, iako nemaju uporište u nauci,

many of these weirdly specific beliefs and practices

mnogi od ovih začuđujuće specifičnih uverenja i običaja

do have equally weird and specific origins.

imaju podjednako neobično i specifično poreklo.

Because they involve supernatural causes,

Zato što uključuju natprirodne uzroke,

it's no surprise that many superstitions are based in religion.

ne iznenađuje što mnoga sujeverja imaju uporište u religiji.

For example. the number thirteen was associated with the biblical Last Supper,

Na primer, broj 13 je povezan sa biblijskom Poslednjom večerom,

where Jesus Christ dined with his twelve disciples

kada je Isus večerao sa svojih dvanaest učenika

just before being arrested and crucified.

pre nego što je uhapšen i razapet.

The resulting idea that having thirteen people at a table was bad luck

Iz toga je proistekla zamisao da je loša sreća imati 13 ljudi za stolom

eventually expanded into thirteen being an unlucky number in general.

i vremenom se proširila na to da je broj 13 uopšteno nesrećan.

Now, this fear of the number thirteen, called triskaidekaphobia,

Sad, ovaj strah od broja 13, nazvan triskaidekafobija,

is so common that many buildings around the world skip the thirteenth floor,

toliko je zastupljen da mnoge zgrade širom sveta preskaču 13 sprat,

with the numbers going straight from twelve to fourteen.

gde brojevi direktno prelaze sa dvanaest na četrnaest.

Of course, many people consider the story of the Last Supper to be true

Naravno, mnogi ljudi smatraju priču o poslednjoj večeri istinitom,

but other superstitions come from religious traditions

ali druga sujeverja potiču iz religijskih tradicija

that few people believe in or even remember.

u koje veruje mali broj ljudi ili ih se uopšte seća.

Knocking on wood is thought to come from the folklore of the ancient Indo-Europeans

Kucanje u drvo se smatra da potiče iz folklora drevnih Indoevropljana

or possibly people who predated them

ili možda ljudi koji su im prethodili,

who believed that trees were home to various spirits.

koji su verovali da je drveće dom raznim duhovima.

Touching a tree would invoke the protection

Dodirivanje drveta je prizivalo zaštitu

or blessing of the spirit within.

ili blagoslov duha unutar njega.

A iz nekog razloga,

And somehow,

ova tradicija je preživela dugo nakon što je verovanje u ove duhove izbledelo.

this tradition survived long after belief in these spirits had faded away.

Many superstitions common today in countries from Russia to Ireland

Mnoga sujeverja koja su danas uobičajena u zemljama od Rusije do Irske

are thought to be remnants of the pagan religions that Christianity replaced.

se smatraju ostacima paganskih religija koje je zamenilo hrišćanstvo.

But not all superstitions are religious.

Međutim, nisu sva sujeverja religijska.

Some are just based on unfortunate coincidences and associations.

Neka su prosto zasnovana na nesrećnim slučajnostima i asocijacijama.

For example, many Italians fear the number 17

Na primer, mnogi Italijani se plaše broja 17

because the Roman numeral XVII can be rearranged to form the word vixi,

jer je rimska cifra XVII mogla da se preformuliše u reč vixi,

meaning my life had ended.

a to znači život mi je okončan.

Similarly, the word for the number four

Slično, reč za broj četiri

sounds almost identical to the word for death

zvuči skoro identično reči smrt

in Cantonese,

u kantonskom kineskom,

as well as languages like Japanese

kao i u jezicima, poput japanskog

and Korean that have borrowed Chinese numerals.

i koreanskog koji su pozajmili kineske cifre.

And since the number one also sounds like the word for must,

A kako broj jedan takođe zvuči kao reč za morati,

the number fourteen sounds like the phrase must die.

broj četrnaest zvuči poput fraze "moraš umreti".

That's a lot of numbers for elevators and international hotels to avoid.

To je mnogo brojeva za izbegavanje u liftovima i međunarodnim hotelima.

And believe it or not,

I, verovali ili ne,

some superstitions actually make sense,

neka sujeverja zapravo imaju smisla

or at least they did until we forgot their original purpose.

ili su bar imala dok nismo zaboravili njihovu prvobitnu namenu.

For example, theater scenery used to consist of large painted backdrops,

Na primer, pozorišna scena se nekada sastojala od velikih oslikanih kulisa,

raised and lowered by stagehands who would whistle to signal each other.

koje su dizali i spuštali scenski radnici koji su zviždanjem međusobno davali znake.

Absentminded whistles from other people could cause an accident.

Rasejani zvižduci drugih ljudi su mogli da izazovu nesreću.

But the taboo against whistling backstage still exists today,

Međutim, tabu protiv zviždanja iza scene postoji i danas,

long after the stagehands started using radio headsets.

dugo nakon što su scenski radnici počeli da koriste slušalice.

Along the same lines, lighting three cigarettes from the same match

Slično, zapaliti tri cigarete istom šibicom

really could cause bad luck if you were a soldier in a foxhole

zaista može da uzrokuje lošu sreću, ako ste vojnik u rovu

where keeping a match lit too long could draw attention from an enemy sniper.

gde držanje zapaljene šibice predugo može privući pažnju neprijateljskog snajpera.

Most smokers no longer have to worry about snipers,

Mnogi pušači više ne moraju da brinu zbog snajpera,

but the superstition lives on.

ali sujeverje opstaje.

So why do people cling to these bits of forgotten religions,

Pa, zašto se judi drže ovih delića zaboravljenih religija,

coincidences,

slučajnosti

and outdated advice?

i zastarelih saveta?

Aren't they being totally irrational?

Zar nisu potpuno iracionalni?

Well, yes, but for many people,

Pa, jesu, ali za mnoge ljude

superstitions are based more on cultural habit than conscious belief.

sujeverja su zasnovana pre na stečenoj navici nego na svesnom verovanju.

After all, no one is born knowing to avoid walking under ladders

Naposletku, niko nije rođen znajući da izbegava hodanje ispod merdevina

or whistling indoors,

ili zviždanje u unutrašnjosti,

but if you grow up being told by your family to avoid these things,

ali ako vam tokom odrastanja porodica govori da izbegavate sve to,

chances are they'll make you uncomfortable,

sve su prilike da ćete osećati nelagodnost,

even after you logically understand that nothing bad will happen.

čak i nakon što ste logički razumeli da se ništa loše neće desiti.

And since doing something like knocking on wood doesn't require much effort,

A pošto postupak poput kucanja u drvo ne iziskiva prevelik napor,

following the superstition is often easier than consciously resisting it.

praćenje sujeverja je često lakše od svesnog odupiranja.

Besides, superstitions often do seem to work.

Osim toga, čini se da sujeverja često deluju.

Maybe you remember hitting a home run while wearing your lucky socks.

Možda se sećate da ste postigli pobednički poen, noseći srećne čarape.

This is just our psychological bias at work.

To je prosto naša psihološka pristrasnost na delu.

You're far less likely to remember all the times you struck out

Daleko su manje šanse da ćete se setiti svih puta kada ste promašili

while wearing the same socks.

noseći iste čarape.

But believing that they work could actually make you play better

Međutim, zbog uverenja da deluju zapravo možete bolje da igrate

by giving you the illusion of having greater control over events.

jer vam pružaju iluziju da imate veću kontrolu nad zbivanjima.

So in situations where that confidence can make a difference, like sports,

Pa, u situacijama u kojim to samopouzdanje može da igra ulogu, kao u sportu,

those crazy superstitions might not be so crazy after all.

ta sumanuta sujeverja, naposletku, možda i nisu toliko sumanuta.