The Mind Creative
In a world of adversities, accidents, ailments, violence, natural
calamities, oppression, destitution and cruelty, pirs and fakirs,
swamis and sadhus, soothsayers, clairvoyants, astrologers,
palmists, fortune-tellers, exorcists and witchdoctors – charlatans
of all hues and kinds – are doing brisk business. This is one line
of business where only fools fail, but in which the likes of the
above-mentioned Sheikh and Panditji treat the rest of us as fools.
And thanks to a lot of gullible people, they thrive.
Superstitious beliefs result in crippling injuries and deaths (from
lack of timely and sustained medical intervention) as well as acute
mental diseases and suicides (from lack of psychological
counselling and psychiatric treatment).
It gets worse. In many
parts
of
the
world,
particularly Africa, South
America and some parts of
Asia, the belief in black
magic,
witchcraft
and
sorcery leads to torture
and murder of innocent
people, especially women.
A 2009 report by Karen
Stollznow in the Skeptical
Inquirer carried this chilling
news of a recent spate of
witchcraft-related murders in rural Papua New Guinea:
“A young woman was stripped naked, bound and gagged, tied to
a log, and set on fire by a band of villagers. She burned to death
in the blaze. Local authorities believe she was suspected of being
a witch. Within days, a man was accused of using magic to kill
another villager. Pronounced guilty by an ad hoc court, the man
was slashed to death with bush knives by an angry mob.”
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