31 October 2021

It's halloween! What does that make me think of? Certainly not trick or treat (although I have bought some just in case!), but instead it makes me think about the concept of magic. I don't mean slight of hand, but real magic - Harry Potter style.

Now people have believed in magic for thousands of years. There are ancient writings where magic is addressed, in law, as far back as the Romans. This was serious stuff, people could be set on fire on the basis of being called a witch. It wasn't just burnings, they were hung too, and not just women, men as well.

When you think about it, how terribly sad that so many people, over such as long period of time, were killed because of ignorance. A fear of the unknown. A fear that's easy to understand with the help science, but back then there was no scientific explanation, then it was the work of a witch or ever worse the devil. A person being sick, a crop not growing as it should, a comet in the sky - all the work of the devil and his witches.

So what about today? Let's be honest here, people do not always trust science and people are innately superstitious. How many times have you seen someone believe in dumb luck? Thrown salt over the shoulder, put up a horseshoe, or thought they would get 7 years bad luck for breaking a mirror?

But there is a positive, for the vast majority of people we have moved on and ever increasing numbers of people just don't believe in it any more. This means that it's fallen to giving kids the delightful halloween tradition of carving pumpkins and dressing up.

Of course, carving pumpkins and dressing up is not just for kids. Adults do it too, such as the lovely halloween costume to the right which is available online for a party cosplay costume. Who could complain about that?

So my final thoughts are that, we have moved on and I am so very glad to live in a more enlightened age. I do appreciate there still people that believe in magic and that's fine with me. Let them do as they please, at least the mob is not trying to set them on fire, at least not literally.