NationStates

As you've probably realized, today is Friday the 13^th, and, by a cool coincidence, tomorrow is Pi Day.
(Well, unless you live in the East, in which case: Friday the thirteenth was yesterday, and Pi Day is today).

To make the dates of today and tomorrow even more apparently significant, this is no ordinary Friday the 13th: it is a two-month combo of the 13^ths falling on Fridays (the consecutive months of February and March) for first time in 6 years and the last time for another 11 years; and this is no ordinary Pi Day either: it is the only Pi Day of this century on which the date appears as "3/14/15" (resembling the first few decimal digits of π, "3.1415…") when written in the American style.

As someone who isn't superstitious in the slightest, I am interested to see how the NationStates community is when it comes to superstition and whether it is as non-superstitious as I suspect it is.

So, what do you make of such coincidences? Do either of these days mean anything to you? Are you superstitious when it comes to numbers or dates? Do you cross your fingers and knock on wood? Are you afraid of broken mirrors? Do you believe in Astrology? Are you a superstitious person in general?

Do you dislike math but have triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13)?
Do you celebrate Pi Day but think that fear of numbers is bullshit?
Are you like me, and you ignore coincidences and generally dislike superstition?

Tell about it below!

I am religious, but not superstitious.

United North Atlantic States wrote:Every Friday from now on at 21:00 UTC (exactly one hour earlier than this one), I will be posting a poll called "VV" followed by its number.

"What does 'VV' mean," you ask?

Well, it stands for the first letter of the translation of "Friday Vote" in various languages.

We'll see. Just make sure they don't become spam.

I have some vaguely spiritual beliefs, none of which involve irrational fears of the number thirteen, astrology spamming, or donating to televangelists. I do avoid walking under ladders, but this is mostly because I do not want to injure myself (or the guy on the ladder).

Nord Amour wrote:I have some vaguely spiritual beliefs, none of which involve irrational fears of the number thirteen, astrology spamming, or donating to televangelists. I do avoid walking under ladders, but this is mostly because I do not want to injure myself (or the guy on the ladder).

Well, of course. I mean, just look at Jim Blaine's Uncle Lem. When his uncle Lem was leaning up agin a scaffolding once, sick, or drunk, or suthin, an Irishman with a hod full of bricks fell on him out of the third story and broke the old man's back in two places. People said it was an accident. Much accident there was about that. He didn't know what he was there for, but he was there for a good object. If he hadn't been there the Irishman would have been killed. Nobody can ever make me believe anything different from that. Uncle Lem's dog was there. Why didn't the Irishman fall on the dog? Becuz the dog would a seen him a coming and stood from under. That's the reason the dog warn't appinted. A dog can't be depended on to carry out a special providence. Mark my words it was a put-up thing. Accidents don't happen, boys.

You don't wanna put yourself in that sort of position.

My 13th birthday was on Friday the 13th. So no, I'm most certainly not. Not dismissing the superstitious, I just don't believe any of it myself.

π, 3.14151!!! OMG thats certainly a sign of something or other

last Tuesday I noticed increase geothermal activity from one of the local geysers and then there was a swarm of Earthquakes and now Cyclone Pam has hit the Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu! I bet that if you divide the circumference of the cyclone by its diameter you will find that the digits add up to 666 but that they are also infinite and ripe with possibility.

Cetacea wrote:π, 3.14151!!! OMG thats certainly a sign of something or other

last Tuesday I noticed increase geothermal activity from one of the local geysers and then there was a swarm of Earthquakes and now Cyclone Pam has hit the Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu! I bet that if you divide the circumference of the cyclone by its diameter you will find that the digits add up to 666 but that they are also infinite and ripe with possibility.

I know, right? And look at the total number of votes: 13!!!!!!!!1!11!!!1!

No, and even if I was, this would be a holiday for me.

Not exactly superstitious, though I do have annoying habits from when I was superstitious. I don't actually believe that knocking on wood drives away demons, but I do it anyway as a reflex.

Farnhamia wrote:

United North Atlantic States wrote:Every Friday from now on at 21:00 UTC (exactly one hour earlier than this one), I will be posting a poll called "VV" followed by its number.

"What does 'VV' mean," you ask?

Well, it stands for the first letter of the translation of "Friday Vote" in various languages.

We'll see. Just make sure they don't become spam.

One post a week is considered "spam"?

United North Atlantic States wrote:
As you've probably realized, today is Friday the 13^th, and, by a cool coincidence, tomorrow is Pi Day.
(Well, unless you live in the East, in which case: Friday the thirteenth was yesterday, and Pi Day is today).

To make the dates of today and tomorrow even more apparently significant, this is no ordinary Friday the 13th: it is a two-month combo of the 13^ths falling on Fridays (the consecutive months of February and March) for first time in 6 years and the last time for another 11 years; and this is no ordinary Pi Day either: it is the only Pi Day of this century on which the date appears as "3/14/15" (resembling the first few decimal digits of π, "3.1415…") when written in the American style.

As someone who isn't superstitious in the slightest, I am interested to see how the NationStates community is when it comes to superstition and whether it is as non-superstitious as I suspect it is.

So, what do you make of such coincidences? Do either of these days mean anything to you? Are you superstitious when it comes to numbers or dates? Do you cross your fingers and knock on wood? Are you afraid of broken mirrors? Do you believe in Astrology? Are you a superstitious person in general?

Do you dislike math but have triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13)?
Do you celebrate Pi Day but think that fear of numbers is bullshit?
Are you like me, and you ignore coincidences and generally dislike superstition?

Tell about it below!

Every Friday from now on at 21:00 UTC (exactly one hour earlier than this one), I will be posting a poll called "VV" followed by its number.

"What does 'VV' mean," you ask?

Well, it stands for any one of numerous translations of "Friday Vote" in various languages which share their roots in Latin.

For example:

Spanish: Voto de Viernes
French: Vote de Vendredi
Italian: Voto di Venerdì
Romanian: Vot de Vineri
Dutch: Vote van Vrijdag
Afrikaans: Verklaringen van Vrydag
Catalan: Vot de Divendres
Galician: Votación do Venres
Latin: Voto Dies Veneris
Esperanto: Voĉdono de Vendredo

(Before you complain in the comments: Yes, I know that some of these translations of "Vote" are rarely used in these languages. It's just cool to show that they all share the same Latin roots.)

Hopefully this is a sign that my interview today with HR's legal department will result in a job offer

Religious, but not superstitious in the manner of that field at all.

I do have meaningless rituals I carry out day to day, but those are due to the Asperger's not superstition.

Nope, not religious or superstitious. Belief in superstitions just seem illogical / weak minded IMO.

Grinning Dragon wrote:Nope, not religious or superstitious. Belief in superstitions just seem illogical / weak minded IMO.

Illogical...sure, but weak minded might not be the case. The French Creoles in New Orleans are notorious for the amount of superstition they adhere to. Even today it continues thanks in part to how they were raised the superstitions carry on (no thanks to the practice of Hoodoo).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(folk_magic)

Benuty wrote:

Grinning Dragon wrote:Nope, not religious or superstitious. Belief in superstitions just seem illogical / weak minded IMO.

Illogical...sure, but weak minded might not be the case. The French Creoles in New Orleans are notorious for the amount of superstition they adhere to. Even today it continues thanks in part to how they were raised the superstitions carry on (no thanks to the practice of Hoodoo).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(folk_magic)

While I do live in the NOLA area, I still find that practice just as humorous as other superstitions. I understand that, this is how they were raised and led to believe, but you would think after many attempts of the same spell / talisman / prayer, etc. over and over again and no results were being produced, you would think they would come to the conclusion that such a belief / process is based on bull shit. But whatever, people will believe what they want, I just cannot buy into it.

I'm a little bit superstitious; I knock on wood when I tell people of something bad that hasn't happened so it doesn't happen anyway. I know myself that it is absolute bullshit, though.

If I remember correctly. On Friday the 13th 1307, Knights Templar were rounded up arrested / tortured/ burned alive / assassinated all because they refused to help the big baby, king phillip, so he had convinced the pope to excommunicate the order.
So we can thank/blame the church for the belief / meaning of the superstition of Friday the 13th.

I am religious, but not superstitious. Superstition is bullshit.

The Orson Empire wrote:I am religious, but not superstitious. Superstition is bullshit.

Yet it is understand bullshit .