Friday the 13th... Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

Here we go again. Another day with numerical implications has arrived.

I debated with myself much this morning to decide whether to write anything about this day or not. Personally this whole phobia makes me laugh. But my curiosity got the best of me and I researched the subject a little.

Media frenzy is transforming some local and limited superstitions in a global phenomenon that attracts more attention and sometimes causes a hysteria!

One of these these superstitions concerns Friday the13th. A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck for some people. This phobia was mostly spread is English and German speaking cultures. But with the globalization, this belief is - alas - reaching many more persons around the globe.

The fear of Friday the 13th is called Paraskevidekatriaphobia or Friggatriskaidekaphobia or simply Triskaidekaphobia (a term originating from Greek words).

This Friday some people will be so paralyzed with fear they simply won't get out of bed. Others will firmly refuse to fly on an airplane, buy a house, or make an important decision.

This fear seriously affects today's world. In USA, Canada any many European countries, people are constantly reminded of this phobia which is substantiated in some civic realities: In those places, more than 80 percent of high buildings lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13. I've seen this personally during some of my trips and I laughed when I noticed these habits. Does changing the number of the 13th floor to 14 really change anything? Go figure!

Like many human beliefs, the fear of Friday the 13th isn't exactly rooted in scientific logic. But the really strange thing is that most of the people who believe the day is unlucky offer no explanation at all, logical or illogical. As with most superstitions, people fear Friday the 13th for its own sake, without any need for background information. Likewise, no historical date has been identified as the origin of the superstition. If you're interested, I found some explanations that have been provided by the National Geographic, Wikipedia and a site called How Stuff Works.

Luckily, Lebanon has not succumbed yet to this hype, although some superstitious Lebanese are attracted to any idea that could justify and give meaning to certain dates.

I approached a similar topic on July 7th 2007.
I'm convinced that no day is different from others.
It's all inside our mind.
What we think about, we begin to feel.
What we feel affects what we do.
And what we do causes how we will become.

Let's think positive, let's do our best and things will get better, on Friday the 13th... or on any other day.