Do you think talking about a good thing too much can "jinx" it?

So what you're saying is things are destined to happen. I believe in destiny too, but I also believe we can change it by free will and choices, but as I said talking about a good thing, does not qualify as a change, so I guess we're both on the same page when it comes to that.

I tend to agree with you. It's not superstition at all. It's just that some people will send a very negative energy towards you if they are jealous or envious of your good fortune. So, yes, I think it's important to pick and choose who you share your good news with. I have an "acqaintance" who is an extremely jealous-hearted person. I rarely tell her any good news or play it down, and I try to never share my bad news with her at all, because she absolutely loves it when others have misfortune. She feeds off it like a vampire.

Thanks both of you for your contributions to this thread! I work with one of those mean-spirited jealous people, and I too have to watch what I say in front of her. People like that are very unhappy and negative, and in my view they waste their lives and try to bring everyone else down with them. The good news is that they only have as much power to affect you, as you give them. Misery loves company in the case of such people, and it's so stupid, pathetic and their problem, not yours, and if you have no choice but to interact with them (if you work with them for example), it's important to remember that how they see things has no bearing on the reality of who you are, and how the world is! As for the black cat thing, I think that's one of those christianity-based superstitions from the early days of christianity getting its claws culturally into Europe. Rather than being good advice, without a reason, some superstitions were started by the early christians to make people afraid of those who still practised earth-based religions. The black cat as a familiar, or a magical creature was respected and seen as a good omen by Druids and Nature-Worshippers (if memory serves), so therefore the idea of the black cat as a magickal being, to be respected, was distorted by the early christians into the idea of something to be feared. They didn't deny its power in the minds of people who were still culturally tied to magic and nature-worship, but instead they said it was dangerous and its powers could hurt them. It was a form of spin-doctoring of the time, and rather than pooh-poohing the deeply-held ideas and beliefs of the people, the early christians accepted certain elements of their ethoses, but told them that they were mistaken as to the way they viewed such things. Religious superstitions were a way of reinforcing their religion as being the only religion they could trust, and such superstitions live on still today, perpetuating this misinformation, and in many cases bigotry. It's a shame that these negative ideas which are just accepted alongside actual commonsense advice without people questioning it, still today. So it's great that you're questioning such things Vega! If more people thought about superstitions that people either write off as stupid ignorance, or accept wholescale blindly, then more good advice and wisdom would be around nowadays, and less bigotry and intolerance would be blindly followed and accepted. It's a case of not throwing out the baby with the bathwater - questioning and thinking about things are the only way to separate the good and useful from the bad and ignorant.

Well, cblackink, it's funny you're still acquainted to this vampire like acquaintance. Yeah, I can see what you're saying, angelic, that things start of logically, but they somehow get distorted and end up being illogical and superstitious. Good example with the ladder. How do you think the black cat crossing the path started though, ha ha?

Well, I haven't experienced it that much, but there have been instances where I have talked about something good and then it didn't happen. But I just never associated it with my talking about it, I guess it just wasn't mean to happen.

yeah. some people believe in god, some in buddha. you know. everyone believes in different things.

yeah, absolutely and I respect that..

Yeah, I guess that's how the superstition arose in the first place. But I'm sure we can still tell friends. I mean I for one, don't get jealous if someone tells me something good about their lives. It's better than hearing them complain, ha ha.

It is OK, as far as it is not your turpitude.

Well, obviously. I don't like to judge people all together.

Yeah, that's the spirit. I believe in that too, that positive energy breeds more positive energy, and I've seen it happen. If I'm positive around my friends and share my optimism, eventually they also see life in an optimistic way.

Well, of course, I am a good listener too, in those situations, after all, what are friends for? But in some cases people just talk about the bad in their life not just to get it off the chest, but because they are sometimes so used to complaining, and sadly, sometimes it the only form of communication they know..

hum... but if my friends talk to me for their bad or unlucky things, I will be the good listener. Then my job is to encourage them to be positive for tomorrow. ^^

Well, you got me, I believe in that too, but most people have different beliefs as well.

Yeah, I understand, however, I do think that it's not really fair to get jealous of someone else's good fortunes, when my friends tell me the good about their lives, I feel excited and happy for them.

Yeah, could be, or maybe it just wasn't meant to be with the others, that doesn't necessarily mean that it was only jinxed because you talked about it. But I guess it's all a matter of what we believe in.

well, it's not really a phrase per say, but so many people believe in that.

So in your case, it would be safe to say, that it's a tried and tested theory that it doesn't really make a difference.

Yes, in fact I did get plenty of responses from people who do believe in it, and the thing is that according to them, it's tried and tested too.

I would say so but I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses by people saying the opposite!

Well, I guess sometimes we tend to generalize things, that if something happened to someone because they did something, then the same will happen to us. I guess that might be a superstition in itself.

Yeah, true, about the whole promotion thing, especially, but then I'm talking about a good "sure" thing. A promotion is not really sure until you are promoted, is it? I do see your point. But then usually we share good things with our friends, people who we trust, and people who are happy with our progresses, so no harm in that.

Yeah, of course that's what I'm talking about, the whole being sure that you actually have it in the bag, and then talking about it. If it's not a sure thing yet, then talking about it or not, it will have the outcome it's supposed to.

You're right. It's a belief thing, so of course it's not something that can be proven right or wrong. It's different for everyone.

It sounds more like some jerks that hired you. I don't think that had anything to do with any jinxes. After all, you did have the job, it's not like it was not a sure thing. I think it's real crappy to fire someone just because they are pregnant.

Well, I guess it's all about our beliefs. If you believe in that, then I respect that, but myself, I don't believe in it that much.

Well of course, I do too. I can't imagine not being able to talk about my good luck to my friend.

I'm like you. When something good happens I can't keep my mouth shut either. I want everyone I know to know. I think that sharing happiness makes it grow, just like sharing negative energy makes that grow too.

Well, of course, when I say talking about a good thing, I mean to friends and close friends at that, and if it's your close friends then you don't really need to worry about jealousy and all that.

That's great, but I do wish you had something more to add than that.