It is said that ignorance and superstition are like two sides of a coin. Irrational fears are part of the human psyche but if such fears are acted upon without analyzing their source and/or discussing them with others, can often be fatal. This is not the first time when individuals and families have been tortured and their homes attacked by arsonists in the belief that they are practitioners of witchcraft, black magic or worshippers of the serpent (Thlen) a myth that still plays havoc with our nerves. Ignorance that is not superstition has several causes, such as the unavailability of information, honest mistakes in reasoning, or intellectual inability. But superstitious ignorance has only one cause and that is the intentional misuse of the rational faculty to evade, distort, or obfuscate the truth.
Ignorance resulting from a lack of information or mistakes in reasoning can be corrected by obtaining more information or using the same process (reasoning) to correct the mistakes. Even where ignorance is the result of a limited intellect, more effort and time will often overcome the limitation, and even limited knowledge, rationally obtained, is better than superstition. But we suffer on most occasions from the mob mentality. And the mob is not rational. When thousands of people believe in a fallacy it is difficult to correct perceptions. It has often been found that petty jealousies are at the root of most destructive human emotions. We wonder at such times whether education has succeeded even to a small extent to make us more rational human beings or whether all learning has failed to touch the cognitive domain of the human mind.
Often, rumours spread like wildfire. And very few people try to scotch rumours. In small towns and villages where nothing spectacular happens, gossip and rumour-mongering are delightful pastimes. Sadly rumours can cost lives and the incident near Mawsynram has cost considerable loss of income for a particular family which is accused to have amassed wealth through witchcraft. The question now is who will pay for the damages? It is also unbelievable that the Dorbar Shnong would take an arbitrary decision to instigate people against a member of the community instead of practicing restraint. The law has to take its own course here and we can only hope that wrongdoers pay for their acts of commission.
