BABY - SUPERSTITION (As Stevie Wonder Would Sing)!
There’s something oddly fitting about waiting for Friday the 13th to pass before sitting down to write about superstition. As if putting a little distance between yourself and the supposed bad luck somehow softens its edge. Even if you don’t believe in it, there’s often that tiny, almost playful hesitation—why risk it?
Superstition has a long and tangled history, rooted in humanity’s attempt to make sense of the unknown. Long before science provided explanations, people looked for patterns in chaos. If something bad happened after a certain action, it was only natural to connect the two. Over time, these associations hardened into beliefs: don’t walk under ladders, avoid black cats, knock on wood. They became part of cultural identity, passed down through generations more as habit than conviction.
Friday the 13th is perhaps one of the most famous examples. Its origins are often traced to a mix of religious and historical influences—the number 13 being considered unlucky in various traditions, and Friday itself carrying negative connotations in some cultures. Blend the two together, and you have a date that still manages to unsettle people, even in a modern, rational world.
What’s interesting, though, is how these beliefs quietly shape real-world decisions. Not always in obvious ways, but subtly, almost subconsciously. Buildings skip the 13th floor. Airlines avoid row 13. And even in places designed for practicality and efficiency, superstition finds a foothold.
At Store That Self Storage in Canary Wharf, East London, for example. In all areas of their facility, you won’t find any units marked number 13. It’s a small detail, easy to overlook, but it speaks volumes. Whether it’s done to reassure customers or simply to avoid any discomfort, it’s a nod to the enduring power of belief—even in a business built on logic, organisation, and space optimisation.
This is the curious thing about superstition: it doesn’t need full belief to survive. It exists comfortably in that grey area between scepticism and tradition. People may laugh about it, dismiss it outright, and yet still hesitate before booking the 13th slot or signing for unit
number 13.
Perhaps superstition persists because it offers a sense of control. In an unpredictable world, small rituals and avoided numbers give the illusion that we can influence outcomes, however slightly. Or maybe it’s simply cultural inertia—traditions that continue because they always have.
Either way, now that Friday the 13th has come and gone without incident (hopefully), it feels safe enough to reflect on it. Safe—but not entirely free from that quiet, lingering thought: better not tempt fate too much!.