This past year, Power Balance bracelets have swept the country. The company was started by brothers Josh and Troy Rodarmel in 2006. They claim that these bracelets, through virtue of a special frequency burned into a hologram on the bracelet, give the wearer improved balance, strength and flexibility when worn.
Scientists refuse these claims, saying that the improvements are due in large part because of the placebo effect, and that repetition and familiarity is what really helps the wearer. Well, whether or not these bracelets were borrowed from Wonder Woman herself and are magical, or just increase the user’s confidence, people are wearing them.
Supporters of the Power Balance bracelets range from NBA champion Lamar Odom to my little brother. Nobody can really explain why they wear them religiously, other than the response, “It just works.” And that is OK. That is real power of the bracelets for wearers: They just work, no explanation needed.
That, actually, is the real power of superstition.
Superstitions abound, whether the ancient Mayans sacrificing people in hopes for rain, or current Rockies slugger Jason Giambi wearing a gold thong every time he is in a batting slump. Even I have superstitions. I always wear a Live Strong bracelet when I go skateboarding, and a New York Giants bracelet on those days when I want my Oregon Ducks to win.
Weird, right? I brought the bracelet with me to Italy and was huddled over my computer last Saturday listening to the game-cast online, with the bracelet on. And they won.
I’ll bet you have strange superstitions that you don’t even know about, too.
For athletes, that special pair of socks or particular shower might mean the difference between a win and a loss. For a businessman, maybe that lucky pair of cufflinks is the difference between owning that last meeting and sealing that big deal. It is probably different for everybody.
But there are those people who choose to ignore superstition, saying that it is stupid to trust something that is inanimate, naïve to trust something that isn’t tangible and can’t be controlled. Well, they just don’t believe.
To me, that is the best thing about having superstitions, that I can just let go and blindly out my faith in something, and then just believe it will work. I know my habit of putting on a New York Giants bracelet to help the Oregon Ducks football team is silly, but it works for me.
In fact, people choosing not to believe in superstitions are subscribing to one themselves. Choosing to only believe in themselves, not wanting a magical bracelet or lucky charm to help shoulder the burden, is still believing.
But what if a superstition fails? What if you wear those special cufflinks and ended up losing the deal? What if you don’t run faster wearing a Power Balance bracelet? What happens to that superstition? Do you angrily reject it, vowing to never let it into your life again? Of course you do! How many Cubs fans throw their “lucky” hats away come September, year in and year out? I’m sure quit a few.
Then, in March, when spring training rolls around, those same fans buy new lucky hats, or maybe a lucky toothbrush or a jacket or a bumper sticker. But they all start again. They all inevitably believe in the Cubs again, that they have a chance, and that they can make a difference. We humans believe unconditionally, whether you admit it or not.
It is said that the ancient Roman gladiators would enter the arena with their dominant foot first, for good luck in the fight to come. Half of these warriors would die in the arena regardless. A 50 percent chance isn’t very good, but they still chose to put their best foot forward, and that mindset is what captivates me about our silly superstitions. No matter how long the odds are, no matter how grim the future may look, we put our faith in an object or routine, and then trudge on, fueled only by our blind belief — and it is truly amazing.
Ryan Wheeler (rwheeler35@comcast.net) of Parker is a junior at Ponderosa High School. He is currently studying in Italy.
