The worst lie I ever believed: The duck and the superstition

Back in school I was told a lie and I accepted it with both arms. It was about ducks and bad luck. We were setting up for some hands on experiment and some of the students wanted to kill a duck for it. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but one of our lecturers stepped in and told us something strange. He claimed it was some kind of omen, that killing a duck was not a good thing to do. He went on to explain that if we did kill the duck, we had to put money in its mouth to avoid something bad happening to us.

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I was shocked when I heard this. But it sounded so ominous and the lecturer made it sound like a fact. And everyone in the room seemed to think so, so I did as well. I thought, “Wow, killing a duck can really bring bad luck? It wasn’t something I wanted to risk, and I didn’t want anyone in my class to take the chance either. The idea of something happening to us because of a freaking duck frightened me. I didn't want to be the cause of anything horrible, and I sure as hell didn't want to be haunted by bad luck.

The idea of putting money in the duck’s mouth felt strange, but the fear of bad luck made it seem like a necessary step. It wasn’t just me many of my classmates believed it too. None of us wanted anything to happen, and at that time it sounded as if the only way to ensure that nothing would happen was to heed the warnings of that lecturer. Looking back, it seems silly, but at the time, we were all so convinced.

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For a long time, I held onto that belief. Well, I really didn't dwell on the subject much, but in the back of my head I always believed that there was some sort of truth to it. However, as I grew older and learned more about life, I began to realize that this story wasn’t based on any real facts. It was only an old wive's tale, one of those things that people say to frighten or manipulate others into behaving in a particular way.

So when I realized the whole thing was a lie, I was feeling a combination of emotions. At first, I was embarrassed. How could I have believed something so strange? I felt kind of dumb for falling for it so easily. But then, I felt angry. How could they say that to us, a lecturer no less, how could we trust someone like that. They shouldn't have led us to believe that.

But I did learn a very important lesson from that experience. It is not always what people tell you, even though they may seem believable. It taught me to be more careful about what I believe, and to ask questions instead of just accepting things without thinking. I can laugh about it now, but I remember being so scared that day. The duck and the bad luck story is something I will never forget but at the same time it teaches me to not believe everything I hear and to always use my head and think.