Miguel: Uy, Ana, stop that! Don’t touch the spider. You want your life to become difficult or what?
Ana: Laughs Miguel, relax. It’s just a tiny spider hanging near the window. I’m not even hurting it—just moving it outside.
Miguel: That’s exactly how it starts. My lola always said, “Huwag mong laruin ang gagamba, kung ayaw mong mahirapan sa buhay.” Don’t play with spiders, or your life will be full of problems.
Ana: I’ve heard that too. My grandmother used to say it when I was a kid. But think about it—how would a spider decide my future? It doesn’t have a magic difficulty button.
Miguel: You say that now, but my cousin Carlo didn’t listen. When we were kids, he used to poke spiders with a stick. Now look at him—lost his job twice, always struggling with money.
Ana: Miguel, lots of people lose jobs. That doesn’t mean the spiders filed a complaint with the universe. Carlo also skipped college and changes careers every year. Those things matter more than spiders.
Miguel: Still… the timing is scary. In our barrio, whenever someone messed with spiders, something bad followed. It’s not just Carlo.
Ana: Or maybe people only remember the bad cases. That’s called confirmation bias—you notice the times it “matches” and forget all the times nothing happened.
Miguel: Raises an eyebrow Confirmation what?
Ana: Confirmation bias. Our brains love patterns, even fake ones. Like when people say, “I wore red and failed the exam,” but forget all the times they wore red and passed.
Miguel: Huh. But why would elders make up this spider rule then?
Ana: They probably had a reason, just not a supernatural one. Spiders help control mosquitoes. If kids keep killing them, more mosquitoes, more dengue. Saying “your life will be difficult” is more effective than a long biology lecture.
Miguel: So you’re saying it’s a health warning in disguise?
Ana: Exactly. Old-school public service announcement. Fear works fast, especially on kids.
Miguel: Chuckles Lola as the Department of Health.
Ana: Pretty much. Plus, spiders bite sometimes. “Don’t play with spiders” is good advice. “Your destiny is cursed forever” is just dramatic seasoning.
Miguel: But I still feel uneasy. Like, what if it’s both? Science and bad luck?
Ana: If that were true, entomologists would be the most miserable people on Earth. Instead, they seem pretty happy—and employed.
Miguel: Fair point. I’ve never seen a documentary called “The Tragic Lives of Spider Scientists.”
Ana: See? You can respect tradition without believing it controls your fate. I don’t kill spiders either. I just don’t think they manage my life résumé.
Miguel: Smiles Okay, okay. I won’t panic next time. But I still won’t touch one.
Ana: That’s fine. Personal boundaries—human and spider. Deal?
Miguel: Deal. Just… gently move it away. No playing.
Ana: Grins For peace between science, superstition, and spiders.
Science Vs Superstition 
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