Miguel: sighs I can’t believe Anna and Paolo are still pushing through with their wedding this year. After Tito Ben passed away last March? That’s sukob, man. Bad luck waiting to happen.
Rina: Here we go again. You and your sukob alarms. Miguel, Tito Ben was 82 and lived a full life. What does that have to do with two people getting married?
Miguel: It’s not about logic, Rina. It’s tradition. You don’t mix mourning and celebration in the same year. My lola always said it invites misfortune—illness, money problems, even divorce.
Rina: My lola also said sitting on pillows causes boils. Still waiting for the scientific journal on that.
Miguel: Laugh all you want, but I’ve seen it happen. Remember my cousin Liza? She got married the same year her father died. After that—boom—her husband lost his job, their business failed, and they were fighting nonstop.
Rina: Or… hear me out… grief, stress, and sudden financial responsibility happened at the same time. When someone dies, families are emotionally and financially shaken. That affects marriages, not some invisible curse.
Miguel: But why do so many Filipinos believe it then? You can’t tell me millions of people are wrong.
Rina: Millions once believed the sun revolved around the earth too. Popular doesn’t mean proven. Sukob is more like a social warning disguised as superstition: “Hey, maybe don’t rush big life events while you’re still grieving.”
Miguel: Hmm. That actually sounds… reasonable. But still, why risk it? What if something bad happens? Everyone will say, “See? Sukob!”
Rina: That’s confirmation bias. If something bad happens, people blame sukob. If nothing bad happens, they say, “Oh, they were lucky.” No one counts the hundreds of couples who married after a death and lived normal, boring, happy lives.
Miguel: You’re saying we only remember the scary stories.
Rina: Exactly. Like horror movies. No one makes a movie called “They Married During Sukob and Paid Their Bills on Time.”
Miguel: laughs I’d still watch that if there’s popcorn.
Rina: Look, if Anna feels emotionally ready and the family agrees, that’s what matters. Science shows stress, grief, and lack of support affect marriages—not calendar rules.
Miguel: But culturally, it feels disrespectful. Like you’re celebrating while someone just died.
Rina: That part I understand. Cultural sensitivity matters. But that’s about feelings, not fate. You can respect mourning without believing the universe is keeping score.
Miguel: So you’re saying sukob isn’t a curse—it’s more like… emotional timing advice from our ancestors?
Rina: Exactly. Ancient life coaching, minus the data.
Miguel: Huh. I still wouldn’t do it myself. My anxiety would kill me before the curse does.
Rina: And that’s fine! If avoiding sukob gives you peace, go for it. Just don’t scare other people into thinking tragedy is guaranteed.
Miguel: Fair enough. I’ll stop warning Anna about car accidents and bankruptcies.
Rina: Thank you. The traffic alone is already scary enough in Manila.
Miguel: smiles Okay, science wins one round. But I’m still knocking on wood.
Rina: Knock all you want—as long as you don’t blame the wood if your phone battery dies.
Science Vs Superstition 
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