Why myths won't die

Why do so many people believe in so many things for which there is so little proof or even no proof at
all? The history of human civilisation is crowded with beings that don't exist, cures which don't work and
magical powers no one can use. And today, despite the Enlightenment; despite the fact we live in an age
of science and reason; despite Galileo, Darwin, Tesla and Einstein and many other scientist who stand on
their shoulders, millions of people still truly believe in the supernatural, the unproven, the can't-be-
proven, the plain impossible and the myths that just won't die. Why?
One explanation was offered by J.F. Kennedy who wrote, "The great enemy of the truth is very often
not the lie-deliberate and dishonest, but the myth, persistent persuasive and unrealistic." He added that
"belief " in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
We live in a complicated world where scientist are constantly discovering something new, something
never-seen before. The more they discover, the harder is for the rest of us to understand what is going
on. So clearly there is a temptation to try to make sense of it all by searching for simple answers. If you
can't understand the physics or the chemistry behind the complex reality around you, there's always a
comfortable myth which can explain it all away.
The world can also be tough, cruel and unforgiving, and myths can bring us great consolation. So it's not
surprise that someone with an incurable disease or an illness requiring long and painful treatment
believe in something we find crazy. Some people swear by crystals and metals and magnets that claim to
channel the "good" energy and keep off the "bad". And others go to see faith-healers.
In fact, there is no scientific evidence that backs up miracle cures. However, there have been many cases
where people have reported feeling better after touching crystals or seeing faith-healers. One possible
explanation is the power of suggestion. It seems that if you really believe you are going to get well,
whether it be thanks to a magic stone, an amulet, a wizard or a placebo, you increase your chances of
recovery. It's human nature.
Another typical human habit is our need to explain the mysteries around us by making attractive stories,
even if the evidence is insufficient. One example is telepathy. While it's true there are some intriguing
anecdotes of mind-to-mind communication, no verifiable evidence of telepathy has ever been found,
despite all the experiments that have been carried out.
If your life is grey and dull and you feel jaded and bored, then believing there are fairies at the bottom of
your garden can make it more colorful and interesting. What's so bad about that? Is it any worse than
taking an interest in "Star Wars", the love-life of the latest pop star or the progress of your team in the
Champions' League?
Some myths are just the way of making some money and the greatest money-spinning myth of them all
is the Loch Ness monster. Unlike other mystical creatures, it has actually been photographed, but the
photos are unclear, and the person who took the best one admitted it was a hoax.


Not all myths are money-making exercises. The curious myth that Elvis Prisley is still alive offers no
financial benefit to anyone, but since his death in 1977, the king of rock'n'roll has been sighted
everywhere from Krakow to Caracas. Although many of the people who report the sightings are sincere,
they appear to be victims of self-deception brought about by their unwillingness to admit their hero is
dead.
But if myths are delusions, they're also good fun. They bring back the child in us. We love fantasy, we
desire impossibility, we fall for simple tricks. Even respectable intelligent adults can be taken in. Arthur
Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherloc k Holmes, truly believed that some photographs of fairies taken by
two young sisters in 1917. were true and he even published a book entitled "The Coming of the Fairies".
However, people don't like to let the facts get in the way of a good story, no matter how far-fetched it
may be. We love telling tales and passing them down from generation to generation. For example, the
myth of the "Yeti", the giant creature that has been spotted all around the world or the "Bigfoot" in
California, or "Yowie", how they're calling it in Australia, this creature has never been photographed
and never been caught dead or alive. But people still believe in it.
Myths offer us simple answers and exciting explanations. They bring us consolation. They give us tales to
tell and make us feel like children again. They also provide an unhealthy profit for people who are using
them. For all those reasons it seems clear that millions of believers will never allow their myths to die.
However, remember this: the fact that many people share a delusion doesn't make delusion a fact.
Every Christmas lots of children swear they have seen Santa Claus, but you don't believe in Santa
anymore...do you?
And now, there are 3 biggest Serbian mysteries that still doesn't have an answer:
1. Rtanj- the mystical mountain
Rtanj is one of many mountains in central Serbia. Maybe you have been there sometimes and you have
seen the beautiful nature and fantastic view from the top. But beside of that, she hides few interesting
facts that you may find interesting.
First, it's enough just to stand back a little and get a full picture of it. Then you will say something like
"Oh God, this is pyramid"; in fact in so perfect shape that the famous SF writer Arthur Clark thought
there is pyramid inside of mountain- the oldest proof that aliens exist. Even some fans of science fiction
firmly believe that there is also spaceship inside of mountain which will fly when the apocalypse
happens. Just because of that, at the end of the 2012. when there were thought all around the world
that the apocalypse will happen for sure, people were paying even thousands of euro for hotels on our
mountain.
The locals are thinking there is some hidden treasure inside of caves inside of mountain. The legend says
there were some wizard living on the top of the mountain who was keeping enormous treasure...which
has never been found, just so you know.
That's not all, there are also many witnesses of a lot of paranormal activities around the mountain. So,
don' t be surprised if you see some flashing balls, unindentified flying objects, or something strange like
that...So, for the conclusion, the Rtanj mountain is everything but ordinary.
2. Kalemegdan and the things from under
Imagine a place where people are gathering, fighting wars, making peace, and doing many other
historical stuffs for many,many years. Well, that's Belgrade- the Kalemegdan exactly. And now imagine
how many secrets and stories are made for those 2000 years.
The focus of the most myths is the Roman well. It's 51m deep and has approximately 200 stairs to the
bottom. Many people were thinking that's the place where the mythical hero Orpheus came down to
the underworld. For many centuries there is a belief that inside of it there's still some big treasure.
And while we're under the ground, let's focus on halls and caves under the Kalemegdan. The biggest
part of this is not still searched. But it is known there's some system made of under hallways all around
Belgrade and still there's no answer what they have been used for. One of the hallways leads to the
secret underground lake, just so you know.
3.The Vampires
What do you think, what is the most famous thing all around the world that comes from Serbia? The
food? Drinks? Girls? Novak Djokovic? No. The most famous thing and brand that comes from Serbia is
the vampire. Yes, you have read good. That's only international word that comes from Serbian language.
It all begins somewhere around 18. century when came up the story about creepy mystical creatures
that comes from Balkan. The first mentioning of them were in some German newspaper where it is said
that village Kisiljev (Serbia ) first died just one man- Petar Blagojevic and then 10 people died right after
him in the next 24 hours. The government sent the doctors to investigate the cause of death and after
10 weeks they have found Blagojevic alive when they opened the coffin and there were also remainings
of blood on his lips. Then, after putting wooden stick in his chest, the fresh red blood came out from his
nose, ears and body. His body was burned then and the misterious deaths in village have never
happened again.
But still, the our most famous vampire is Sava Savanovic from village Zarozje (Serbia). This is the legend.
Sava was a successful salesman who fell in love with much younger girl and asked for her hand from his
father who turned him down. Then he changed, become strange and full of anger. After some time he
decided to kill the girl, just for revenge- something like: you will be mine or nobody's. He shot her in the
back and then the shepards found him and beated him to the death. After that he became a vampire
and the legend says that he drank blood of the locals for the next 99 years...There are of course many
stories that Sava is still there, chasing new victims.