Living in this region, one has to be very careful who and how one compliments. You see many blue glass eyes for sale for warding off the 'evil eye'. I have close girlfriends who wear glass blue eyes on their bracelets. I think it is mostly as a fashion statement within my circle of friends, but for many here it is to ward off evil.
Here's a great blog post from an Omani blogger on the subject. She's does a much better job of explaining this than I can.
http://susanalshahri.blogspot.com/2012/04/evil-eye.html
I feel that when we humans do things like wear things or hang things up to ward off evil, we are trying to control what we cannot control. We have a desperate need to feel that we are doing something. There is an old Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where Calvin is standing outside looking up at a star filled night sky. Calvin proclaims, "I AM SIGNIFICANT! ....screams the speck of dust." But, for many, and for those of us who are people of faith, I know that I AM significant.
A different twist on this discussion is the recent news coming out of S.A. The report is that a woman was arrested in a shopping mall (?) and is being held on suspicion of casting a spell. I believe the report was originally brought to light in the West by Reuters. The Chicago Tribune picked up the story and has it published on their website.
How do we as parents deal with the sadness, the horror, of having a child fall ill? When my munchkin #2 is in pain, when she is frustrated by headaches and joint pain, I ask 'why her?'. When good friends, loved ones fall ill with some horrific disease, I want to cry out, 'Why?'. Again, I could type tons and tons of theological stuff. But, it would come up short. My comfort comes not through my own words but through my faith.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
Peace.
