Most taboos come from our fears which are not well rationalised nor justified. Taboos have served to enforce rules by societies since time immemorial. Let's say a society back in time is conservative, it can conjure unjustified or irrational taboos to prevent people from being so liberal such as kissing leads to pregnancy, therefore abstain. With the lack of scientific knowledge, societies can exploit people's need for safety by instilling fear in them so as to get them to conform to societal values.

In this age and time, we are bombarded with scientific knowledge but yet we are subconsciously perturbed if we say or do something that is taboo. Why? Is it because of the thrill of fearing that we ignore the fact that our fear is irrational? Or is it because we are insecure beings who have not discovered the workings of the divine yet?

Personally, being the typical kiasu Singaporean, I choose to be safe than sorry. I recognize that there is no link between giving someone a clock and how it spells death. Ironically, our literacy ability has enabled us to link the names of objects to words associated with death and other negative stuff, thus instilling more irrational fear.

If fear is rational, then it must be because we are definitely sure that something bad will happen based on evidence. If fear is irrational, it can be dangerous, leading to discontentment and severe paranoia or even manic depression.

I believe that irrational fear stemming from taboos will never be totally eradicated because there will always be a paranoid side in us which prevents us from thinking rationally. For some of us, it is the thrill from this fear that keeps taboos alive. With exploding avenues of communication, they will never be exhausted where the passing down of taboos is concerned. A sacred respect descends on the taboos as they build up reputable historical evidence that something bad happens when something is done. Even more respect is paid as the taboo is passed down by our ancestors who are seen to be wiser.

If taboos continue to perpetuate in society, i hope that someday it will breed an interesting race of cynical believers.