Drive out ignoranceOne superstitious belief that was used as an excuse by Filipinos to light up firecrackers on New Year’s Eve is that the explosion would drive out evil spirits as well as bad luck. I venture that the consequence comes from ignorance or forgetting the spirit behind a cultural value or practice. Circling back to firecrackers, superstition and ignorance, it is interesting to note that firecracker bans have gotten tougher and tougher, but superstition and ignorance persist. We do need to blast away ignorance that feeds superstition, but more importantly, we need to actively work against ignorance in our lives. Many platforms and sources are capitalizing on people’s “selective ignorance” to peddle their political narrative, disinformation or bias.

Source: Philippine Star December 31, 2025 01:01 UTC