Suspicions Regarding Chain Mail

Generally, I don't consider myself to be a superstitious person. I don't believe the cracks on the sidewalk will send my mother into back spasms, nor do I think that I need to spoil the pleasant dining experience of the guest behind me by showering him or her with a handful of salt if I happen to spill some on the table. I do acknowledge that there are most likely many things going on within this world that are beyond the comprehension of the human mind; however, many of these wives' tales regarding bad luck always baffled me. Why would people believe such fallacy?
Where did such stories originate and how reliable is the credibility? In fact, why were the representations of sudden misfortune that we know of chosen versus others? What is so unlucky about a broken mirror, cracked in a multitude of directions with its crevasses resembling that of an intricately designed spider web reflecting every vibrant shade of the color spectrum as well as showing the observer every side of him or herself? What is so unlucky about a black cat, visible only by its illuminating yellow eyes dancing against the vacant ground, scurrying across your path? Why are these things chosen and not other depressing and or shocking sensations such as a desolate and deceased tree abandoned in the wilderness, or a dried up, vacant river, or a rust-painted vehicle abandoned on the side of the road?
What truly boggles my mind is the idea of chain mail. You see it in E-mails, comments, statuses on social networking sites, and essentially anywhere that allows the public to express their opinion. The common gist of chain mail is some sort of attention grabbing message; it can be a sad story, a demand that the user not stop reading, a promise of good fortune. While many of these pieces of chain mail are different, they all retain a common theme; you must repost the message to a certain number of friends, a certain number of places, resend a certain number of times, or whatever direction the message gives you.
If you do not follow the demands of this message, you will encounter some event of misfortune, one of which is generally related to the message written in the chain mail. Some threats I have seen include being killed by a vaguely described entity (usually paranormal), an inability to satisfy one's desire for romantic affairs, loved ones being killed, or simply bad luck in general. As the internet has grown extremely popular worldwide to the point where it is now a human right, most people dismiss these ludicrous messages as nothing more than some off handed farse that was quickly sparred up by somebody lacking a social life. But what if this wasn't true?
Lately, American citizens have become more aware of how the government is keeping track of their daily activities. One of the entities maintaining observation is known as the NSA. The NSA has been monitoring telephone calls and other such electronic activity, as verified by Edward Snowden via inside information. More information is being leaked daily regarding how much of our activity is being observed, and, with modern technology, government manpower, and resources the government has that the citizens aren't aware of, it is not clear exactly how much they know or how much power they have.
So is it possible that maybe the government knows that we don't read those chain E-mails when we're supposed to? Do they know that we don't forward them like we are told? Is it possible that the entire idea of the chain E-mail was a government experiment in obedience and we as American citizens have failed and are being punished through economic hardship, depression, and other issues? Consider this. Divorce rates are on the rise and a shocking number of divorce papers list "Facebook" as a reason for divorce. In correlation, many chain mails are created and reposted on Facebook as well. In addition, depression rates have been increasing rapidly since the 1980s; around the same time when the internet and, subsequently E-mail, was becoming popularized...
Just something to think about...
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