The Serpent and the Rainbow and the Skunk

In 1988, the movie The Serpent and the Rainbow was released on an unsuspecting public. Through it's wierd twists and turns, it told the tale of a BotanistAnthropologist that is hired by a large pharmaceutical company to investigate some herbal remedies in Haiti. Not mood enhancers, like St. John's Wort, but herbs that turn you into a zombie.

During some of his supernatural and strange encounters, the protagonist is told that he is protected from many of the goings on because of his skepticism. In other words, the superstition of the locals enhances the effects of whatever is happening in this strange little movie.

The other night, I was tasked as a part of a two man team working a thermal imager on a hill overlooking a suspected problem area. After being dropped off in the boonies, we hiked ourselves up the hill to view the area. My counterpart set up the camera and I made myself comfortable on the ground as he took his turn scanning with the imager.

It was a nice night and I was perfectly relaxed when I felt something clawing it's way up my leg. I immediately jumped up and brushed it off, thinking a lizard or something was climbing on me. Ewwww. As I brushed it off, away ran a small skunk. I was ready to go home, but we still had several hours to go. Most of which I spent standing and hyper-vigilant.

So, if the guy in the movie was protected by his skepticism, am I protected by my belief that God looks out for me? Or, does it make it worse when a skunk runs across me? I suppose if it sprayed us, it would have been different. If nothing else, I probably would have had to walk home.