Life after death: a mystery to most, but unsolved to all. Scientists and ghost hunters dedicate years and years of their lives searching for proof of the dead still roaming earth. Some believe the presence of some dead linger, while others believe spirits haunt. What I believe to be true is the existence of ghosts and their link to their former life on earth; my belief can be confirmed by the abundance of video and picture proof, eye-witness accounts, cultures, and numerous belief systems. Oxford Dictionary defines ghosts as an apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living.
Stories of ghosts have been told since ancient times, which contain historical figures such as royalty, politicians, and writers. Because of these prehistoric tales, societies began to perform funeral sacraments in order to make certain that the deceased’s spirit would not return to haunt those that are alive. For example there was widespread belief in ghosts in ancient Egyptian culture. They believed that the soul and spirit continued existence even after death, with the ability to assist or harm the living, and had the possibility of a second death. Over a period of more than 2,500 years, Egyptian beliefs about the nature of the afterlife evolved constantly. Many of these beliefs were recorded in inscriptions, papyrus scrolls and tomb paintings. The Egyptian Book of the Dead compiles some of the beliefs from different periods of ancient Egyptian history. One of the most famous ghost stories ages back to old England in the 16th century, when sightings of the murdered Anne Boleyn was spotted in the tower in which she was murdered; Boleyn was executed in that tower after being accused of witchcraft, treason, adulte...
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...n this theory, Einstein implies that every joule of energy in the universe is endless and can neither be created nor destroyed. Since energy cannot be destroyed, the energy that comes from one’s dead body must transfer into another form of energy. With this, he implies this new form of energy to be that of a ghostly spirit.
Unless ghosts can someday be proven existent after the already thousands of years of rumored ghosts, the fall of ghost hunting could be in the near future, leaving paranormal activities as just myths and scary tales to tell around a campfire. Nonetheless, ghost hunters will still be present, devoting their life to discover life after death. I believe one day, science will have to accept the actuality of ghosts due to the abundance of evidence by pictures and videos, eye-witness accounts, and the on-going belief in ghosts since ancient history.
Chinese culture has many interpretations ghosts. One way they are seen as is people who have disgraced their family or country. An example of this in the novel is Maxine's aunt. She is considered a ghost because she disgraced her family by having a baby outside of marriage. They call her "Ghost! Dead ghost! Ghost! You have never been born." (Kinston 14) She drowns herself in the well to become one of the most feared ghost, the Shui Gui or watery ghost. These ghosts are said to be waiting for their victims, to pull them into the water to take the drowned ones place. In the novel another example of what the Chinese consider ghosts are American people. Sometimes they feel haunted by this unfamiliar culture, just as a ghost would haunt. "But America has been full of machines and ghosts- Taxi Ghosts, Bus Ghosts, Police Ghosts, Fire Ghosts, Meter Reader Ghosts, Tree Trimming Ghosts, Five-and-Dime Ghosts." (Kong 96) These examples are American people of any ethnicity. They are called ghosts because the Chinese are not familiar with the culture. Another example of the unfamiliarity is when, "Her husband looked like one of the ghosts passing the car wind...
“The strange thing about the paranormal is that no matter how often [a person proves] it, it remains unproven” (Chopra). Given personal experience and evidence by professionals that have dedicated their lives to find answers regarding the paranormal and the afterlife. There will always be skeptics so long as there are humans with their own thoughts and opinions. Despite what skeptics say,ghosts exist; there are several eyewitness accounts, religious traditions, and traditional cultural stories that support the paranormal.
One of the greatest and oldest human mysteries on Earth is death, and the fate that lies beyond it. The curious minds of human beings constantly wonder about the events that occur after death. No person truly knows what happens after a person ceases to live in the world, except for the people themselves who have passed away. As a result, over the course of history, people of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions have speculated and believed in numerous different possibilities for the destiny that awaits them beyond the world of the living. The great ambiguity of the afterlife is extremely ancient that many different beliefs about it have been dated back to several centuries ago. These beliefs go as far back to the beliefs of Ancient Egyptians, which outline the journey that the dead travels to the land of Osiris; and the belief of Ancient Greeks that all souls eventually find themselves in Hades’ realm, the Underworld. Throughout history, views and beliefs from emerging religions continue to develop as the human conscience persists in finding answers to this ancient, unresolved mystery. Prime examples of the various and separate beliefs regarding death and the afterlife are found in the diverse faiths of Roman Catholicism, Islam, and Buddhism.
That is a no surprise because one of the most asked question would probably be “what happens after we die”. A question that is yet to be answered. However, people do come up with answers that is possibly a fear factor to humans. The idea of becoming ghosts until your heart and state of mind is content to go to the afterlife is a common answer I find in Asian culture. Ultimately, humans want to believe that there is life after death or a way to continue living. That is what makes it scary because it would “violate the laws of nature”. I have two answers to the above question in this paragraph. One would be, after death, if our state of mind is not content after a decent amount of time we remain a ghost and embody an object that we are attached to. For example, if one were to commit suicide by lynching themselves in a forest, they would embody the tree, or even the whole forest and haunt the people that disrupt or disrespect them or what they embody. This theory would explain why people feel that their love ones are still lingering around or even dreaming about them not being fulfilled. It would also make sense of the supernatural craziness that people talk about. Another answer to “what happens after we die,” is incredibly simple. People are just dead, nothing more after death. It is the possibility of still being involved in the world after death, is what scares
These ideals have influenced our culture though our use of language and thought. The implications are apparent in the common references to one’s past lives. For instance, if someone has a natural talent for music one may refer to the person as being once a talented musician in a past life. A religion which describes death as a continuation of existance is held by the Crow tribe of middle America. They viewed death as a journey with the final destination as a place where all their anscestors have gone before them.
A central theme in all ancestor worship is that the lives of the dead may have supernatural powers over those in the living world-the ability to curse, give, or take life (Carteret). In some cultures, worship of the dead is important, and includes making offerings of food, money, clothing, and blessings. For example, in China, there is the annual observance of “sweeping the graves” and as its name suggests, it is a time for people to tend the graves of the departed ones (Carteret). In cultures where ancestor worship is common, the acceptance of organ donation and cremation may be
A mystery or ghost story is a story that contains a ghost or a supernatural element. Like in ‘The Signalman’ ghosts often appear as prophets of things to come.
Ghost stories are never going to be true. The Bloody Mary legend, for example, is a story that some people believe to be real. There was a ritual that women in England would do to see the face of their future husband. If you are in a darkly lite room, you are holding a candle or a light, and looking in a mirror, the face of their husband would, allegedly, appear. However, if you were going to die before your marriage, the ghost of Queen Mary I would appear in its place. Although it may seem to be factual, there have been other answers to these illusions. Staring into a mirror, for one, in a dark room for a prolonged period can cause hallucinations to occur. Therefore, most ghost stories that appear to be true, in reality are untruthful. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the ghost of King Hamlet does not actually exist.
While these do not exactly qualify as ghosts, they are spirits but may not be of people who have lived.... ... middle of paper ... ... The energy that makes up our being, where does it go when we die?
The levels of paranormal activity range from haunted houses to demon possessions to the undead and the list goes on as the variety of the activity gets more unexplainable. “For more than a century, it's mission has been to explore extraordinary or as yet unexplained phenomena that have been called psychic or paranormal, and their implications for our understanding of consciousness, the universe and the nature of existence” (About the Society, 2009). Unbelievable human experiences question the existence of unnatural beings or a pleasant or not so pleasant afterlife. All paranormal activity is not full of horror, for some actually give people hope of something great that is outside of this world.
Ghosts have been around for many years and the root of the whole idea comes because it is “based on the ancient idea that a person's spirit exists separately from his or her body, and may continue to exist after that person dies” (“History of Ghost Stories”). Ghost stories have been told through centuries and because of this it is not known where the first spirit could have appeared or why, but one of the first actually recorded experience happened within the first century A.D. A man named Pliney recorded that he had seen a man and heard objects moving around and he could not explain what what happening (“History of Ghost Stories”). Even though the first supernatural experiences are not known, they created worldwide talk to present time about spirits and hauntings.
We all have our beliefs about what lies beyond our current reality. No matter if we are Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. Our beliefs have the same general rule: If you live well, you die well, live bad, you die bad. Though that is agreed upon by a substantial number of people, the reason for the results differ; Karma, being judged by a higher power, maybe even how we die is taken into account. If life after death is so cut and dry, so black and white, such an undisputed fact of "life" (excluding a few atheistic beliefs), under which circumstances do we become ghosts?
Ghosts, demons, mythological spirits are all supernatural creatures/elements in every movie, TV show, and story. Many supernatural elements are either very helpful or very dangerous. In The Revelation by Flannery O’connor Mrs Turpin, an ordinary woman with a kind and gentle face but with a mind that judges others, is revealed truth and knowledge by watching spirits going up to heaven. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Oedipus the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta has been order to be left on the mountainside to die because of a prophecy. Oedipus is then revealed “The Revelation” of the prophecy and at the end he is left with only pain and despair. Supernatural elements are important in every story, it creates mood and aurora around the reader and it makes them want to read more.
The paranormal is not what most people believe it is, “ghosts”. There is a wide range in
What is going to happen to us when we will die? Some people never considered what it could happen to them after life. For many people, death is a redoubtable event because they do not know what to expect after their death. However, other persons, such as religious people are conscious of what to expect after their death because of their beliefs. Each religion has different ideas and different ways of looking life. Death, therefore, is viewed by different religions in many ways. Although, different religions have a distinct conception of death, they all have something in common: they all give hope to people. Among all different religions in the world, four of the most common ones - Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu- view death in different ways.