Why do people think ghosts are so common?

maccored

Reading through this forum, it strikes me that a lot of the time, it doesnt take much to convince someone they have a ghost in their house. Considering its so so very very rare to ever capture anything paranormal related on video, photo or audio - how can people be so convinced their house is haunted?

Reports are of feeling someone watching (emf, infrasound and various other natural factors can do that), 'feeling' the house is haunted (i often feel like I'll win the lottery - but that doesnt mean i will) or hearing noises and attributing them to the paranormal.

Where is the common sense? thats all Im asking. This isnt a question of if ghosts exist or not - its a question of how easy is it for someone to convince themselves they have a ghost? I say its pretty easy and far, far far too common.

Riamfada

Short answer "TV" Long Answer "People are searching for spiritality to replace organised religion"

maccored

good answers them

Melodi

Also, ghosts have history probably as long as that of mankind; when people sleep they dream and often they dream of the dearly departed. When grieving, it is also common for people to feel the presence of a loved one who has recently passed on or feel they have received a sign from them.

That doesn't totally explain ghosts, but it probably gave the very earliest people the idea that after we die; some part of us likely continues.

It isn't that much more of a step to believe that if loved ones may continue on and sometimes come back to visit; then perhaps other dead folks who are unhappy or die violent deaths may also leave traces of themselves or even stick around to bother the living.

Beliefs in ghosts are almost universal to every human culture ever found; that doesn't mean everyone accepts such beliefs, but that pretty much everyone is aware of them.

Ghost stories are also one of the first "scary" stories that little children start to tell one another, about the time they realize the monster under the bed isn't there; but a ghost might just be. It is "childish" to believe in the monster, but even adults can believe in ghosts...woo...woo!

Now, I actually do believe in ghosts, (both departed spirits and projections left behind after terrible events) but I also expect that about 80 percent of what people think are ghosts are probably not.

A huge portion are just mis-understanding something perfectly natural that occurs in a scary way (the cat is walking on the floorboards, the tea kettle is coming on when it shouldn't).

The next larger group may be some-what "super-natural" but is the result of left over (and un-cleared) energies left behind by former residents of a home or even visitors. These can cause some sensitive people to feel uncomfortable, uneasy, maybe even hear a strange sound or too; but these are impressions left behind from the energies of others. Sort of like a really bad photograph that got left behind, with no real substance behind it. A simple house-clearing will usually get rid of this stuff; it is easy to do and as I said in another thread perfectly safe to do at home by yourself. Your not getting rid of "anyone" and your just "clearing the air" so to speak.

Finally, a small number of ghost reports probably really are ghost reports (if you accept that such things may be real in the first place). The two most common types in old houses seems to be what I call "the recording," and "The Haunting."

The Recording results from a terrible event (like a murder) that has left a psychic impression like a roll of film that repeats over and over. It is similar to left over energies but much stronger and can be quite frightening to someone who picks up on it or sees it. Typical of these sorts of hauntings is a "White Lady" who walks the battlements of the castle she threw herself off of (almost always over a love affair) or the bloody hand that sometimes shows up at an old murder scene.

The Haunting is one form of "True Ghost" where some poor, unhappy, lost and departed soul really is trying to make contact with the living. These are rare, but I believe do exist; they may or may not know they are dead; they may or may not respond to attempts at helping them and sometimes they are just trying to get a message across so they can leave. A lot of Voice recordings by psychical researchers probably fall into this category.

There are other types of possible ghost, far too many to go into right now but the other really important one is: The Guardian, the Guardian is not a true ghost in the sense that the person is not trapped, but is someone who has died and gone on into the other world. However, they either choose (or are allowed) to come back from time to time to check on their relations or a place that was very special to them during their lives.

I'd say the majority of pleasant "ghost" experiences are Guardian ones, usually a beloved Grandmother or other relative. My own father experienced his Grandmother standing at the foot of his bed on two different occasions and each time she had a short and important message.

There are a lot of good books on the subject of ghosts, one of my favorite writers on the subject is the late Hans Holzer whose books are fun to read, practical and informative all at the same time. He was there long before ghost busters and probably inspired generations of them.

Hope that helps a bit (even if some of it is just my opinion)

Melodi in the Midlands

Ziycon

Melodi wrote: »

Also, ghosts have history probably as long as that of mankind; when people sleep they dream and often they dream of the dearly departed. When grieving, it is also common for people to feel the presence of a loved one who has recently passed on or feel they have received a sign from them.

That doesn't totally explain ghosts, but it probably gave the very earliest people the idea that after we die; some part of us likely continues.

The idea of something after death could as easily have been thought up as a way for people to deal with losing a loved one as a lot of people couldn't cope or accept the idea that theres nothing after, just nothing!?

Melodi

Ziycon wrote: »

The idea of something after death could as easily have been thought up as a way for people to deal with losing a loved one as a lot of people couldn't cope or accept the idea that theres nothing after, just nothing!?

True, but my old anthropology teacher used to point out that sleep mimics death in some ways (especially to early man) but you always wake up in the morning. So it makes sense to feel that after the final sleep (death) you may wake up someplace else?

Again, these theories are just speculation, but the point is there doesn't seem to be any tribe or culture on the planet that doesn't have some sort of ghost stories. Some have many more than others; and there are many varied beliefs as to why ghosts exist or how to deal with them.

So, while there are probably a number of reasons why so many people believe in ghosts, its just a fact that all over the world people do.

Besides, its a fun topic to think about and explore, at least for me.

Melodi in the Midlands

Ziycon

People all over the world see 'ghosts', they may not call them that but thats what people interpit them as, for years the panda was thought to be a mystical magically monster until an expidition was put together to track it down and it was found to be a docile veggie.

People by nature are flawed to accept the first or easist possibilty when they don't have an answer.

Even if it was proven ghosts don't exist tomorrow, thosands of people still wouldn't believe it or accept it as it would destroy everything they believed in, everything they thought the knew would come into question and many people find the possibility of death being the end very scarey!

Antikythera

maccored wrote: »

how can people be so convinced their house is haunted?

Desperate beliefs brighten up an otherwise dull life.

maccored

Antikythera wrote: »

Desperate beliefs brighten up an otherwise dull life.

I honestly wouldnt say its as simple as that.

Antikythera

maccored wrote: »

Considering its so so very very rare to ever capture anything paranormal related on video, photo or audio...

So 'rare', in fact, that it has never actually happened.

maccored

you cant really say that - not unless youve gone out there, tracked down every single apparent bit of 'evidence' or audio or video and then analysed them all.

Did you do that? Cus otherwise I dont know how you can back up your statement.

Antikythera

maccored wrote: »

you cant really say that - not unless youve gone out there, tracked down every single apparent bit of 'evidence' or audio or video and then analysed them all.

Did you do that? Cus otherwise I dont know how you can back up your statement.

I don't understand why you're being so sceptical.