Ghosts: Scared Straight Essay, Research Paper

Scared Straight

Have you ever heard strange creaks or groans that you can’t seem to explain? Have lights flick on or off without anyone touching a switch? Maybe you’ve felt cold blasts of air even when all the windows were shut, or your dog suddenly starts barking for no apparent reason. If any of these things have happened then there could be reason to believe that ghosts are part of the situation. Billions of people report ghost visitations every year, and to not accept the fact that there might be other beings in the world is extremely ignorant of mankind. Included in this paper are the types of ghosts, information on them, why they are here and why non-believers will always have a reason not to believe.

Ghosts are departed souls who have lived and died on this earth, but for some reason have elected or been forced to remain on this earth after death. They can take place in many forms. “The technical names for these forms are ectoplasms, orbs, swirls, poltergeists, vortexes, and globulars.” (Ichiro 31) Ectoplasms are forms of spirit energy that appear either as long white swirls or as a vapor or cloud like apparition usually captured on film in cemeteries and in homes. This configuration appears to be unorganized and resembles swirls of smoke. Another version of ectoplasm is a solid ray of white or purple like color that lies at an angle to the photograph.

An Orb could be described as a ball of light that can move at times and look like a streamer. These are the most commonly seen among people because it is the most well known. Orbs are often mistaken for lights seen out of the corner of the eye.

Swirls may be from two different configurations. The first is a ball of light that is moving very fast creating a blurry trail that appears to bounce back and forth in the photograph. The second source of swirls may be the thinning of the ectoplasmic vapor or cloud resulting in long swirls.

A vortex is a swirling column of white ectoplasm that is often mistaken for a camera strap because it usually is found on the right side of the photograph in a vertical position.

A poltergeist is a ghost of a violent nature. They can be seen as any of the ghosts previously listed. They tend to throw things and bang on walls and doors. “Poltergeists are very interested in technology so they play with light switches and television remotes to get the attention of a human.”(DeSantis)

Ghosts are here on earth for reasons. First, if they were happy, enjoyed life, and lead a normal balanced emotional life than at the time of death, they would see a tunnel of light/darkness which would lead them to our next realm of existence. However, if they were filled with angry emotions, bitter resentments or if they held negative feelings or emotions against other people, the spirit may be trapped here, anchored by their negative energies. Departed spirits must remain here until they can resolve or complete their mission. Second, if they had unresolved issues or unfinished business they would want to stay until those issues or business concerns were taken care of. So once the task has been finished or achieved then the spirit should be free to go to the other realm. Sounds like the movie Casper right?

Many people ask the following question: Can a ghost hurt a person? Well that all depends on the strength and skills of a ghost. There are known cases where people have poked fun at ghosts and the ghosts have knocked people down for their conduct. Ghosts are like people and can become angry and upset by rudeness and disrespect. Consider “road rage.” We take with us our attitudes and emotions when we cross to the other side. Will a ghost hurt you? No, most likely not. Why, because they have no reason to want to hurt you. When you gosomewhere, are the people there going to hurt you? Not, unless you pick a fight with someone.

So take it this way, don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. Simple right? Wrong. A lot of people use disturbing ways of trying to communicate with these beings. Such ways are by using Ouija boards and child targeted toys/games. “Ouija boards should not be left for children to use because it opens doors that should otherwise not be opened.” (DeSantis).

There will always be skeptics in the world. There’s no stopping that. But we all should learn to think for ourselves and to not just overlook the unknown. We as humans all have a lot of the same experiences but those who know nothing of the subject are the first to say that it isn’t real. There is no real way to prove that there are actually ghosts. As the International Ghost Hunters Society said : when there are pictures taken on haunted sights, skeptics of ghosts say that they are camera flaws, this has not yet been proven otherwise and it is getting harder to prove that these beings exist when more and more people around the world are taking fake pictures and making up pretend stories. Maybe these people are hungry for attention or just want to believe that they live in a haunted area. No one knows for sure but all there is to know is that the answers are there, within us all; we have to just to reach out to access them.

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Guiley, Rosemary.The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. New York: Facts ON File, Inc, 1992

Ronald Desantis (certified “ghost hunter”) April 27 2001

Ichiro, Robert. The Unexplainable. New York: Hollinger International, Inc, 1968

American Ghost Society March 23 2001 http://www.prairieghosts.com

International Ghost Hunters society May 8 2001 http://ighs.com