Why we believe in ghosts
English 1 research paper
29 March 2013
Why people believe in ghosts.
Lying in bed in the middle of the night while sleep eludes me, a noise breaks through the silence. Oh my God! What was that!? Maybe it was just my imagination, or maybe it was just the house settling. There it is again! I must be hearing things. I get cold and my body starts to shiver uncontrollably. I peek to where the sound comes from and I could swear I see something through the dark room; it appears even darker than the surrounding area. Oh my! I think it just moved. My breathing becomes labored and I pull the covers over my head, trying to calm myself down while making my brain work through what just happened. Was I dreaming? Or did I just see a ghost?
Many of us have had a similar experience at one point in our lives. Each person may come to a different conclusion as to what actually transpired. Some people will automatically believe they just witnessed something paranormal. The belief in ghosts has been around since the dawn of time. There are many people around the world that hold a steadfast belief in the existence of ghosts; these beliefs stem from their culture, personal experiences, and most recently, media blitz.
Many cultures believe in the existence of ghosts or spirits; these beliefs are passed down from generation to generation. Culture is defined as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group” (Culture). In the book The Believing Brain, Michael Shermer states “We form our beliefs for a variety of subjective, personal, emotional, and psychological reasons in the context of environments created by family, friends, colleagues, culture, and society at large” (Shermer 23). When a person is raised to believe in ghosts, they teach their children by example. “Since the dawn of time and in nearly every culture throughout the world, there have existed numerous superstitious beliefs surrounding ghosts and death” (Dunwich 162).
29 March 2013
Why people believe in ghosts.
Lying in bed in the middle of the night while sleep eludes me, a noise breaks through the silence. Oh my God! What was that!? Maybe it was just my imagination, or maybe it was just the house settling. There it is again! I must be hearing things. I get cold and my body starts to shiver uncontrollably. I peek to where the sound comes from and I could swear I see something through the dark room; it appears even darker than the surrounding area. Oh my! I think it just moved. My breathing becomes labored and I pull the covers over my head, trying to calm myself down while making my brain work through what just happened. Was I dreaming? Or did I just see a ghost?
Many of us have had a similar experience at one point in our lives. Each person may come to a different conclusion as to what actually transpired. Some people will automatically believe they just witnessed something paranormal. The belief in ghosts has been around since the dawn of time. There are many people around the world that hold a steadfast belief in the existence of ghosts; these beliefs stem from their culture, personal experiences, and most recently, media blitz.
Many cultures believe in the existence of ghosts or spirits; these beliefs are passed down from generation to generation. Culture is defined as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group” (Culture). In the book The Believing Brain, Michael Shermer states “We form our beliefs for a variety of subjective, personal, emotional, and psychological reasons in the context of environments created by family, friends, colleagues, culture, and society at large” (Shermer 23). When a person is raised to believe in ghosts, they teach their children by example. “Since the dawn of time and in nearly every culture throughout the world, there have existed numerous superstitious beliefs surrounding ghosts and death” (Dunwich 162).
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