THE UNIVERSAL GHOST

The cycle of life and birth is an inevitable chain of natural law and order, this absolute law of nature is followed with unyielding sincerity and rigorous discipline by the entire living species on this planet. As human beings, the intelligent thinking creatures, were not contended with the modest concept of birth and death; they kept arguing, ferociously asserting that there ought to be a vital life force which takes into account the billions of emotions and experiences that people face each day throughout their lifetimes. With the dawn of civilization, blooming of religious philosophy and spiritualism along with an outrageous outpour of superstition, we developed the concept of ghosts. Enduring centuries of scientific development, religious transformations, colossal societal reforms and an absolute disdain for superstitions by the public at large, the undead still survived. So engrossing is their tale of eternal damnation, they roam freely across the minds and hearts of all ages alike, creating an aura of fear and mystery.  

“I can see dead people” said the cold voice of the young boy in the movie sixth sense. It is an unwanted gift I am sure you would agree. Who would want them to be visible to our senses anyways.  Once I asked my college friend from the hills, if he believed in ghosts, he replied convincingly that he didn’t believe in them but was still scared of those beings. These supernatural beings have undeniably endured the cultural imagination of the masses and have fed on the legitimate fears of the people. So what are these creatures? A ghost, may refer to the soul of a dead person which manifests itself visually (transparent or the omg life like appearances), physically (that pen which fell from the desk) or audibly (the laughing baby at midnight). Theosophical and orthodox religious institutions maintain that these souls are damned for eternity, bound by heavy chains of guilt, shock and regret. So heavy are these divine chains, they condemn these souls to wander on earth in between heaven and hell. Although there isn’t any perfect recipe for the creation of a ghost, basically these three reasons are considered unanimously to be the perfect ingredients. For example the guilt of murdering someone or even the shock of getting iced at a tender age. There are things incomplete, unfulfilled and something denied which generates a force so powerful which tends to deviate from the absolute law of nature. This however is no generalization, it is just a myth and a commonly accepted notion related to this legend.

The universal nature of the ghost is evident from the fact that different cultures scattered across different continents have their own version of the dark spirits. From the bhoot-pisaach of India to the gothic European specters haunting the lush green lands, the Japanese yurei to the Mexican catrinas, you will enjoy the footprints of these supernatural travellers across the length and breadth of the globe. A sizeable minority of people claim to have encountered these beings in person. Though most of these claims like those associated with Amityville horror house and the castle in Transylvania are hoaxes but some of them are indisputably honest and sincere. These may arise due to an honest misinterpretation of naturally occurring phenomena (wind blowing out candle, rats messing around in the library, sounds of animals) or simply due to accidental exposure to anomalous experiences. Scientists, psychologists and modern neuro science are quick to disapprove ghosts, providing explanations for things paranormal in nature. If you remember Scooby Doo, the mystery van keeps on explaining the vested interest of people pretending to be ghosts. Regardless of that hard work, people are still scared and job never runs out for mystery inc.

In my opinion, humans don’t like surprises, especially when the surprise has a lot to do with their survival and mortality. Things which we cannot control, anticipate and perceive are placed under our mind’s subconscious “AVOID IN TOTAL” list. So when the lights turn out and you can’t see a thing, there is a sense of losing control over your senses, a sense of insecurity as you are unable to perceive a possible threat to your life and protect yourself. People in many religious beliefs have faith in after life, that is a life after death and this phenomenon of ghosts seems to support this notion. Also the idea of ghosts keep on getting renovated across ages, like the techno savvy ghosts in the RING series which prefers to use video tapes to propagate through the masses. This proves the fact that though we progress technologically, this superstition also gets overhauled accordingly. Also to mention, the new property map in Japan; where you can look for cheap houses as they have been a witness to gruesome murders and are thus stigmatized. Have a look: http://www.oshimaland.co.jp/

We may not know whether they exist or not, we do know that they are universal in appeal. A sexy curvaceous ghost, a malign clown or an innocent bloodless child, as far as you don’t encounter them, it would suffice to sing:

“GUMNAAM HAI KOI, BADNAAM HAI KOI….”