Quote:
Originally Posted by pylon
I don't believe for a second in ghosts. Yet somehow, movies like Paranormal activity freak me the hell out.
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Pardon me for deviating slightly from the OP, but that movie was perfectly crafted with just the right amount of visuals to still allow your imagination to take over. One of the few movies to render me sleepless for several consecutive nights. For that reason, I have avoided seeing any of the sequels.
As for the OP: No, I have never seen a ghost, although I know people who have. And the thing is, I truly believe that they believe what they saw was real. Shortly after my grandmother died in 1992, my aunt (her daughter) awoke in the middle of the night and says she saw a figure at the foot of the bed. She was convinced that it was my grandmother, and ever since that moment she has had a peaceful and understanding recognition of not only her mother's death, but also death in a general sense. She is not religious in any way, shape, or form.
My mother, who is filled with a lot of faith, works at a long-term nursing facility in my home town. She takes care of people for years as they approach the end of their lives, and she sees and confronts death quite often. She always says that the particular feelings she used to experience in the presence of certain people surrounds her every now and again as she works. Is it nostalgia? Is it sensory and memorable impressions surfacing as a result of psychological triggers? Or are they familiar spirits expressing their gratitude? I don't know, but I know my mother believes it and it gives her comfort. Regardless of what I believe to be true, her comfort gives me some peace of mind. And I can't really find the disadvantage in that.