What do you think ghosts are?

Question

For those that believe in them, some know them to be spirits of formerly living people. But how do objects come into play, obviously an object wouldn't have it's own spirit. Yet some apparitions have included inanimate objects that disappear with it's specter. Perhaps it's more like an interactive video of past events. What do you think?

Answer 1

Ghosts are a figment of peoples imaginations.

Answer 2

there are two categories in my book. one is spirit people the other is demons&poltergeists. in the first there are people who have died and have remained earth bound. the demons and poltergeists is self explanatory.

Answer 3

There are 2 main kinds of hauntings:

1) Residual (the events replay over and over, like a broken record)

2) Intelligent (events are responsive to people)

Some also classify poltergeists as a third type, though I tend to dispute this.

In the first case (residual) I tend to wonder about things like psychic impressions and if the Earth itself has a memory.

I am unconvinced that they're spirits of the dead in the latter two cases. In case 3, there is some good evidence to support looking into psychokinesis as an explanation.

Which leaves intelligently interacting ghosts. I have a hard time with the idea that these are the spirits of the dead, because although I had set up a code word with a friend who died, I've heard his voice (triply-verified with his family, I'm working on tracking down other friends) on EVP with no code word. I'm also beginning to wonder if these aren't some kind of mimic, as well. They don't seem harmful at all, whatever they are, but they do seem to be able to pick up on thoughts. If I "block" my thoughts by actively keeping things going in my head, it seems that they get confused as to what to do. This resembles telepathy.

And yet, I have no ideas that support the idea of what they might be. So, while I can't say for sure what they are, I have a solid belief as to what they're not, and that's dead peoples' spirits.

As to objects... these are residual self-image (yes, the same term from the Matrix for when Neo first got back into the testing simulation to explain what the Matrix was). This is just how the ghost views themselves. In a residual haunting, it's that sort of place-memory; but in intelligent hauntings, I'm convinced it's the mimicry idea.

Just wish I knew for certain.

Answer 4

Ghosts are hallucinations and/or dreams.  Case closed.

Answer 5

Intersting question. i would like to see what answers you get.

Star for u.

I think it could be some source of energy. Positive or negative energy. energy which was left behind after a certain event of deep sorrow.

Explanation

The law of conservation of energy states that energy can not be created or destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another or transferred from one body to another, but the total amount of energy remains constant (the same).

We as individuals are also energy. So when a living creature passes over energy still exists may be it gets converted into some other form. It mainly happens with human may be because they have intelligence.

Answer 6

a random concentration of visable gas particle that some how gather by random movement of the gas paritcles

Answer 7

Tough to answer! The people I'd most like to see, (loved ones and celebrities) don't visit, and the ones that do I've never met. One friend says it's stress or auto-suggestion, but there's too much realism for me to believe it's my mind playing tricks--ghosts are real, but what they represent in the grand scheme of things, I don't know.

One thing I can be sure of, there is survival of consciousness after death.

Answer 8

The word "ghost" is a very general term that encompasses a wide range of phenomenon. Instead of listing them all here, I'm going to present a single theory that is not often considered but does correlate with string theory. It is possible that our physical dimension occupies the same space as countless other dimensions. Some dimensions exist in between these dimensions and host an array of unknown organisms that can interact partially with our dimension. Also, dimensional overlap could account for some of the more unusual sightings reported. This could be created by gravitational anomaly's either within our dimension or a parallel one. The universe is infinite in all directions including within it's self. I'm sure science will catch up one day!

Answer 9

I think ghosts are actually dry ice vapors.

Answer 10

i think ghosts appear only if the person who died had a strong will to continue living for some purpose, and that will to continue living somehow made their spirit remain in the world when their body died

Answer 11

Ghost are basically spirits that come into manifestion in ectoplasmic form. They are spirits trapped in between dimension and or have something more they need to do before they transcend. Ghost have their own frequency signatures.

Spirits have transcended to the other side, they are in higher dimensions. They can come down to the lower dimensions to visit and return. But ghost most of them don't realize that they are dead, is one reason why they haven't transcended.

Residual is basically energy being played over again, these usually are the ones you see with items. Although ghost and spirits can move things and or carry items.

Answer 12

i gonna be direct with u ALL THE THEORY ABOUT GHOSTS ARE LIES THEY ARE DEMONS add me on msn [e-mail] or myspace.com/chan_pro

Answer 13

i think it is just the imagination of the mind, put into virtual reality after a stressful day with the objects a person sees during the day...

Answer 14

Well I believe that it is the spirits of people who have passed on. I look at it with a completely religious view point but I believe that when we die our bodies are put in the ground and our soul leaves us and waits on this earth until the Messiah returns again for the final judgement.

Except in poltergeist activity which I believe to be brought on by the living, in stressful times in their life. And only a select few can actually do this.

Answer 15

I think that it's more likely to just be energy that has somehow been captured in the atmosphere and stays behind. More like replaying events and that there also may be some type of ghost that is actually somehow intelligent. That maybe they have more energy that was left over to them, but I don't believe that they are the spirit that flew out of a body after it died. :)

Answer 16

Spirits and Ghosts are not the same.

Ghosts are the broken record. They just replay certain events.

Spirits, well now that is something different.They have an intelligence.

Poltergeists are emanations from youths approaching puberty. One of my sisters was annoyed by this activity for about three weeks.

Answer 17

ghosts = earthbound spirits. People who either don't realize they've died or do but have not crossed over yet, for whatever reasons.

spirits = the soul manifested. They are souls visiting from the other side.

Typically, ghosts cannot interact with the living. they basically replay events from their lives.

Spirits, on the other hand, can interact, communicate, move/manipulate objects, etc.

To tell the difference when seeing an apparition, it's said if they are touching the ground (our ground) they are ghosts. If they seem to be floating, they are visiting spirits.

Answer 18

Great question! I have often wondered what it is some people think these apparitions actually are. What I cannot figure out most of all is when people claim that things have been shifted by a ghost or spirit. You see for something to move it requires force. And for force to exist it requires mass. So, being as a figment of imagination has no mass, how can it have force?

I am keen to see the explanation on this too. Star

EDIT: to the people who gave this a thumbs down - please enlighten me on how soemthing does move if not by force. Magic?

Answer 19

Top answer to Red Heron

I think that ghosts are energy.  We as individuals are also energy. When we pass over, our energy continues to exist but our physical manifestation ceases to exist.  It is widely held that Apparitions are just a replay of this energy and I think to some extent because of the power of our own mind.

For example.

If you were to visit a historic site where you had knowledge of a particular haunting etc, you are more likely to see something.  You become more intune with the residul energies of the site.  This is not necessarily seeing because you want to beleive or are crazy.

However, there are certainy people who are naturally more in tune to pick up the energy, and have no need for the prompting.

I compare this to people picking up on energy in the atmosphere.  Think about a large electrical storm coming.  Some people feel the energy in the air long before it arrives, Others will only feel it when they have been told of the storm, yet others will never feel the energy.

As for poltergeists etc, thats a whole other subject.  Hope this makes sense, but I really think Red Herron is right on the money here

Answer 20

True ghosts are spirits of people who have not gone unto the light upon death of their physical body, but have chosen to remain here.  We call the spirits of people in this condition, "Earthbound Spirits."  

Ghosts truly are hurting, lost people in need of help, having chosen to remain on Earth with the embodied for a multitude of reasons, the root of which is ultimately fear.

Answer 21

i think that ghost are formally living people that don't know that they are dead either because they died suddenly or they just have unfinished business to take care of. i hope i helped got to go bye

Answer 22

Ghosts are figments of folks imagination.Exploited by con artists who make their living selling the idea as a product.Although,going looking for them in old graveyards and haunted houses is a lot of fun.