Saturday, March 19, 2016
Ghost Variety
Cultures all around the world have their own perceptions and ideas of spirits. Ghost stories can be found in ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, India, etc. People in the ancient world had no doubt that souls survived even after the person died. It was common to believe that the dead "lived" on in some other form (I immediately think of belief of reincarnation in Asian religions). The soul's life in the afterlife was dictated by several factors--the specific details varying from each culture. One of the biggest factors, I believe, was how the remains were disposed and how the person's life was celebrated in order to help the soul's spiritual journey after death. I immediately think of the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico and the elaborate pyramid burials in Egypt. Whether you personally believe in these concepts or not, I think it is important to respect other cultures' beliefs regarding their respect for caring for the human body and the soul in the afterlife.
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2 comments:
Ghost have always interested me. Since I was little they terrified me, my parents put off my fear by saying I had an overactive imagination, and I would grow out of it, but then they get me this nanny who preached that the dead spoke to her, so now, yeah spirits and what not are a constant fear, thanks Dad. Anyway, like you were saying how different cultures regard spirits in different ways, I also find it interesting how some culture view ghost as malevolent, and others see then as a comfort. In Beloved, the ghost are not seen as evil creature who are there to hurt them, even though the baby ghost went ham on Paul D, the characters don't seem to be worried as much as say me who would have ran away. Mostly for Denver the ghost is a comfort and a way to connect to her sister, but also, like in other culture a protector. Like I previously said baby ghost started to scare off Paul D, because maybe she was trying the protect Sethe. Even though baby ghost/ beloved freaks me out, I see that there might be some nice spirits out there.
Good post Abbey!
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