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Lindsey Kroll Argument Essay English 1010 4/17/13 What we believe in becomes true. Ghosts, Entities and Unsolved MysteriesThat low growl awoke me from a deep sleep. Was that the wind? Or something else? My room seemed unusually dark that night, except for my open door, where I heard it again it was angry and beckoning for me. I don’t know if it was curiosity or just plain stupidity that took my hand and lead me to the basement. There, it was darker still and shadows didn’t dance. Instead they hid, cowering in fear cramped together in the corners. But with the flip of a light switch the shadows fled and all darkness was gone. All that remained was a crummy, dripping unfinished basement and the culprit of the growling reviled; my troubled furnace struggling that cold winter. Speaking of cold, it was only then I could see my breath when it was warm only moments before. Heading upstairs the hiding shadows and my instincts begged for me not to turn off the lights. I did anyway and only made it halfway up the stairs before regretting that decision. Another growl, this time too close for comfort, this time, it was not the furnace. I kept my eyes forward like you are keeping your eyes on this page. Do not look beyond it. Because you know if you do you will see it. It is hungry. Its claws are ready for your throat and it is. Right. Behind. You. There isn’t a person near or far who hasn’t felt that tingle of fear on the back of the neck for no logical reason other than feeling as though something else, something not quite human is there. But are ghosts and demons real? Or are they simply apart of another scary story like the one above? If so, what are they exactly? Although many people and professionals alike will disagree, I believe that paranormal activity is a very real thing because of case studies, my personal experience along with scientifically unanswered questions in evens possibly caused by an unseen entity.The idea that invisible beings exist is a contraversary that will either catch one’s interest immediately or be placed under the make-believe category right next to Santa and the Easter Bunny. So why should it even matter? With the release of the blockbuster hit Paranormal Activity (2007) a movie in which a first person’s view is captured showing the story of a couple being haunted then eventually possessed by a demon that ends brutally leaving some audiences frightened and most others wondering if it was or could be real? From there, the popularity of ghost hunting T.V shows skyrocketed, clips of claimed activity on the internet became sensations and local attractions such as Salt Lake City’s Grimm Ghosts Tours gained adventurers anxious for a sighting of a real ghost. Dr. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist and professor at the University of Hertfordshire specializes in paranormal studies was interviewed in a documentary presented by the Discovery Channel about the hoax or scientific explanation of ghosts and spirits states:If poltergeists and spirits and ghosts are genuine. If they really exist they are going to revolutionize how we see the world. Hundreds of years of scientific though will simply be wrong. So before we make that decision. Before there is a revolution in science we better have the right evidence.Throughout the world and its many cultures, ghosts, spirits and demons have always played a large role. Some say they come with messages and warnings from passed loved ones. We refer to these as ghosts or spirits, beings once alive that come back and in one way or another manifest to be seen by the living. Other cultures believe they could be lost or caught between one of eleven dimensions. Then, there is the darker side. The side where fearful stories and legends are told of, demons. In any culture, wherever they come from, they come with the same things. Anger and a dark ambition to cause nothing but pain to the living, in some cases are said to even trap “good” spirits. Several “paranormal” experiences can be easily debunked by a little investigation of our own. For example, turning on the light after that scary movie to discover a shadow figure was only a forgotten coat hung up on the back of the door. Why the lights are flickering and the fluxations of temperature can be explained by an electrical or humidity problem. Or even the cause of the moving game piece across the infamous Ouija board is considered more of being just a toy because it seems the players are the ones moving the main game piece with muscle twitches and excited expectations instead of ghosts. With all of this being understandably true, what about the cases of events that happen that cannot be scientifically explained? This is where evidence of the paranormal may exist. Dr.Wiseman and his colleges conducted an experiment with several hundred volunteers in one of the legendary haunted buildings in the United Kingdom, The Hampton Court. This old building is said to be home to the ghost of beheaded Catherine-Howard, the 5th wife of Henery the 8th. The purpose was to have the volunteers record any strange experiences they may have while walking through the building. The results were rather surprising to even Dr.Wiseman, a skeptic himself. To be brief, a total of 431 volunteers said they experienced an average of two sensations being either a change in temperature or physiological such as dizziness, nausea, or feeling like they were being watched by something. One may argue these people simply reported experiences because of the creepy environment or knew historically the building was thought to be haunted. However, the two most interesting results found was that one; Volunteers reported the same kind of experiences in the same areas, also, that these particular areas were well lit and at time full of people not included in the study. Secondly; the participant’s prior knowledge of these areas were ranged equally from high to low still reported roughly the same changes in the atmosphere. In a journal article by BBC news discussing the study, the psychiatrist summarizes: “We found little to no evidence that people’s prior knowledge mattered.” Said Dr.Wiseman. “If anything, it made them veer away from having experiences in the known haunted sites.” These clustered experiences offer little to no know scientific explanation. Therefore one could classify this as evidence that Mrs. Howard, or even someone else beyond what our eyes can see, is still there. It is worth mentioning that magnetic fields were also taken into account to try and explain these and many other experiences across the globe. In the reported “haunted areas” the magnetic field levels were higher than the control areas. It is claimed by many paranormal hunting experts that these are the areas where ghosts can manifest or may even create these fields, then manipulate them to appear and even move objects. This is significant in studies conducted by Michael Persinger, neuroscientist, professor of Laurention University and controversial researcher who helped develop the God Helmet. This device expels a weak magnetic field upon the wearer, who has in many cases reported feeling a presence or fear. Even though this varies from person to person, this reaction is believed to be caused by the activation of the angular gyrus in the brain that would stimulate these responses. While Persinger does not accept nor decline the extensance of ghosts, he emphases that these are easy results to produce on in a lab but it does little to explain why some nights alone in a victim’s room he/she would have these experiences and sometimes not. If magnetic fields are indeed also produced by spirits, other devices used by hunting crews like the EMF (electromagnetic field) detector may not be such a hoax after all. The fluctuating amount recorded for what seems to be no scientific reason is considered hard evidence that a ghost or entity is near. Everything presented so far is logical to anyone with an open mind. Once being a skeptic myself, it wasn’t until I saw a figure walk through my wall after months of terrifying dream did I call upon a medium, someone who claims they have a connection or hypersensitivity to paranormal activity to come to investigate my home without telling him any history of my ghostly friend. He explored and reported strange feelings in my room where it lurked, did he come to the conclusion that it was an anonymous spirit simply preying on my fear. After such a broad analysis, I took it with a grain of salt until I saw it again. This time, turning on and off my unplugged lamp before looking at me, a faceless man, then disappearing. Needless to say, I now believe.Until a personal experience happens, it’s understandable why one would not believe in ghosts. Where stories and pictures fail however, video proof awakens the thoughts of possibility in the mind. The following clip and analysis is from the origin of the popular series “Ghost Adventures” in the paranormal investor’s first independent film, “Ghost Adventures: The Beginning” which went on to win several awards including the 2006 Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the New York international independent film and video festival. Finally, it may all come down to not what one wants to believe but what we understand. The also highly debated and growing science of Quantum Physics may also play a part in discovering the answer, in particular, The Double Slit Theory of Particles. Originally, the idea was developed by Thomas Young, a polymath in the 1800s. Modern day physicists were able to take it more than a step further. In the experiment, physicists first shot electrons at a board with a single slit cut into it. On the backboard behind, formed a shape of the slit much like expected. When a second slit was cut into it however, the results puzzled the experimenters. Not one, or two lines appeared, but several. This is explained that because the particles were all being fired at once, bounced off one another in a wave like fashion that resulted in the multi-lines. But, it becomes stranger still, to cut off the multiple particle variable, electrons were then shot one at a time at the double slit board, still multiple lines appeared! This made no sense so a measuring device was placed up close and personal by the opening of the slit. The test was preformed yet again, only this time, the particles acted like originally hypnotized, two neat lines appeared. It is suggested that simply because the electron were being observed, they changed their behavior. If ghosts are made of this same type of energy, is it possible this is how they appear and disappear by knowing they are being watched? There will always be skeptics, but I believe ghosts to be real because of the case studies presented here, my person experience along with the scientifically unanswered questions in events possibly caused by an unseen entity. In conclusion, revisiting Dr. Wiseman’s statement about a revolution in science, my thoughts are this; There is a darkness between mystery and what we know from science but as we learn more we become enlightened and the darkness shrinks bit by bit. If there are multiple dimensions, or we project much more from our minds into the universe than just the physical, who is to say it’s not possible? This last quote comes from an anonymous internet user I found while doing research for this paper, summarizing these very ideas. …Can it just be said that we do not fully understand either subject (science and ghosts) enough to say there is a difference? If scientists one day prove that we were created by a higher power do you think that all scientists would then become priests? Or would they continue in their field to try to better understand the nature of our creation and the laws that govern our dimension? ................
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