Are we deceiving ourselves?

Rothschild, Bertram. "Belief in Ghosts is Merely Self-Deception." Ghosts and Poltergeists: Fact or Fiction. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Greenhaven Press, 2003. 78-82. Print.




In "Belief in Ghosts is Merely Self-Deception" by Bertram Rothschild, Bertram confesses how he "almost" believed in ghosts. Rothschild is a clinical psychologist and a lifelong skeptic. He has always considered such things as supernatural powers and magic to be foolish. One evening, however, while laying in bed, Bertram's bedroom door opened. Thinking it was his wife at first, he was not very concerned. Soon after, he realized his wife was downstairs, making it impossible for her to open the door. When he could not immediately come up with a logical answer to how the door opened, he began to jump to the conclusion that it was a ghost. Over the next few days, he and his wife began hearing strange noises. While Bertram and his wife joked that it was "the ghost," he soon began to freak himself out. Then, he decided to reject the ghost idea all together and wondered how he could even consider such a thing. The noises he heard were simply moans and groans from the house, but, already scared, his mind started to convince him otherwise. As for the door opening, he came to the conclusion that he did not have to have an explanation just to prove it was not a ghost. Bertram realized that when he could not come up with a reasonable explanation, his imagination took over. He uses a comparison from his childhood explaining that when he asked his mom how thunder and lightning were made, she said that "clouds bumped into each other, producing a spark and noise"(Rothschild 82). Bertram then states, "How many more subtle explanations have I (or you) lived by, never noticing their absurdity?"(Rothschild 82). So, after a short period of almost believing in spirits, Bertram easily convinced himself otherwise.

While so far I've only read things about how ghosts are real, this is the first thing I've read from an opposing side. I am undecided on if ghosts are real or not to begin with, but I tend to sway a certain way depending on what I am reading or watching at that specific moment. When I first started reading this, I did not think it would be very helpful or persuading as to why ghosts are not real. However, after Rothschild describes his event, he explains why he believed it was a ghost very quickly and precisely. When he could not come up with an immediate answer, his mind began to think the worst. Is that not what we all have a tendency to do as human beings? If a loved one is late to an event and does not call, you automatically worry, thinking the worst. In the same way, Rothschild, who has never even considered ghosts to be real, suddenly began to second guess himself. I am not convinced that ghosts are not real by this article, however, Bertram provides a great explanation that I think, in his case, would actually not involve any ghosts.

The Haunting in Connecticut

The Haunting in Connecticut. Dir. Peter Cornwell. Lionsgate, 2009. Film.




In The Haunting in Connecticut, Matt Campbell is suffering from cancer and has started an experimental treatment at a hospital hours away. The driving each day becomes a strain on him, as well as his family, so they buy a house in Connecticut that's much closer to the hospital. Suspicious of why they were able to get the house for such a good deal, the Campbells soon find out that their new house was once a funeral home. It was at that house that the dead were prepared for his or her burial and photographed for the last time with the deceased's family members. Soon after, the Campbells discover something even more terrifying. The funeral home's owner's assistant, Jonah, was used as a medium to communicate with the deceased. While the owner had his own obsession with a dark magic, he would dig up bodies from cemeteries, do horrid things to the corpses, and use Jonah's gift to try and obtain power from this magic. The spirits that were once in the bodies that the owner had taken, were now furious and eventually killed the owner, as well as Jonah. Jonah sets out to try and save Matt and his family by allowing Matt to see what Jonah went through years before. Matt even states, "I wake up in the middle of the night, and it feels like he's been inside me, looking out through my eyes." However, instead of escaping, Matt deals with the angry spirits lingering in the house. He discovers the corpses stacked in the walls, and after breaking the walls down, sets the house on fire. By burning the house, he allows the angry souls to finally be free. Soon after, Matt's cancer disappeared and the house is said to be perfectly normal to this day.

The Haunting in Connecticut, is said to be based on true events that happened to a family in Connecticut. After the deceased's bodies had been taken advantage of and not left in peace, their angry spirits lingered in the house with vengeance. Personally, I'm not sure if the entire storyline is true. Obviously, Hollywood spiced up the movie to make it scary and more entertaining. The real story it was based on was probably less dramatic, but I do believe that some of it has potential to be real. First of all, it makes sense for a funeral home to be haunted in some form or fashion. While I'm sure many are not, being that a funeral home is constantly filled with the deceased, presences of those people may not be uncommon. However, they most likely are spirits at peace. Being that such inhumane things were performed in the house, I believe that it is possible that this house could have been haunted. Also, Jonah was there for a reason. He was not just a lingering spirit, but a spirit trying to warn and save the Campbell family. Overall, I'm not completely convinced that this entire movie was based on a true story, but I do think it's possible that aspects of it may have been based on real events.

Kallen, Stuart A. "Ghosts Throughout the Ages." The Mystery Library: Ghosts. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Lucent Books, 2004. 14-29. Print.




Ghosts have been reported for centuries and interpreted in different ways by different cultures. While today, many are unsure if ghosts are harmful, peaceful, or why their presence is among the living in the first place, many different groups of people throughout the years have had their own ideas, as well. For example, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics contained many pictures of ghosts. They believed that the soul was made of up to nine parts; two of these nine parts, ba and ka, stayed after one's death to protect the corpse. The ba stayed at the burial ground, while the ka would haunt the living if a priest failed to make it a daily offering of food and and drink. If made mad enough, the ka would kill many people, including small children. In Greece, one's ghost was said to take form of a bat and fly to the underworld, or Hades. These ghosts remained in the underworld and complained constantly about the loss of their lives they once enjoyed. From time to time, ceremonies would be held to call up such ancestors' ghosts to receive advice. However, these ghosts would become mischievous if the Greeks did not hold their annual festival for the dead. This festival, Anthesteria, was to help ensure that such spirits remained in the underworld. Throughout the Middle Ages, many Europeans had become very strong Christians, but suffered from many hardships. Throughout starvation, disease, and war, many were surrounded by death and ghosts of ones who had died. The grim reaper soon became the scariest ghost of all. He was said to appear to a person and force them to face his or her own death. The grim reaper would then perform a dance with its victim and say to him or her, "As I am you will be." Towards the end of the 1400's, many Protestants viewed reports of apparitions to be untruthful. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, anyone claiming to have seen a spirit was considered to be drunk or suffering from a mental and/or physical illness. Many were also accused of witchcraft. Finally, during the nineteenth century, or Victorian era, ghosts began to become accepted once again. Newspapers and books became constantly filled with reports of ghostly encounters. Apparition reports became so popular that in London, in 1882, Sir William Barrett and Edmund Dawson Rogers even established the Society for Psychical Research. Today, Hollywood portrays ghosts throughout the media as harmful, humorous, and peaceful. High-tech equipment is used to play up stories and images in order to give viewers a more entertaining experience. Throughout the centuries, while many different cultures and religions have viewed spirits as harmful, harmless, mischievous, and peaceful, all believers seem to all share a common outlook on spirits. They all are believed to be simply the souls of the deceased, lingering among the living on earth. According to Kallen, "Ghosts are timeless phenomena that have been assigned surprisingly sommon characterisitcs across all cultures throughout history" (14). Today, one can compare and contrast such differences seen throughout the years.

Ghosts appear to have been reported for centuries passed, and continue to be seen among us today. Many different cultures seems to have different beliefs as to exactly why deceased people's spirits return. Personally, I think religion plays a huge part to such ideas. For example, a Protestant would have a different view of ghosts based on his or her personal beliefs in Heaven and Hell, while an Greek from hundreds of years ago, would view such ghosts in a different perspective because of his or her beliefs in Hades. However, all cultures seem to share the similar idea that these ghosts are simply souls from the dead that have come back to be among the living for a purpose. In the same way, none of the cultures can be sure about what that purpose may be. Overall, this chapter in The Mystery Library: Ghosts provides numerous examples of the changes in beliefs and views of ghosts over the passed hundreds of years, allowing the reader to compare and contrast different reports of apparitions to what one may consider reality.

The Myrtles Plantation

Kermeen, Frances. "The Myrtles Plantation." Ghostly Encounters: True Stories of America's Haunted Inns and Hotels. New York: Warner Books, Inc., 2002. 5-29. Print.

The Myrtles Plantation was first built in 1796 by General David Bradford, and has grown to contain over 5,000 acres of land. It contains a small pond and, of course, a large home full of galleries, Greek architecture, and detailed furnishings. While its picturesque landscape looks something like a painting, the presences throughout the house are much less welcoming. Numerous murders and deaths have taken place at this plantation throughout the centuries, and many of these people's souls linger. One of the first deaths belonged to a woman, Sarah, and her three children. While their maid intended to only make them a little sick, her poisoning of the three family members resulted in their death. Now, two of these children's spirits walk the grounds and even talk to guests who are unaware that they are ghosts. Along with these children are several other ghosts that walk the ground. Sightings of these spirits dancing, simply passing through, or even watching you sleep, have been reported. Doors are slammed, beds can float, and footsteps are also heard. Even throughout the daytime, these sounds and apparitions are experienced by guests. This plantation now serves as an inn and presents ghost tours every Friday and Saturday night. However, this house use to hold murder mystery parties on a regular basis. Years before, Sarah Stirling's husband, William Winter, was brutally shot. As he drug himself up the staircase to reach his beloved Sarah, he did not make it past the seventh step before he died in her arms. Now, at night one can hear his trudges up each step and, if he or she is on the staircase at the time, it is said that one can feel the force of someone moving through them. Each room experiences different spirits and ghostly situations. All of these reports, encounters, and scenes have led to the Myrtles Plantation being "America's Most Haunted House" according to a number of sources, including the Wall Street Journal. While most would be terrified, the house's previous owner, Frances Kermeen, has started to accept these ghosts. According to Kermeen, "There is something more that transcends time and space. To me, it's proof that there is a God, and that life goes on beyond this physical world. It's oddly comforting" (Kermeen 29).

Personally, I believe this chapter on Myrtles Plantation is true. First of all, because the author was a former owner of the house, she was able to provide detailed encounters and descriptions. She had an in-depth knowledge of the plantation's history. She explained numerous stories that led to the understanding of certain ghosts seen at the house. By presenting such history, I was able to believe that the stories were true instead of a legend. She also shared several different reports by many of the house's guests and made connections throughout them. By presenting such information and evidence, I found it easier to believe that these stories are real. Also, she listed specific names of guests that she referred to. Lastly, the Wall Street Journal is a very reliable and respected newspaper throughout the United States. The fact that it specifically referred to Myrtles Plantation as being "America's Most Haunted House," has me almost entirely convinced that knowledge shared is true.