Paranormal

[pokoal2000]

Paranormal

Does it exist or is it all in people imagination? Many serious human being claims that they experienced strange happenings including ghost sightings, out of body experience, abduction by alien beings and many other unexplained endeavors. All my life I took interest in paranormal, but still find very difficult to believe it. Personally I experienced unusual ghost activities while living in Hythe, Kent, but was it just imaginations or was it real? We talked about it with my girlfriend at the time, so possibly I was dreaming about it. I went to places that were supposedly hunted, I slept in the grave yard, followed strange lights in the forest, planted trees in my garden in Thailand that according to Thai populations attract and hold ghosts, but still absolutely no unexplained mysteries. In my sixty years on this Earth I have never encountered anything that could not be explained. Now I live in the country where strong beliefs are predominant. 99% people are Buddhist and religion is one of the most important aspects of life here. I teach in a secondary school and if the children know how to pray and bow to Buddha, they are good students. It does not matter if they know where Paris is. That is much less important. Some people are very poor, but a religion teaches them that they must support the local temple, and give money, if they want to have a good life. It very, convenient religion, not strictly based on Buddha teachings. Buddha taught people how to live, asked monks to train in the austere temples, then go out and help to educate the people. It does not happen here. Temples are opulent, monks have plenty of money and they stay in their abode and never go out to teach. Only time they venture out is to collect gifts from local populations. Basically if you don’t fancy working, you can become a monk and have a reasonable life. I went to temple in Bangkok asking the top monk to help the poor girl living on the street, but was told that is nothing to do with them, not their concern. And people still believe in them and support this money laundering operation with great vigor. At least catholic priest would try to do something to help, even if he prays to nonexistent entity. All religions have too much to answer for. Many wars started, because of the religion. What is it all about? Who profits from all this? People are proud to belong to one group, Buddhist killing Muslims, Catholics killing Protestants, Hindus, Jewish and vice versa. List goes on and on. Absolute madness. I think the whole World is mad, (but maybe is me, who is mad) People hate you because your skin is black, brown, yellow or white. People don’t like you because you were born in Europe, China, Japan, America, and Africa. Please people, we are on this little planet, which has few problems now and there is no God, Buddha, Allah or any other entity who would help us. So stick together and be proud to be human.

[zzaa09]

Sure. I believe. Why not.....

[bangkokcitylimits]

It's not to believe but to know, nothing strange with paranormal things.

[zzaa09]

It's not to believe but to know, nothing strange with paranormal things.

Quite right. Just as part of the natural cycles as the normal models. It's what we don't know that could be explored.....we're not curious. instead, we cherish the things that are clearly understandable and created for us.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Truly, the contemplation of the paranormal leads those who consider it seriously that there are really things out there. As one loses consciousness of the mundane worldly TV threads the paranormal becomes implicitly clear.

[msg362]

It's not to believe but to know, nothing strange with paranormal things.

Quite right. Just as part of the natural cycles as the normal models. It's what we don't know that could be explored.....we're not curious. instead, we cherish the things that are clearly understandable and created for us.

Ugh?'

Can you explain? who created what for us, how are they clearly understandable' and why are we not curious? Science is based on curiosity and is the best mechanism we have found so far for explaining things around us. As we understand more so the boundaries of of the 'supernatural' and 'paranormal' shrink. Claims for other causes must be justified with evidence/proof, not just personal anecdotes.

[bifftastic]

I think it's the fear in a person's mind that allows them to 'see' these things. I don't believe it at all, I think it's superstitious nonsense.

I don't believe in god, ghosts, magic, spirits, dragons, werewolves, vampires or any other 'unseen phenomena' I do believe however, that the human mind is a powerful thing.

As for the monks and temples, where my g/f lives the local Wat is very active in the community, it's like a focus for many aspects of daily life for the local people.

When there is little or no work in the fields, they employ people on a kind of 'rota' system to help out in the kitchens (they have a lot of resident monks and novices) they do teach and they do play an active role in the community.

There's a shop and a school which people travel from all over the country to attend.

Recently there was a funeral for a revered monk and 500 monks from all over Thailand turned up.

It may well be different in other Wat's but this one, I believe, is an important part of the life of people in the area, they use it to congregate, exercise, meditate etc.

Yes they take donations from the people but they do give something back as well. It was recently visited by one of the Royal Princesses and everyone put on their best clothes and came from miles around.

I'm not a fan of organised religion, but I have to say I was impressed by the role this Wat plays in the world, the Abbott (if that's the right name for him) is very nice too, we did the 'blessing' of the motorcy thing with him and we were offered food and drink and plenty of smiles and laughter. He's a cool guy, always happy and smiling.

I whistle for the dogs at night and was told I shouldn't because it attracts ghosts. I just shrugged and said "well if there are ghosts, they were people once right? Why should I be scared of them? What are they going to do to me?"

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong and one day a ghost will eat my soul. At least then I'll know I've actually got one!

[zzaa09]

Belief itself could be something to ponder.

[PhilHarries]

Belief is selective, we believe in what we are comfortable with and everything else is conveniently whitewashed over.

Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena that are understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure.

Source : Wikipedia

The crucial part is; "outside of science's current ability to explain or measure" so what is paranormal now may be perfectly normal and well understood should mankind survive long enough for science to develope sufficiently to explain such things.

I neither believe nor disbelieve but keep an open mind ready for the revalations that are sure to come.

[mark45y]

Some people in Thailand are very gullible. I discovered when I didn't want to go some place it was sometimes more effective to say I had a dream about a snake eating my girlfriend at that beach.

You can also get a lot of mileage with the aura thing.

There is a sucker born every minute.

Of course I have also had her angry with me because she had a dream I had a mia noi. When you play the game you have to take the good and the bad.

[mstribling]

Many times the ghost thing is just a face saving maneuver. We have a giant skeleton of a condo in our city. Run out of ฿ back in '97.

Instead of saying " Were broke. " it has been abandoned to the jungle for years because of "P".

I make up ghost stories all the time. The whole baan loves. 'em.

[zzaa09]

Some people in Thailand are very gullible. I discovered when I didn't want to go some place it was sometimes more effective to say I had a dream about a snake eating my girlfriend at that beach.

You can also get a lot of mileage with the aura thing.

There is a sucker born every minute.

Of course I have also had her angry with me because she had a dream I had a mia noi. When you play the game you have to take the good and the bad.

Yet, it's not a game.....