According to Chinese traditional mythology and based on the Lunar Calendar, yesterday 25th August of the Gregorian calendar, marks the 15th ie. the middle of the current Chinese Ghost Month. Older folks claimed that every year during this lunar month, those condemned to hell eternally are given a month off to return to the earthly realm for some R&R.
If you happen to be in Singapore, Hong Kong or Taiwan, you may have regretted not buying that chemical gas mask online to shield you against the toxic smoke everywhere from the ongoing burning of hell currency notes meant for their expenditures. There are even roadside concerts organized for these unseen brothers and sisters though I can’t comprehend how a passed on person in this century would appreciate a Chinese neo-Broadway musical set at least 1000 years ago. I don’t know about them but I would complain for a refund and if that’s the entertainment i get i must well check in earlier back to Hotel California.
This is the time when things get a bit restrictive for us mortals in this physical realm. While playing the role of a hosts servings unseen guests, swimming, staying late after midnight, weddings, housing renovation, moving house or office, changing jobs and some others which i forgot, are deemed taboo by many.
Generally, the spirits of the dead are being feared by mankind.
But why?
Is it because we are scared of the images or events that we see in horror movies associated with ‘evil spirits’?
Why do we assume them to be ‘evil’?
If they are spirits of persons earlier passed on and done a couple of ‘bad things’ and went to hell, somehow they turned ‘evil’ and start terrorizing mankind when they do not while physically alive? Even if so, then somethings very wrong with the rehabilitation and re-education program down there! Their minister of education needs to be fired!
What have “they” actually done to humans that causes such an unshakable conviction of fear?
How many of you who reads this sentence actually have a real encounter of “ghost/spirit” that has physically or emotionally harmed you in any way? Ok, you may have seen or felt “something” or “someone” standing there staring at you in your room at 3am in the past and gave you a fright? Probably once or twice? If we examine closely, any material or quantifiable injury or damage? Yea you got a fright but i assure you its much worse by playing Resident Evil Revelations in VR or when you are famished at 11pm and open up the fridge and found that the pizza has disappeared! That ‘thing’ did NOT physically attack you!
‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’. Remember?
It’s like an elephant who’s scared of a tiny mouse! It’s the mouse that is physically threatened by the elephant as the elephant has the ability and circumstances in the elephant’s favor to stomp and extinguish the mouse’s life, not the other way round.
That brings me to my next point: Do we need to fear the dead or is there some other that we need to be more fearful of? (maybe like the Megalodon aka The Meg?)
Years ago there was a Chinese movie (I forgot the title) in which the famous China actress Zhang Ziyi wanted to kill someone for revenge. She came up with a plan to poison that m**f**ker. Ensuring she wasnt followed she made her way a pharmacy. “Good no other customer around”, she thought. Discreetly she asked the counter staff, “What is the most venomous poison in the whole world and do you have it?”
The counter staff replied, “Ah…I know whats that but we don’t have it here.”
Not giving up, ZiYi asked, “Whats the name and where can I find it?”
Without a flinch, he replied as he resumed wiping the counter-table,
“You already have it. It’s in your heart （人心）.”
Transform Dissonances Into Resonances 