SONGSOPTOK: It seems that fear is the most important primal instinct in the animal
world. The two main manifestations of fear in the human society is centered
around two entities: God(s) and Demons. We somehow learn to fear ghosts and
spirits at a very early age and remain marked by that fear later in life. What
is your personal experience? When did you start fearing ghosts and for what
reasons?
SIAMIR: I started fearing ghosts when i was in the age of 15.My personal experience
to see ghosts when i got up from my bed in the night and the ghosts seemed to make me frightening
till i was screaming loudly because the face of ghosts are not like the face of
man.
SONGSOPTOK: Very often adults try to
control the tantrums of children by threatening them with ghosts and spirits.
Do you remember any such incident when you were very young? In your opinion, do
such methods have a permanently negative effect on children? In what way?
SIAMIR: It is a nmust for adults try to controle tantrums of children so asoid them
from fearing and when i was very young , i remembered incident occured at that
time that one of my friends was threatened by the appearence of ghosts which
made him sick and afraid of going anywhere
he likes.
SONGSOPTOK: Not only do we frighten
children with ghosts, we often entertain them with ghost stories. When children
learn to read, grown-ups often try to incite them to get into the habit of
reading by buying ghost stories. What do you think of this practice?
SIAMIR: Not all children are frightening to
see ghosts.Some of them like reading and they even buy ghosts stories so as to
entertain them instead of making them frightening and i think this a good
practical be applied for children.
SONGSOPTOK: Adolescence is normally
the period when we start asking questions about different things. Did you start
asking questions about the existence of ghosts? Will you share the details with
us?
SIAMIR: I started asking questions about the existence of ghosts by giving them
information that there were so many different things surrounding us and asked
adolescence whether he had ever seen ghost or not.In fact, he told me that he
had seen the existence of ghosts in life.Since the appearence of seeing ghosts,
he became frightening and was not brave to go anywhere without accompanying
with a friend of his.
SONGSOPTOK: A lot of people claim to
have direct experience of ghosts or other inexplicable phenomena. Do you have
any such experience to share with us? Or experiences of people you know?
SIAMIR: Well, everyman has different experience about seeing ghosts and i myself
had ever seen ghosts when i was coming out from my house once in the evening
and the ghosts appeared and made me frightened and it was a bitter experience i
had that seemed just the same with my neighbor’son experienced.He told me that
he had ever seen ghosts and made him screaming because the face of ghosts were
really ugly until he was fainted.
SONGSOPTOK: It is true that most of us
like reading or watching films about ghosts, spirits or mysterious phenomena.
Do you enjoy these things too? Can you think of a specific story or a film that
really thrilled you? Do you have any favorite writers of this genre?
SIAMIR: Sure, though
ghosts make man frightening but i like reading and watching films dealing with
ghosts.I enjoyed it very much as an entertainment.A specific story of a film
about ghosts sometimes thrilled me and i did not care about it,and i try to
make myself courage to read and watch the film.Besides, i do not have favorite
writers of this genre.
SONGSOPTOK: Many of us think that
science still has to go a long way to explain everything that we experience on
earth. Science has enlightened us about a lot of things, but there are certain
areas that can be considered as the twilight zone – the breeding place for the
uncanny and the preternatural. What are your thoughts about this?
SIAMIR: In my opinion, science is right to explain everything that we experience on
earth, especially the certain areas considered as twilight zone and this is
also regarded as a place of strange things and it would be better if this place
be enlightened for man to run the lives.
SONGSOPTOK: We find it difficult to accept
that nothing remains after death, which often leads us to imagine the
supernatural. We are naturally attracted to what lies beyond the known everyday
world. What is your opinion about this? Do you think that everything ends with
death? Or is it because since we don’t really know that we oscillate between
belief and doubt?
SIAMIR: I think death is a must for every creatures or living things
experienced.Death will be coming suddenly and man,therefore, should do
something as a remaning before the dead I think everything ends with death
because it concerns with the belief and no doubt for this.
SONGSOPTOK: Almost all societies
believe that the entities that exists in the realms that are beyond our
understanding and our sensory perceptions possess an immense amount of power.
But the capacity of humans is limited. So why does humans believe that the
souls of the dead are immensely powerful? What, according to you, is the reason
for this?
SIAMIR: According to me that the capaciy of humans is limited and the man,
therefore should believe that the souls of dead are immensely powerful bacause
of its precious value given by God as what is said in the Bible that man was
created from the dust and then God breathed holy souls through his nostril and
became a man.Without having souls,it will be impossible for a man or other living things run the lives.
SONGSOPTOK: As we grow more and more
dependent on science and technology, it is possible that our belief in the
supernatural will grow weaker with time. In that sense ghosts and other
entities are likely to have a very dark future indeed. But wouldn’t that
deprive us of a whole range of feelings and emotions? Wouldn’t we become poorer
in our sensations? What is your opinion?
SIAMIR: In my opinion, this depends on one’s personality to accept it.The more
dependent on science or technology will be there the more our belief be
improved and i think,we wouldn’t become poorer in our sensation caused by the
improvement of science and tecchnology, and even a whole range of feelins and
emotions.Therefore, man should be consistent to keep a good principle in
running the lives.
SIAMIR MARULAFAU was born inMay 17,1958.He is a teacher
of English and Literature at the Departement of English and Literature,Faculty
of Cultural Sciences,University of North Sumatra-Indonesia.He had written many
literary works in Face books and other medias
published such in magazines, and
newspapers.
We sincerely
thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
Aparajita
Sen
(EDITOR)
Songsoptok
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