I am Haunted: Living Life Through the Dead
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Humor & Entertainment
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Humor & Entertainment
Book Type: Hardcover
This isn't the typical thing I pick up and read, but, 'tis the season (October 9th, as I write), and I came across it browsing at the library the other day, so I thought I would check it out. Apparently, ZB has written another book prior to the publication of this one, which may discuss more of the material he has researched. This autobiography-cum-memoir reads a bit more like a personal account-a diary or journal, albeit a somewhat haphazard yet introspective one, but it's moving in many ways. I'm not a uber fan, but I have seen several of the Ghost Adventures episodes.
I'm obviously a skeptic generally (on the belief-in-the-paranormal/afterlife scale, on a good day I probably rate at about a three-and-a-half) but I'm willing to keep an open mind, as there are certainly aspects of our existence that we just don't understand, and can't explain. Also, unlike more overt skeptics, I don't think that asking the questions is a waste of time: to that end, I think "shows" of this type are mildly entertaining, and they also can tell us quite a lot about people's views of death and the afterlife, and it's always fascinating to see how people from different traditions and belief systems approach these often taboo topics, even on a TV show. The ones I watch are more centered on actual people and their travails with what they consider to be dark energy, which is disturbing at best and highly unsettling at its most intense. There is often a palpable sense of something otherworldly in the people affected, but I'm just not sure the cause.
I was thus interested in what one of the most prominent purveyors of the paranormal had to say, both about himself, what he does, and the effects it's had on the people around him. The book was a bit disappointing in that regard: Zak did talk quite a lot about himself and his beliefs and approaches to his life's work, which I do believe is his unremitting passion, or obsession-take your pick-but it was a bit superficial in terms of the particular cases he's encountered. I did appreciate the very honest, and at times, revealing beliefs of an individual I've always thought was a fairly strong introvert, who is cautious in his interactions with other people, but now I know that it's more than that, and I do believe him.
Zak asserts that he is a "sensitive," but he stops short at calling himself a "psychic." He goes with the more neutral (and socially accepted) term "empath," which makes sense, considering the way in which he approaches his investigations. He certainly submerges himself in them to a far deeper level than most other investigators or researchers, who are more focused on their gadgets than in what's going on around them. That's one thing I really appreciate about his approach: correctly, I think, Zak states that he often goes to extremes and engages in practices that no other paranormal researchers emulate, such as conducting rituals at the various locations, and calling in local experts in the fields, from spirit mediums to shaman to wicca practitioners to priest-members of an order of exorcists, so clearly his network is vast.
I'm obviously a skeptic generally (on the belief-in-the-paranormal/afterlife scale, on a good day I probably rate at about a three-and-a-half) but I'm willing to keep an open mind, as there are certainly aspects of our existence that we just don't understand, and can't explain. Also, unlike more overt skeptics, I don't think that asking the questions is a waste of time: to that end, I think "shows" of this type are mildly entertaining, and they also can tell us quite a lot about people's views of death and the afterlife, and it's always fascinating to see how people from different traditions and belief systems approach these often taboo topics, even on a TV show. The ones I watch are more centered on actual people and their travails with what they consider to be dark energy, which is disturbing at best and highly unsettling at its most intense. There is often a palpable sense of something otherworldly in the people affected, but I'm just not sure the cause.
I was thus interested in what one of the most prominent purveyors of the paranormal had to say, both about himself, what he does, and the effects it's had on the people around him. The book was a bit disappointing in that regard: Zak did talk quite a lot about himself and his beliefs and approaches to his life's work, which I do believe is his unremitting passion, or obsession-take your pick-but it was a bit superficial in terms of the particular cases he's encountered. I did appreciate the very honest, and at times, revealing beliefs of an individual I've always thought was a fairly strong introvert, who is cautious in his interactions with other people, but now I know that it's more than that, and I do believe him.
Zak asserts that he is a "sensitive," but he stops short at calling himself a "psychic." He goes with the more neutral (and socially accepted) term "empath," which makes sense, considering the way in which he approaches his investigations. He certainly submerges himself in them to a far deeper level than most other investigators or researchers, who are more focused on their gadgets than in what's going on around them. That's one thing I really appreciate about his approach: correctly, I think, Zak states that he often goes to extremes and engages in practices that no other paranormal researchers emulate, such as conducting rituals at the various locations, and calling in local experts in the fields, from spirit mediums to shaman to wicca practitioners to priest-members of an order of exorcists, so clearly his network is vast.
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