Why Do Ghosts Wear Clothes?

[Spungle]

Someone else asked this question on another thread earlier, but it is such a striking question I believe it merits it's own post.

Why, indeed, do ghosts wear clothes? If there was any logic to the assumption that ghosts are departed spirits from people who have died, surely there wouldn't be clothes. Or would there? Has anyone on here seen a naked ghost?

[Old_Geezer]

I automatically (after a trial period of time) have the ability to shapeshift my avatar into an old geezer here already. Not vastly different.

[Kromovaracun]

So... you believe that after you die, you can change your appearance as easily as you can change your avatar on a website.

That is amazing.

After I die I'm going to take on the form of Great Cthul'hu. That'll be a laugh, eh?

[Old_Geezer]

Whatever turns you on.
I suspect those who grew spiritually during life might think it a little immature though.
Maybe this is how stories of demons came about.

[Kromovaracun]

//Why not the ability to create illusion?//

Why not, indeed!

I'm sorry, this really is very silly.

[Kromovaracun]

Are there any limits to this shapeshifting power, out of interest? Could I, as a spirit, choose to make myself the size of an entire city? Or would that be too big? If not, could I make myself the size of the planet? Or Jupiter? Or the sun? Or the whole universe? What exactly are the limits on this glorious magic?

[Kromovaracun]

Maybe some spirit somewhere decided to put OG's shapeshifting ghost ability to the test and became so utterly vast that our universe is hidden away in its armpit or something.

[Kromovaracun]

Oh come on, at what point does this become too silly to believe in?

[Kromovaracun]

"Perhaps after death I will be possessed of limitless shapeshifting powers, extending from giving myself a nice shirt to literally making myself as big as the entire universe"

The wise sages stroked their beards for a moment and nodded before solemnly replying, "Yes. That is certainly possible."

[Old_Geezer]

You demand to be told limits; you decide what they are. Have fun.

[Kromovaracun]

//Are there any limits to this shapeshifting power, out of interest? //

That's hardly a demand!

[Old_Geezer]

It is most certainly a demand for an explanation regarding an issue that no one knows any detail of; but the demand has put in a soft tone to make it look innocent and deniable.

By asking others for answers rather than put forward a suggestion oneself, the conversation is guided to a point one hopes to reach. It is then easy to mock any answer suggested. By choosing to guide a discussion along ridiculous lines one comes to ridiculous exchanges; and yet the reason for this is not because someone's stance/answer is ridiculous but because the question deliberately was.

Implying others are experts in the unknown and one is merely a poor naive fellow simply asking questions, by opting not to join in with the speculation of how things might be, the ulterior motive becomes obvious. A genuine answer isn't wanted, it couldn't be because it is all speculation, what is wanted is to try to make others who fall into the trap and try to reply seem to hold stupid views. It's not a game one should play in any serious discussion.

[Kromovaracun]

//By choosing to guide a discussion along ridiculous lines one comes to ridiculous exchanges//

I agree. I'm not sure why you posted such ridiculous theories if you didn't want the thread to be taken in a ridiculous direction, though.

[Kromovaracun]

And I'm sorry,"ghosts can change their appearance to anything" is not a valid starting point for a "serious discussion."

[Garaman]

I have mentioned it on here before, but it is quite interesting how the brain works, and often it isn’t how we imagine. For example, our senses take in the surroundings and recreate those surroundings in our brain. Our brain then puts us inside those surroundings it has created, so basically it’s like we live in a video game in our brain. That is why it takes a child so long to learn to walk – positioning ourselves in our brain is a very hard task to learn, whereas a child’s growing brain could master the art of walking in no time. It also explains how we have out-of-body experiences as the brain can lose its ability to put us in the right place, through severe shock for example. We add our emotions to the mix, which are from our life’s experiences and which often contains baggage we would rather not add.

The brain then makes assumptions to fill in bits that aren't clear, and they aren't always correct. Someone's brain might well create a ghost to fill in for something it can't resolve.