[deleted] - The Others (2001) Discussion

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Just another way of exploring the afterlife, which no-one even has proof exists.

What I love about this movie is that it throws all of Nicole Kidman's character's deeply-entrenched Christian beliefs into serious doubt, and wakes her up to the fact that neither Heaven or Hell (or other religious bullcrap) exists. Basically, she was so certain what would happen before, and now she doesn't have a clue, like none of us actually do have a clue as to what happens after we die.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

Ask a dead person how it really feels to be dead, and get back to us.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

This ^^^^

The OP's question was pretty dumb.

I guess an analogy might be: How can Trump supporters be so stupid, and not realize it?

(Waits for the inevitable blowback...)

Years ago I helped a friend with a charity event at which kids with disabilities were treated to horse rides. At one point, a young girl was given a ride. She was born blind, deaf and with spina bifuda. As they helped her on to the horse I wondered what her internal experience must be like. She would have no clue what the real world was except through smell and touch.

The OPs question could be re-framed as: How could a blind and deaf girl not know she was blind and deaf? Answer: They don't. Unless someone somehow managed to convey that to them through other means and even then it would mean nothing to them since they would have nothing to compare it to.

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[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

I'm afraid that I disagree with one of your analogies. If a person who cannot see or hear can communicate with hearing/sighted persons, it won't be long before they realize that other people have abilities they don't, and then it will sink in that because they don't have these abilities, they are considered inferior and dependent. I can only hope the little girl you met hadn't come to that realization quite yet.

Your other analogy was, of course, spot-on.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

If someone used to have sight and hearing and then got blind and deaf they would know they have lost those abilities. Your analogy requires that you don't remember being alive or that you have always been a ghost. Otherwise you would know the difference.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I'm not a believer in the afterlife. I guess my bigger point -- my analogy wasn't very good I suppose -- is that death isn't going to be just a 'bump' in your existence. It wouldn't be like waking from a sleep, where your memories of a previous existence are intact. Your brain -- the source and vault of your memories -- is gone.

One could argue that a spirit released from a body becomes its own thing. What happens then is just up to imagination and conjecture.

So the scriptwriters were completely free to make up 'rules' as they see fit.

It was a good, creepy movie.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Yeah, i'm not saying it takes away anything from the film, but it's always fun to speculate.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Probably the same way Douglas Quaid was living his ordinary life never recalling his Martian experiences...
If you don't remember what it's like being alive and not even aware what alive means... well, then you take your ghost life as something unquestionable and very real.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

So from your own viewpoint you just suddenly bump into existence at whatever age you were at the point of your death.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

There are times when I understand clearly that my struggle with colloquial English is just in its primal stages. How is 'my own viewpoint' different from just 'my viewpoint' is a mystery to me, let alone the meaning of the whole sentence. Sorry pal, I was probably somewhat overconfident to participate in this discussion ((

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I don't think there is a difference. Maybe. English isn't my native XD

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[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

"How is 'my own viewpoint' different from just 'my viewpoint' is a mystery to me"

Just so you know, there's no real difference in meaning, and both are considered acceptable English grammar.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Thanks for clearing that up.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

No real difference in meaning - that's probably correct.

As to being acceptable... well... tautology should be avoided. And that's what 'my own viewpoint' (alongside with 'opposite antonyms', 'young teenagers' etc.) precisely is. Tautology could be pardoned only if used by a trailer park methhead or someone who is not a native speaker ;))

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

So i'm pardoned then.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Sure thing! Us ghosts gotta support each other!

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Of course XD

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[–] Truthtalker (1869) 6 years ago

Just as impossible it is to realize we are in a dream or nightmare

Yet it happens every time

Only after waking up you realize

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

You can still realize when something in the dream is weird or doesn't make sense tough.

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[–] Kawada_Kira (7269) 6 years ago

You can, but you don't always.

I picture the concept of being dead without realizing it to being in a kind of dreamlike state. Like you're not fully there, everything is hazy and you're not entirely aware of your surroundings.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

So basically being a ghost is like being slightly drunk.

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[–] dlancer (2036) 6 years ago

The only explanation you need is that the afterlife does not want you to know you are in the afterlife.

There's no reason to assume you would have the same exact cognitive abilities in the afterlife when your physical brain is dead. Your thoughts and feelings would only exist because a spiritual force is allowing them to. If that force is pulling the strings of your spiritual mind to keep you in the dark, it could take awhile before you figure it out.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

"The only explanation you need is that the afterlife does not want you to know you are in the afterlife"

Yeah. Maybe so. You simply aren't supposed to know for...reasons. That could also explain why ghosts are mostly prevented from communicating with the living. Can't have the ghosts going around asking us questions and maybe find things out. God or nature or whatever that is in control is trying to keep the two sides apart.