Zombie Apocalypse

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

A Zombie is a fictional undead being created through the re-animation of a human corpse. They’re typically dead bodies that move, they don’t have souls the way  ghosts do. They  are mostly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from the Haitian folklore, where a zombie is a dead body re-animated through various methods, most commonly, magic. Modern depictions of zombies, however do not involve magic, but often invoke science fictional methods such as radiation, mental diseases, viruses, scientific accidents, etc., (source: Wikipedia).

Now you might ask what zombies have got to do with an apocalypse..  or is it even possible for us to invoke the dead..  well, the former is the subject matter of this post..  Whereas the latter is a matter of personal opinion.

With so many theories about zombies making rounds, one of the most popular theory is that there will come a stage where the undead rise from their cemetery and take over the world as we know. They want nothing but our brains.. Scary huh? Well, for the skeptic in you to believe this notion, continue reading..

Wade Davis, a Harvard ethnobotanist, presented a pharmacological case for the zombies in a 1983 paper in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. He travelled to Haiti (the birthplace of zombie claims) in 1982 and as a result of his investigations, claimed that a living person can be turned into a zombie by two special powders being introduced into the blood stream (through a wound). These powders were said to induce a death-like state in which the will of the victim would be subjected to that of the bokor. The process described by Davis was an initial state of death-like suspended animation, followed by re-awakening-typically after being buried- into a psychotic state. While, some rationales claim that , mentally ill people (schizophrenics) wandering  near graves were considered as zombies by the locals and slowly the legend around the zombies and their invasion started to spread like wild fire.

In India, according to Hindu mythology, we have an equal to zombie, called the vetala. They are claimed to kill children, cause miscarriages, and harass the living. These creatures have an awareness
of the past, present and future and are often the slaves of sorcerers. They can be dispatched by reciting holy mantra and performing the funeral rites of the dead.(source: fandom).

While this concept may not be in your best taste, we can’t rule out this possibility altogether. For years, through different religions and cultures, we are warned that an apocalypse is fast approaching. This apocalypse (or the end) can come through any means and zombies are not an exception to this theory of world’s end. The fear of the unknown is what keeps us to worry about these bizarre situations. Contemplating a theory this weird is sure a talent reserved to the human brain. Claiming that we have civilized and all that, there are still people who are preparing  for the zombie apocalypse. Also, given that corpses are buried in a tuxedo or a long gown, zombie apocalypse will be a formal event.Funny as it might sound, am sure some of you are getting your backpacks ready.  Just in case.. ;)

Mine is ready…

Post by: Shruthi Ramadurai.