OPS Central - So Many Ghosts, So Little Time

 Written by Kevin Woodrow

     I asked myself a question the other day - not aloud, of course, as I’ve learned that people tend to look at me funny when I do that in public. The question I asked myself, though, was “Why does there seem to be so many more ghosts seen these days?”. It just seems like there are a great number of people who have seen a ghost or have had some type of paranormal experience.

     Now, I have no documented proof that more ghosts have appeared this year than they did 100 years ago. It’s just merely my perception that as civilization has grown, so has the amount of ghost sightings or experiences.

     So, assuming my perception is correct, why is it then that there would be more ghosts now… than in the past?

     With that in mind, we also have to realize that, in today’s society, there are more people who are “searching” for ghosts than ever before - whether that be searching scientifically, spiritually, or both. There are just more people “on the look-out”, I guess you could say.

     So, it all adds up, right? It all makes sense.

     More people alive, equals more people who die. And, more dead people plus more alive people who are “searching” for the spirits of those dead people… bingo… the more ghosts that will be seen.

     We could end our discussion right there. However, I think there’s more to it. I think there’s at least one more part that needs to be factored into the equation. And, here’s the part that I think is missing. First, though, we must take a look at what we think a ghost actually IS before we talk about the missing part.

     There are many different ways to define a “ghost”, and I am not pretending to know which one is correct. I honestly have heard many different definitions, and there are several of them that make sense to me. For arguments sake, however, I am going to assume that the definition that seems to be accepted by most people is the correct one - that being that “ghosts” are the “lost souls” or spirits of the dead who continue to wonder the earth, possibly in search of answers or closure, before “moving on”.

     With that definition established, let’s take a look at how people have lived throughout history, up until this point. I think that history has shown that civilization in the past, as a whole, put more stock solely in “faith” than people do today. The further you go back in time, there were less people who questioned their surroundings. Instead, they trusted in what they believed and how they were taught, and firmly stuck with it. In the past, it took a great deal of proof to sway people from something they had believed all their lives.

     Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe there are a great deal of people who are very faithful in today’s society, and that is a wonderful thing, especially from a religious stand-point. In contrast, however, there certainly are more people who ask “why” now than ever before. There are a greater number of “questioners” - people who continuously question their surroundings, whether in a more direct or indirect way. And, by no means, am I saying that is a bad thing.

     If no one ever questioned things that were widely accepted by the “masses”… we’d all still think the world was flat and that the moon was made of cheese.

     So, now we’ve arrived at the final part of the equation, the missing piece: questioners, the curious. If we hold true to a ghost actually being the spirit of someone who is confused… who is seeking answers or closure before “moving on”, then today’s society should potentially be a breeding ground for such a phenomena to exist. With so many people already alive in the world, undeniably resulting in more people dying… and more of those people than ever before dying confused, with so many questions about life itself… it all makes perfect sense why there seems to be more ghostly activity than ever before.

     Of course, this whole discussion is merely a flimsy theory. And, in no way, should it be taken as fact. I mean, this whole argument relies heavily on the hope that our popular definition of a ghost is the correct one. If that definition doesn’t hold true… then the majority of this discussion would have been for nothing.

     If this theory has any weight, though, I realize that there must be so many ghosts among us, and so little time to search for them. And, with that, comes even more questions. Have we, as a civilization, come far enough technologically to accurately prove the existence of the afterlife? Is there any true way to communicate with a spirit? Did I remember to bring enough back-up batteries for my camera?

     Consequently, however, in light of the theory that I just spoke of… with so many questions rolling through MY mind, and so little time to find those answers… how long will it be before I am a ghost myself?

Boo.

Until next time,

-Kevin-