OPS Central - To Scream, or Not to Scream?

   It is my perception that, for the most part, ghostly encounters have been viewed as frightening experiences for most people. I’m not so sure we should be scared, though. Certainly that’s not a surprising statement coming from someone who spends many of his weekends searching for these spirits. The thing is… I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I wouldn’t be somewhat startled by someone walking out of a wall towards me or a chair suddenly flying across a room. I‘m a human being. And, this is exactly where my argument comes into play.

   As human beings, interpretation plays a huge role in our ability to communicate with one another. Facial expressions, body language, sounds, voice tones; all of these elements and more are part of the equation that make up how we talk to one another, but more importantly… how we interpret intent in that communication.

   For example, you could look at me and say, “I think you are a complete idiot!” (believe me, you wouldn’t be the first to do that). However, when saying that to me, the tone of your voice and your facial expression would determine how I interpret the intent behind your comment. If you are grimacing and speaking in an enrage tone… you might be angry with me. On the other hand, if your have a smile on your face and you are laughing… it could be that you just think I’m goofy. In both instances, the same thing was said, but the other elements led to the conclusion of what was meant by each.

   Now, in the case of a ghostly encounter, it’s a little more difficult to interpret intent simply because you don’t have all of the other elements to help you decide. Sometimes you just hear a ghostly voice. Many times you may see an apparition. Often it could be an object that moves across the room. It’s very rare that you actually have all the pieces put together in one haunting event to decide that the ghost was either peaceful or evil in some way.

   However, it is natural to fear what you don’t understand (or are unable to interpret), therefore we (as a whole) are usually frightened by a ghostly encounter. But, I don’t think we should always jump to conclusions and assume that since something strange is happening it is bad.

   Apparently, it isn’t that easy for a ghost to try to communicate. If it was that simply, Larry King would have already gotten the exclusive interview with Jimmy Hoffa’s ghost so he could be the first one to expose exactly where his body is buried. Nope, it’s not that easy. So, when everything is lined up just right so that a ghost has a chance to interact with the living, that ghost may have to do whatever it can to draw attention to itself.

   Maybe the ghost in question has tried several times to whisper something, or to show itself in a more mundane way, only to be ignored each time. Finally, when it can summon enough strength, it decides to try something new. Maybe it decides to toss a book across the room. While doing this would definitely work in getting the living person’s attention, it may at the same time work in causing that living person to ruin their brand new pair of boxer shorts, if you know what I mean.

   In doing this, the ghost would not be evil in any way, only trying it’s best to get the attention of the living. However, the living person would be interpreting the book flying across the room as being something scary or evil.

   You may be thinking the same thing that I’ve thought before. If ghosts have been around as long as people have been dying, don’t you think that they (ghosts) would have perfected things by now. Wouldn’t you think spirits, by this point, would have learned how to better express themselves to us. But, you have to realize that it must be a whole different “ballgame” on that side. We, as the living, may never be able to understand what it takes to physically interact as a ghost. Even if we want to compare the other-side to our world, let’s look at it this way.

   We, as humans, have been around for a long, long time. We’ve had a long time to learn how we operate. Yet, even at this point, we still don’t know everything nor can we accomplish everything we want to accomplish. Mozart composed some of the most amazing pieces of music. Da Vinci’s works of art were masterpieces. Michael Jordan could score on any defense the NBA put in front of him. Have most of done those things? No. However, could we do these things if we really had the determination and will to do so?

   So, we would have to at least consider that it could be similar on the “other-side“. Maybe some ghosts are equipped to better communicate from beyond, much like Mozart was born with the gift of music. And, of those spirits… maybe only the most determined are ever able to actually accomplish the fete. Yet, even when a spirit does accomplish this, it’s likely that it’s ghostly interaction with the world of the living will ultimately be misinterpreted as something evil, in most cases.

   Even in some of the most extreme circumstances, as in reports of a door slamming behind someone as they enter a room, a person waking up to find a ghost holding them down, or even a small object being thrown and hitting someone in the back, it may not be evil. Heck, I know this is going to sound crazy, but even a ghost seeming to trip someone as they walk down stairs may not be evil in a way. I mean, what if your dog or cat was trying to get your attention and got in your way as you walking down the stairs, resulting in you tripping. You wouldn’t necessarily think your pet was evil, would you? Just as a pet’s ways of communicating with you are limited, a ghosts may be as well. It may just be that the ghost is getting frustrated and is trying to do whatever it can to get the attention of the living.

   Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that there aren’t evil spirits out there. Just like there are evil people, I’m sure there are those ghosts who want to do people harm as well. I just think that many reports of ghosts that seem to have an evil intent might be incorrect. I think that many of those ghosts are merely being misinterpreted by those people who witness them. Not to say that the witnesses themselves are at fault in anyway. It’s simply that the intent of ghostly activity is very hard to interpret.

   Throughout my long ramble in this article, have I really come up with any solution for anything? Absolutely not. Hopefully, though, I’ve at least given someone a knew way to look at things. And, when that time comes when I’m face to face with a ghost who has just walked out of wall and is hurling bricks at me as it screams, “I think you are a complete idiot!”… I’ll ask my self… “To scream, or not to scream?”.

I’ll let you know how that comes out.

Until next time,

-Kevin-