Ghosts, Goblins and Ghouls on my!
On this All Hallow’s eve I thought I’d post about one of the most interesting topics out there, Ghosts and the paranormal. You know it’s as interesting as they all say it is. Right now there’s no less than five television programs devoted to the topic. The Sci Fi channel will be airing an all night Ghost Hunt by the Ghost Hunters, of both ghost hunting and plumbing fame. Every society on earth has some tall tale about some mysterious occurrence. I’m sure most that read this have a story to tell about seeing something weird spooky too.
I myself saw something that I could never explain when I was a child. I was spinning around an old foundation poll in our basement and saw a bearded man walk right in front of a doorway. I was scarred to death! I ran over to my brother and stayed by his side all night long. Even eerier still, my Grandma once told me, the day after my Granddad died when I was no older than 5, that I came up to her the day after and said, “Don’t worry grandma, I saw grandpa last night and he said not to worry”. She said she never forgot that to this day. I do not remember ever saying it.
What is the Paranormal anyway?
By definition, the paranormal is of or pertaining to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, or other purportedly supernatural phenomena. Hmm. An event or perception without scientific explanation. Don’t like the sound of that. If we can’t measure it, sense it, weigh it, does that must mean it doesn’t exist right? From that definition, it sounds as if anyone who believes in the paranormal is believing in something that is blatantly unscientific. In fact, that’s exactly what it means. It is painting a picture that if you believe in the paranormal you’re a crackpot. That couldn’t be more wrong of a view to take. Thinking that something can never exist, that is the unscientific view. Scientists should be curious about everything, always asking if they are right, always testing, verifying, even our most sound theories.
What about the “Super” natural. I very much hate this word. It is defined as of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal. But really, how can something like this ever exist? If ghosts are real, that just means there are natural forces at work, natural law’s in play, that we are not aware of. In my opinion there is no such thing as a supernatural anything. If it exists then our understanding of the natural law is wrong. Note that in the definition, ‘unexplainable by natural law’. Well, then the law is wrong! What happened when Einstein tried to apply Newtonian physics to cosmology? He found the law was not adequate to explain things. Does that mean Einstein was studying the supernatural? NO! It means he had found that the law was not complete.
So are they real?
So what is happening here? All of that is terribly interesting but time for some science now. I love a good yarn as much as the next person, but is it for real? Are there really ghosts out there? I will say with absolute certainty, applying real scientific methods and procedures, that I haven’t a clue.
Ghosts have never been proven to exist. Period. They just haven’t. To be proven to exist you must have solid, verifiable, repeatable evidence, and it just isn’t there. Does that mean they do not exist? No! Remember, not proving something to exist does not mean that you have proven the opposite. Far too many people have reported seeing something to simply dismiss it as a form of mass hysteria and delusions. I myself am in that number. But, even though I saw something odd once, and even though there is a story from my Grandma, that does not prove that Ghosts exist. I may choose to believe they do, but this isn’t about belief. We can believe whatever we want, even then dreaded Spaghetti Monster of Richard Dawkins can be believed to be real, that doesn’t make it real.
I will say that people do have a propensity to spin a yarn. We love to tell tales. Go to any bar in any city and you’ll likely find someone telling something. And more likely, he’ll often try to stretch the truth a bit to make it sound better. We have whole cities devoted to this, Hollywood, we have industries centered around telling a story. So, yes, I could have seen my dad walking across the hallway and thought it was a ghost. I could have told that story over and over for years adding little bits to it. People love to exaggerate. And ya know, it’s ok. I say tell that tale and spin that yarn as long as you like.
But for science, and the tough question do they exist for real. We just don’t know. To all those out there that say to me, but they are just silly, they can’t possibly be real. Well, 95% of the universe is unknown, yes? All the visible matter and energy, if you add it up, is only 5%. So we, matter, mass, corporeal beings, that which you touch and feel, are only 5% of the universe. Well, if the rest is unknown, how can we be so certain we know what that 95% is not?
I think this topic is a fun one, honestly. They may exist, they may not. We may continue to exist on some level after we die, and we may not. The point here, and in all of my posts, do not assume something to be true simply because you want it to be. Or because it sounds silly. The universe is anything but ordinary. There are surprises in store for us around every new discovery.
So have fun, tell a yarn or two, get some candy. And above all else, have a Happy Halloween!!!
