Are Ghosts Actual Beings or Windows into the Past? “Theory Talk” Vol. 6

Are Ghosts Actual Beings or Windows into the Past? “Theory Talk” Vol. 6

Be sure to check out the other entries in this series! “Theory Talk”

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Ghosts. They’re an interesting subject because if you think about it, we really don’t know what they are. So I started to think, what are ghosts? Are they parts of the past that are somehow bleeding into the present, or are they actual entities that can think and do things by their own free will? Well, let’s talk about it. So let’s start with the theory that ghosts are merely windows to the past. I brought this up when we discussed the photos of a supposed ghost ship. In that post, I said that I believe ghost ships aren’t actual ghosts, but parts of the past that somehow spill over into the present (I made compared this to how the tears work in BioShock: Infinite) . But I started to think, what if regular ghosts are the same way. What is ghosts aren’t our souls/spirits (or whatever you think ghosts are) wandering around, but instead they’re just parts of our past somehow replaying? I remember seeing someone on a forum give a possible explanation as to how ghosts are able to travel through walls. it’s not that they have that ability, it’s that they’re just following a path that they walked in in their past. Example, say you walk down a hallway every day at your job. Because you walked down that hallway, it’s forever cemented in time that you walked down that hallway. Now, let’s say you die and the building is completely renovated and that hallway is removed and a bunch of offices and walls are put in it’s place. Because ghosts are just glimpses into the past, then because you waled where the hallway use to be, that doesn’t affect you still having walked down it all those years ago. So your “ghost” is still going to be walking down the same path where the hallway was, regardless if there are walls in front of you now. So in short, ghosts might just be parts of the past that just somehow replay in the present.

Now the other theory is that ghosts are actual entities with the ability to think on their own. You’ll see time and time again that ghosts have been known to pick things up and throw them. Sometimes, they’ve even had conversations with people. It’s believed that ghosts are our spirits/souls living on after our physical body has gone and died. We just live on in a spirit-type world instead of the physical world. Because we have a soul/spirit, that’s how we’re still able to have a mind of our own even in the afterlife. This is how ghosts can answer the questions they’re asked. This theory also branches into the thought that depending on the kind of person you were or the life you lived, that you’ll spend time in the world of the living as a spirit. For instance, people who lived a horrible life, perhaps as a slave or a prisoner, may be condemned to have their spirit live on in our world because they can’t move on. This is why people sometimes help spirits who are stuck here move on to the afterlife. Another example is people who may have been bad/evil in their life. As punishment, they may be forced to spend time (possibly all eternity) in the world of the living as a spirit. That way they are all alone with nobody to interact with and they’re soon forgotten. So in short, ghosts might be beings with the ability to think on their own and still have control over their actions and words.

So those are the two theories. In my personal opinion, I believe ghosts can be a combination of the two. Some may be just parts of the past bleeding into the present and we’re just watching parts of their life play out before us like a movie. And I think ghosts can be beings with the ability to say and do whatever they please even though their bodies are long gone. It really just depends on the locations, situation and the kind of person you were and the life you lived. So those are my thoughts, but what’s your opinion on ghosts? Are they just glimpses into the past that can’t change or be influenced? Or are they beings that can still think and do whatever they please despite their physical body being dead? Or, do you have a different theory entirely?