Paranormal Witless

The other night while perusing through the 300-some channels on our satellite television network, I discovered that there was once again nothing worth watching to be found.  I settled on something called Celebrity Ghost Stories where so-called celebrities you have barely heard of recount their paranormal experiences. 

Everyone from Greg from in The Brady Bunch to some woman who appeared in The Bachelor have apparently had a ghostly encounter.  Something like 78 percent of people say they believe in ghosts, yet only 18 percent claim they have actually seen one.  Funny, though, how nearly every C-list celebrity in Hollywood has apparently been haunted.

From Celebrity Ghost Stories to Paranormal Witness to A Haunting, ghost stories seem to dominate the airwaves these days.  I have to wonder what the fascination is with these shows.  Do we enjoy being frightened?  Or is it simply an effort to understand the mysteries of what lies beyond this world?

I have never seen a ghost, nor do I have much of a desire to find one.  My Aunt Nancy, however, would love to have this experience.  When her brother-in-law Fred was dying of cancer years ago, she asked him for one special request.  She always wanted to see a ghost.  Fred, who always had a great sense of humor, replied "I'll see what I can do."

Fred has been gone for many years and has yet to make an appearance.  Being that Fred, during his lifetime, had a hard time walking the straight and narrow and had a reputation as a gambler and a somewhat shady business man, we have a feeling that Fred is in a place where they are not letting him out.

Most of us have an opinion of what happens after we die.  Many believe in the concept of heaven and hell.  Others believe that death is simply a dark, mindless, endless void. 

More than likely, I have family and friends in all three places.

My religion teaches that we are either rewarded or punished for our actions during our time on this earth and does not really address the concept of ghosts and hauntings.  However, if someone has passed in a violent and untimely manner, or has lived a less than ideal mortal existence and is afraid of what awaits them in the great beyond, I believe it is possible that their souls can become lost or choose to remain behind.

Nevertheless, I am making a conscious effort to live a life that will be rewarded after my demise.  The best that any of us can hope is to leave this world a little better than we found it.

But just in case, I am keeping a list of those I plan to haunt.