A couple of years ago, my daughter introduced me to one of
her favorite television shows: Ghost
Adventures. This Travel Channel
sensation is a skeptic’s bane, glorifying so-called evidence of the paranormal. A quirky team of investigators travels to
paranormal hot spots, trying to capture and debunk accounts of spirit
activity. This show has been on for
several years, recording orbs and moving shapes while interpreting voices
captured in “EVP” (electronic voice phenomena) sessions. Their escapades are made more dramatic
through all-night “lockdowns,” where the intrepid team provokes spirits in
complete darkness, recording unexplained bumps and thuds through night vision
cameras.
My daughter grew up almost pathologically scared of unseen
frights inspired by movies and stories.
Now twenty, she still sleeps with a light on, the closet doors firmly
closed, and the negative space under her bed so packed with “stuff” that the
buggy man would have no place to go.
Nonetheless, she rushes to see every new horror film on opening
night. And, she begs me to record every
new episode of Ghost Adventures. With
every visit home, she cannot wait to begin her marathon of archived episodes.
There have been those that have mocked my daughter for her
enjoyment of these shows. I began watching
with her, as much to understand any latent fears she has as to expose an open
mind to the general premise. We are all
taught not to believe in ghosts, but who’s to say that there aren’t things in
this world that we cannot understand? I
feel a certain sensation when I set my holiday table with my grandmother’s
silver flatware, and a loving spirit when I open my father’s violin case. There have been other moments in my life
when I felt bolstered by strength I did not think I had.
One of the most compelling episodes of Ghost Adventures
featured a family that had lost their teenage daughter on the eve of her high
school graduation. At the moment her car
swerved off the road, her father experienced a sensation of her loss; he was
not surprised when the police came to confirm her death. On her birthday, the Ghost Adventures team
set up their equipment to try to help the family communicate with their beloved
daughter. It was a heart-breaking scene
when the daughter’s voice was captured on a “Mel Meter”—a device the girl’s
father invented that has now become a standard tool in the ghost hunter’s
arsenal.
I assure you that I have not lost my mind. Despite the range of so-called documented
events—ranging from benevolent spirits to those who are far less so—I enjoy
watching this show with my daughter, bracing ourselves against the unexpected
and remarkable. I remain fully capable
of distinguishing between reality and entertainment. Nonetheless, it is fun to relinquish my
disbelief to these escapades, particularly when they take place in locations
with which I am familiar. Unfortunately,
I have yet to experience personally the things about which others have
testified: no disembodied voices, no
unexplained moving objects, no pokes or scratches, no gusts of chilled air.
We are all skeptics, anxious to disprove incredible accounts
of otherworldly activity. It is the force
that makes us want to catch a magician in a blatant act of sleight of
hand. At the same time, I think we all
reserve a little bit of hope that there is a connection between this world and
the next. Many times I have wished to
linger a little longer with a love one I have lost, needing to resolve
unfinished business and express words that were left unsaid. And if this were possible, it would bring me
comfort to know that perhaps I could preside over those I love even after my
time has passed.
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