Since this is October, I thought of a Halloween themed article which, nonetheless, asks an interesting question- Why are the basic elements of accounts about ghost encounters similar across eras and cultures? How can cultures who have never communicated with each other, somehow end up with such similar descriptions of encounters with ghostly apparitions? So here is a list of basic elements about ghost stories which seem to remain remarkably constant across millennia and cultures.
1] In every culture, the vast majority of deaths do not lead to ghostly apparitions. Only a tiny minority of deaths seem to lead to such apparitions. More curiously, young children or adolescents (but not infants), pregnant women and those who died in the midst of extreme emotion or violence account for majority of ghosts. What accounts for this demographic distribution? Why don’t most people become ghosts?
2] More curiously, ghostly apparitions are localized to specific geographical locations, or less frequently, objects. Free roaming ghosts are non-existent. Furthermore changes to the haunted physical environment such as rebuilding an allegedly haunted house or building will usually stop the apparitions. Why are these apparitions dependent on the environment in which they were created? Why do they always fade away with any major change to the original environment?
3] The vast majority of ghostly encounters are reported as non-malicious, partial body and fleeting. They are also reported as odd and persistent sensations (usually touch/ cold/feeling of being watched). They also seem to be to far more common at certain times of the month (lunar phases) or during some seasonal transitions. Also, why are they both infrequent but remarkably persistent over years?
4] Why do most ghostly apparitions behave as if they are stuck in a loop? Why is their ability to communicate so restricted? Why do they behave like a malfunctioning and barely responsive program or process in computers? What happens to them during the long periods when they are not manifesting themselves? What causes them to manifest themselves once in a while? What is the trigger?
While it is easy to dismiss culture-specific legends and myths, this is much harder when the beliefs in question are found across multiple cultures without prior contact. As I noted in a previous post, some widespread myths and legends clearly have a kernel of truth. In another one, you might remember that I had recalled my very few experiences on this topic.
Stories as old as the Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written over four thousand years ago, contain descriptions of ghosts and spirits, with characteristics that are instantly recognizable to someone in the 21st century. Similarly, the basic elements of Meso-American, Japanese or Indian stories about ghosts sound remarkably similar to those from Western Europe. Clearly, there is some underlying process at work- either in some quirk of human perception or nature.
What do you think? Comments?
An easy but non pc answer. Since there have been common experiences with near death and substances like dmt, one may conclude that there are similar patterns in peoples brains that fill in the gaps in similar ways. Throw in superstition and commonly told stories and you have the rest.