fearless?

[squamous]

"Haunted New York" is on the History Channel at the moment. While I still like hearing this kind of stuff, a few months ago I came to the conclusion that I don't believe in ghosts. I know not everyone agrees with me, and I respect that. I also know that this newfound conviction of mine kind of makes my world a less interesting and less romantic place. I could change my mind someday but for now, I am not buying it, not buying any of it at all.

Comments

Less interesting and less romantic?!

[paulcurtis.livejournal.com]

A belief in disembodied spirits is quite understandable...in many cases it is the simplest possible explanation for various things that happen. There is also an emotionally satisfying component that random or more complicated events, and gives them meaning. This doesn't, however, prove the existence of such spirits.

On the other hand, if something inexplicable happens and it APPEARS to be a ghostly manifestation, then finding an alternative explanation is really quite interesting! And the scientifically plausible explanations are often more romantic than the machinations of dead people.

So don't mourn for your skepticism. Prepare for the adventure of finding other, more supportable explanations.

Re: Less interesting and less romantic?!

[squamous.livejournal.com]

Ah, there is something almost uniquely eerie and thrilling about the thought of ghosts, or I sometimes thought. But I have given up on the idea for the time being.

Re: Less interesting and less romantic?!

[paulcurtis.livejournal.com]

Well, it's a reassuring thought, in some ways, but there are more thrills to be had from imagining intriguing solutions to the unexplained, than from assuming commonplace supernatural ones.

Or at least so I've found...

Re: Less interesting and less romantic?!

[squamous.livejournal.com]

That's fair... I still like reading about such things too, so there's opportunities to try to figure out what's going on.

Re: Less interesting and less romantic?!

[paulcurtis.livejournal.com]

That's the pleasure of it: you can enjoy reading inexplicable stuff on as many levels as you like. There's always a scientifically-plausible explanation, and the authors will usually push for a typical supernatural explanation, but there are always additional possibilities even more entertaining. Who knows...if you can concoct really unusual interpretations, you could be a popular novelist!