” A word is dead
When it is said
Some say
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.”
-Emily Dickinson, “VI. A Word”
What are ghosts? Are they the soul or spirit of a dead person?¹ Or are they everything that could’ve been? What are opportunities? A question with a right awnser or simply a dilemma, a ultimatum?
Some people believe if you are a good person you will have a good life. I disagree. A lot of the stuff you want to do are wrong or rude. How are you supposed to have a good life if you are not happy? For example, let’s say you have an amazing job offer. A job offer you have wanted all your life that is abroad. It’s a one time chance. But,unfortunately, you’re father has fallen sick. Now you have three options. One, leave your faher and accept the job offer; two, take care of your father and turn down the job offer or three, take your father with you abroad. A lot of people woud pick option two. It’s the logical awnser. You can’t leave your father, the man who has taken care of you your whole life, but you can give up your dream job, the job you had worked all your life for. Obviously, option three would be too hard on both of you so it is eliminated automaticly. Yes, you can have a happy life with either option. Though, the life you could’ve had would hunt all of your “what-if?”s. Ghosts are your “could’ve been”s hunting your “what-if?”s.
Some people believe ghosts are dead peoples souls who have an unfinished job in the living world. Living as simple and succesful life is all that you need for a heart without regrets. In Greek mytology it is said that in the underworld there are people stuck in veins of regret. Stuff they have regretted keeping them hostage… Your soul and your body are connected. They can not sepperate, they are bounded together. If your mind is a prisinor to the regrets you have it only makes sense that your body shouldn’t be free either. Regrets, things you could’ve done or the thing you have done. Regrets keep you alive, regrets make you smart. If you regret something you won’t do it again. If you regret not doing your homework you’ll do it next time. If you have lots of regrets than you have a lot of stuff to re-do. You can’t die until you have no regrets. Ghosts are souls not able to fully die because their regrets are keeping them alive.
Some believe ghosts are not people physically dead but situationely dead. For example, if you had a relationship that ended the person in the relationship isn’t the same with the person you are now. Or perhaps, the person you are holding on to doesn’t exist anymore. Every action we take, every person be wirh or be without affect the person you become. They affect your soul. People change. How can one expect the inside not to change when even the outside changes? No one stays the same but the actions you took stay the same so you are responsible of everything you have done. To illustrate, if you smile a lot when you are young, you get smile wrinkles. You’ll never go bact to the person you were in the relationship nor will they. Alltough, the ghost of the person will haunt you. Ghosts are people who are there but don’t exist anymore.
Some people believe the most haunting thing is words unsaid, sentences kept secret. People spend their whole life waiting to be understood without a word spoken. To be understood with just a look… People waste their lifes to afraid to confess their love. Words are more heavy then the world. Words used to describe how the universe was created, words used to make unbroken oaths. Only one thing can die without ever living and that is words. One day, when you die your bones will decay, your soul will move on to another world. Only your words can last forever. Words unspoken will come alive one day. Not by you but by someone who followed the trace of words not said. Only then will the words be free. Only than will the words signed by your soul be free. Ghosts are words not alive yet but too young to die.
Ghosts are a lot of things. If ghosts had a clear definition it would be a person haunted by themselves. A person too afraid to be true to themselves. A person who talks always talks about happiness but too afraid of it. Someday ghost will dissappear because new opportunities always appear.
References: 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost