That is what we are talking about, right? The unknown? Ghosts and ghost stories are always fascinating because at the core is a strange connection between the past and present. The past, the sins of the past, cause a ripple effect through time which then cause the haunting experience that all the stories revolve around. At some point someone made a deal with a demon or did something so horrendous that the building itself cannot let it go or the spirits cannot rest until there is justice. Most horror stories unfold as the protagonist explores and discovers the history and concludes with the protagonist giving rest to the past or being consumed by it.
The first rule, then, is to know that you are being haunted. This may seem obvious but as pop culture and, sadly, reality shows that some people just don't get it. You have to know that you are being haunted. There are two stereotypes that show it can be disastrous to ignore the signs.
The first is the typical stubborn skeptic. This is the person that is so sure that ghosts or the paranormal don't exist that while in the ghost is throwing them around they are laughing hysterically that "this can't be happening". Their minds are so made up that they cannot allow themselves to believe the possibility of the past consequences still coming up in present. In some tales, they are the ignorant souls that also seem to tempt the spirits only to be shown the fool. If we were to take a rare look into these people they fall on an extreme of a certain spectrum. Either they believe that they have everything about the world figured out or they have never really given it a thought. The first is easy to see; they seemingly know how everything works so they reject anything that is contrary to the system that they already have in mind. The second one is a little harder to understand. It is mainly because they don't really accept anything. They go through life not giving a deeper thought to anything, they just take it as it comes. Where as the former skeptic has constructed their system to make sense of all that has happened to them, the latter skeptic has had similar hardships in life but instead of trying to make sense of it all, they just check out. If they cannot accept even the basic things in life, how can they make sense of the deeper, more strange things?
The second is the scientist, engineer, or initiator of the haunting. This person does not have the issue that the skeptic has for they know that the haunting is real. They created it. But how the scientist fits under this rule even though they typically know they are haunted is that they don't know the extent of what they have done until it is too late. Sometimes they are the protagonist looking for redemption and sometimes they are the expert that needs to be consulted to figure out how to end the terror. When they are put in the role of the main protagonist of the story, the plot unfolds as they are coming to the realization of what they have actually done. They realize the extent of damage that has been caused because of their creation. In the end they are either defeated because they did too much or they are able to vanquish their monsters. If the scientist is in the role of the resource they are usually found in two states: already trying to solve the issue or whimpering in a corner trying to console themselves by saying, "it wasn't supposed to be this way!"
The person that seems to be able to cope best with the circumstances in ghost stories do two things. The first is they know what they know and what they don't know, thus leaving room for the mysterious, unknown, or unexplained. Sometimes, more in the thriller sub-genre, that allows for something to be discovered. This discovery dissolves the tension or at least gives the protagonist a chance at surviving. Even in the genre as a whole, leaving room for the mysterious also leads to the second thing that makes ghost stories bearable. The second thing is being able to rightly assess the situation. Knowing that you do not know allows you to more easily accept and more easily assess the mysterious. Being able to grasp this lets you know what moves you can and cannot make. It allows you to navigate to safety and sanity. It gives you a shot at getting out in one piece, or at least in a state where you can recover.
So when you are trying to navigate your own ghost stories try to take them as they are. Do not deceive yourself lest you lead yourself to destruction. Sometimes you have to face your ghosts and you have to see them for what they are. No pretending that they are not there. No pretending that they are actually Casper the friendly ghost. No pretending that they are not a problem until later. Face your ghosts. Fight your demons. Do not let them keep you from peace.
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