Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to prove the existence of ghosts. Maybe they are trying to do it to convince themselves that life after death exists? If this is all we had to look forward to, then who would want it? Can you imagine roaming the planet earth, oblivious to almost everyone and everything until that time finally comes when the earth is destroyed in a fiery ball as the sun expands and contracts. If ghosts did exist, what would happen to them then? Would they just float off into space taking trips that might last so long that the universe would end before they would ever reach anywhere? I am sure that they would be completely insane before that ever happened. I bet even ghosts would suffer from extreme loneliness on a trip of that nature.

Having said this, why is it that there are many sightings in some areas that just can not be explained? I am not talking about the occasional specter viewing, but of viewings that occur with extreme regularity. Could it be the fact that people want to see these things so badly that they convince themselves that they are there? I guess this is a possibility, but I sometimes feel that there is more to it than just this. I have no way of proving anything, but I would like to believe that not everyone who sees a paranormal vision in an area where many have been sighted, is imagining it. If we examine what is happening on the aircraft carrier Hornet, we can see what I am talking about. I have talked about this ship before. It is claimed that it is the most haunted ship there ever was. It is now a museum and is docked in Alameda. It is not the first ship in the U.S. Navy to bear the name Hornet or even the second or third. It is the eighth Hornet. Could it be that all those poor souls that died on U.S. ships named Hornet decided to gather on this one since it was the only surviving ship named Hornet left? People have seen some pretty strange things on this ship. Even the caretakers have seen ghostly figures in U.S. military uniforms that were partially transparent descending stairways and disappearing. I always wondered if somehow material could act in such a way that it could record and playback the images of people past? It was just a little theory of mine that had more to do with people seeing ghosts in passageways that were stone and not steel. My theory certainly doesn't hold up on the Hornet. It doesn't hold up because the ghostly crew is growing in number. Yes that's right, more and more ghosts are being spotted. If this keeps up, there won't be enough room for the tourists on the boat. Just kidding about the room, not the ghosts. I don't know if this has anything to do with anything, but it is said that the Hornet had the highest suicide rate of any ship in the Navy. Aircraft carriers are at the top of the list of dangerous places to work. Between the steam, props and jets it is a disaster waiting to happen and many a gruesome accident has occurred on one of these ships. So what is going on today aboard this ship? Besides visions of men in uniform appearing who seem to be doing their duties, doors open and close without people, foot steps can be heard when no one is there, things move on their own and there is general paranormal activity all over the ship.

Many people believe that the most haunted places in the world are in England, but some others think that they might be in Hungary, Romania or Transylvania, I opt for England. If we look at the many different places that are said to be haunted in England we can not ignore the Ancient Ram in Wotton-Under-Edge. I just love those complex English names, don't you? People believe that the Ancient Ram is where child sacrifice took place in ancient times. How bad are things in the house? It is said that eight people that have stayed there have had to receive exorcisms. Hey that's pretty bad, isn't it? What is going on inside the building? There are so many different demons and evil ghosts said to exist here that it is incredible. Even the ghost of a witch is said to roam the place. There is a guy that lives there, but he states that he doesn't get much sleep. I wonder why? There are many different rooms in the house and each one has its own haunting story. One room is called the Bishop's room and it is claimed that this is the most haunted room in any residence in the world. Well we really don't have anything to measure this against, but I'll take their word for it. The tv show Most Haunted shot an episode in this place and those that have seen it claim that it is the scariest one in their series. Well whether or not this is the most haunted house, it must be one of the most visited, bringing big bucks to the owner.

Another place that has the title of most haunted is the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The areas that are said to be the most haunted in the city are Edinburgh Castle, Mary King's Close and the South Bridge Vaults. The castle is built on an extinct volcano and people have noted several ghosts walking the walls for hundreds of years. We even know who some of the ghosts were in real life. There was the Lady of Glamis who met a fiery fate when she was burned as a witch in 1537. If you like music there is even the ghost of a piper that has been spotted from time to time. Not enough music for you, maybe the headless drummer will come out. A couple of past prisoners have also been seen, one was a prisoner from France and the other from the American Revolutionary War. You have a nice dungeon which they say has many ghosts and even a dog ghost roaming the grounds. You can understand the castle ghost claims but why Mary King's Close? That is simple. When the black plague came to town, many people suffering from it were sealed up alive in the close and it is said that these restless souls wander the area. Shadowy figures are seen in all three locations by many people as well as their be being touched and tugged at.

Military Camp at Gettysburg
Photo Source: Library of Congress

In the U.S., Gettysburg and Salem are considered the most haunted, with Gettysburg getting my vote. People have reported seeing things so incredible at Gettysburg that it boggles the imagination. I remember one person who entered a building and when he came out, he was said to be as white as a ghost himself. He stated that when he went inside he saw a full hospital full of civil war soldiers, doctors and nurses all going about their duties. There was only one problem he said, none of them were of a solid nature. He could see through parts of them and they all acted like he wasn't even in the room. He was taken back in by some people and the entire building was empty. The history of the building was that it had been a hospital during the civil war and when the war ended it became a rooming house, I believe. Other stories tell of people going out at night and witnessing full battles where none exist anymore. Individual soldiers dressed in blue or gray have been seen walking in the area as have marching companies of soldiers. No, these were not reenactments but ghostly specters. There have been thousands of sighting in this area and I guess it is appropriate since so much violence took place here.

Are the visions that are being seen proof of life after death or something else that we don't understand? I personally think that it is the latter. Maybe some day science will come up with an explanation for these things. Who knows maybe it will even have something to do with our brains picking up some sort of frequency that allows us to see things from the past? As far as these visions representing life after death, I just don't believe that. Maybe I am too scientific in my orientation but I can't help believing that there is so much out there that we just don't understand and that it would be premature to accept the premise that souls are wandering the earth.