There's a Reason We're Invisible

I can’t speak for everyone, but when something scares me I obsess over it. I think to be afraid is to be defeated. There are those who share my attitude. These are the freaks and weirdos you have in your life. They're the same people you know who seem to go too far in private conversation, or share too much detail where others cringe to even think. So, for those who don't share this attitude, let me take you into our train of thought.

Our natural instinct is to fight, and fighting the scary thing means thinking out a strategy--finding weaknesses within both ourselves and the thing that scares us so badly. What often ends up happening, though, is we can’t think of a way to defeat this tormentor because it’s truly harmless. Things that can’t do harm can’t be defeated because there’s no real conflict in the first place. When we come to this realization, we end up developing either an affinity for what makes us afraid, or an absolute distaste for it.

One example is that I used to be terrified of the paranormal. As a child, few things scared me more than the possibility of invisible people that are supposed to be demons, or dead. And when I kept reading stories, watching movies, or hearing urban myths about these specters, I started to get obsessed with the idea of them. I would avoid dark places; I would avoid being alone for too long; I would even run up any flight of stairs, in light or darkness, because I could feel the phantom tickle on my neck of imaginary things following close behind.

As I grew older, this obsession eventually matured into genuine interest. I started to do extensive research on personal accounts about ghost-sightings. I watched countless videos, anywhere I could find them, about “ghosts caught on surveillance”, demonic possessions or poltergeists caught on camera. I spent hours poring over photos claiming to have images of spiritual entities. I listened to dozens of EVP (electronic voice phenomena) sessions through videos and isolated audio tracks. All of these were very convincing and very enticing.

My newly whetted appetite for the paranormal lead me to seek out any opportunities to visit cemeteries, old and abandoned buildings, the local train yard, etc. I even started taking my own pictures, as well as video and audio recordings in these venues. Nothing ever turned up, so I could only hold out the hope that something would happen in a more isolated and personal setting--at least I’d be able to have first-hand experience to go on. Nothing ever did.

Jaded, I started to question the validity of all of these claims. Not long after, I lost interest in “ghost footage”, EVP recordings, and photographic evidence. So, I started watching all of the horror movies I had avoided for years, just to satisfy my desire for anything that resembled a fully realized paranormal event. The more I watched these movies, the less satisfying they became. Some of them have become hilarious to me. When I had a dream that Samara, from The Ring, tried crawling toward me and I scared her away because I got so excited to see her in the flesh, that was final nail in the coffin.

All of the paranormal-type movies are terribly disappointing to me. Laughably so. Mostly because they never end well: a lot of flashing lights, screaming women, a couple of deaths, CGI cartoons or puppets try to “oogly-boogly” the audience, then bam, it’s over. Maybe the movie finishes with a cliffhanger, but by that time no one cares.

Those involved in the horror genre try to up the ante every year, though. They'll always have a place, because it's been said that every horror trend is scary until it's parodied. Then they up the ante, again. Then it's parodied. The pendulum swings until the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and before you know it, you've got snuff films in your video library. Which I don't.

I've come to the conclusion--and so have the rest of us who share my attitude--that humans are truly the scariest things in our lives, because they manufacture the origins of our invisible fears. They just hide behind the scenes so they can watch us squirm.