Ghosts in the Material World

Cultural differences are obvious even in children's TV shows. A lot of the programming for kids, based on what I've seen orphans here watching, is centered on an American "edu-tainment" model and the rest is cartoonish. However, even in those not explicitly tied to Japanese tradition, things of the past often pop up.

One of my dormmates channels surfs every morning over toast so that he can hear easy-to-understand Japanese and get one step closer to immersion. In the program he was watching today, an employee of a company is continually oversleeping and causes the rest of his co-workers, like one big extended family (to be touched on in a coming post) to gossip about why. They eventually decided that something special had happened, perhaps a new baby, so they came over with presents only to be greeted at the door by the ghost of one of his ancestors!

In Japanese fairy tales, ghosts malevolent and benign play a large role, as I imagine they do in other countries once centered on ancestor worship. Even today grave-visiting ceremonies are taken very seriously, though I have my doubts as to how many people under 30 actually believe anything spiritual goes on there. Anyways, the ghost on the show sits down and eats with the company crowd, despite increasingly giving away his presence by inadvertently flying and letting slip lines like "Well, food isn't necessary for me." There's thankfully no laugh track, but the intent is clearly humorous.

These and other experiences have caused me to reflect a little on spectres and other wraiths, and the unoriginal conclusion thus far is that any discussion of ghosts--either side of the Pacific--centers, spoken or not, on death or the fear of it. Perhaps becoming one ourselves, passing through the grave only to find a Sisyphean half-life back on earth, would be the worst fate of all. This stands in stark contrast to the words of my hero Jesus, Who despite coming from heaven to willingly die for us all speaks only of His eternal life, which His passing allowed us to gain in Him. Indeed, we who believe in and trust our all to Christ are confident in His promise that He has conquered death for us so we need never fear it! True, some delight in expounding upon His agonies, but to be Biblical such thoughts must always circle back to the "life to the full" (John 10:10) He offers to us in Himself even here & now.

All that to say: you can keep the remote, my couch-potato friend. I'd rather look at the rising sun and think of Him Who rose than dwell on nighttime myths couched in electronic form. That future is much brighter than the long arm of the endlessly rehashed past.