How old can a ghost be?

[purplepoppy]

In the UK, it's not unusual for old buildings to have stories of ghost sightings. Pretty much any castle of note has a medieval ghost walking around as have most stately homes.

If you look at even older sites associated with the Romans, you'll hear claims of ghostly goings on, people seeing soldiers or hearing voices speaking Latin.

But that's about it, you never hear of anyone seeing ghosts from older than the Roman period. There's no iron age ghosts, no cavemen ghosts.

Why?

[mstbooblover]

Let's examine two hypothesises with logic.

1) Seeing a ghost does not mean there is a ghost. Very often it's a figment of imagination due to circumstances, stress, panic, particular medical conditions, delirium tremens; --you name it--, leading to hallucinations.

A Tibetan mind training exercise consists in creating in the mind little by little an entity that the meditating person will see, then even have it follow him in broad daylight. Sometimes other people seem able to catch a glimpse of that entity. As far as I understood, the aim of this exercise is to lead to the understanding that everything is an illusion happening in the mind.

It is also possible that a number of people believing to have seen a particular ghost enforce the illusion through a soft form of mass psychosis.

2) Let's say ghosts do exist (please Highlanders, do not stone me ;0)
It seems they are created after someone died. A theory I've often heard about states that the state of being a ghost is a way to remain lingering in the "Bardo" (let's say the soul does not want to leave yet).

Do I need to rub in that the topic of ghosts is similar to believing in God? Ultimately His existence is of no importance: it's our actions that count, and if ghosts and God can help improve us, then so be it ;0)

[mstbooblover]

PS: how old can a ghost be? I guess once created they hover around the time they want: for ever or till they did what they had to do or understand before leaving really ;0)

[Nuclear_Warhead]

I have never had a ghost experience to invest myself into the idea that they're part of reality, but aside from the simplest idea of "age limit", what if there is a requirement to become a ghost in the first place, a depth of intellect and instinct suppression for example that hypothetically refuses to pass some sort of tunnel some people talk about after NDEs.

[krin_m]

I have been ghost hunting since I was a teenager and have never had any luck! I have visited so many "haunted" houses/mansions/hotels. All waste of time :-(

I would be very much interested in meeting a ghost!

[MrChinaski]

Ghosts have a 2000 year life-after-death expectancy. At least, that's what one told me.

[Agape93]

I mean @Circushowcowboy is the ghost of a primordial protozoa, so pretty old

[Circushowcowboy]

Lolz

[FrodoVader007]

Being a force ghost I can confirm it only matters when the intended ecipient is visited by a known figure or as a lesson.