The Language of the Ghosts

The “ghosts”… those beings that some believe are around us but can never interact with because they belong to another realm. Their manifestation in our world is nothing but an intangible image that can only be observed. Nothing else can be done with them. Some say that ghosts speak, but if they speak they probably have some kind of “spectral language” that we foolish mortals cannot understand. At the same time, however, they are not fully attached to our world, so our language is not really something they can easily understand. Thus, even though we and the ghosts exist in the same plane, we can never truly interact together...

Language is the main form of interaction that exists between human beings. Without language there really isn’t much we can tell others. We can grunt and wave (and if needed use violence) to make others understand us, but the messages would never be anything as concrete as what we have in our heads. If other people can’t understand us in modern society, then we become pretty much irrelevant. We are unable to truly contribute and other just ignore us. At the same time, we are unable to truly comprehend what other people are saying. Neither can we communicate what we want effectively to them. They become simple images walking around us. Only that this time they are tangible images. Images we can touch and that, most importantly, can touch us.

Going to a country where one doesn’t know the language is pretty much the same as entering an unknown realm that is ruled by ghosts. They are the majority and thus you must get used to the way they run things. Everything is designed for them and they are the ones providing it. So since you don’t really speak their ghostly language and or understand their ghostly culture you must try to adapt to it. Worst thing is, since you spent your childhood trying to live among the ghosts in order to get accepted, you end up not truly understanding your (or rather, your family’s) culture of origin. And so you end up being surrounded by a bunch of ghosts who mostly cannot communicate effectively with you, and vice-versa. You are doomed to lead a life of awkwardness and detachment. You cannot truly ever fit in with the rest. Unless of course, you learned how to speak ghost. And of course, taking into account that only those who speak perfect ghost with the same volume and intonation as the spirits are the ones that can properly communicate. Yeah, it’s really hard. C’est la vie.