# You're a ghost... now what? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394 "2024-07-17T18:49:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/1 "2024-07-17T18:49:13Z")
Congratulations, you just got run over by a bus! You’re now in the afterlife, a ghost. You have presence, but have no ability to affect the real world. You are thankfully not tied to the place of your demise, you have the freedom to travel anywhere you want, through walls, through the air, nothing can stop you. Where do you go, what do you do? I’m sure I’d keep tabs on the family. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/2 "2024-07-17T18:51:49Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > you have the freedom to travel anywhere you want, through walls, through the air, nothing can stop you. At what speed? Travelling where ever you want doesn’t mean much if you are travelling at walking speed ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/3 "2024-07-17T18:53:28Z")
I’d set out to figure a way _to_ affect things to haunt people. Not to be mean, just so they can feel my presence and know I’m watching. I’d find a comfortable place to stay. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/4 "2024-07-17T18:55:09Z")
I’d probably while away some time at the White House Situation Room, and the equivalent spaces in the capitals of quite a few other nations. I’d probably also sit in on the Board meetings of most of the Fortune 500 companies. Seeing behind the curtain, for me, holds more interest than my immediate prurient considerations. I think 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/5 "2024-07-17T19:05:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > At what speed? Up to 10 miles per hour, fast running speed. You can also use an object that is traveling, like a car, or a train. Want to go from NY to Boston? Haunt an Acela for a couple of hours. It might also be nice to catch all the new movies, no popcorn though… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/6 "2024-07-17T19:06:55Z")
If I can haunt planes, trains and automobiles then I could have a great time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/7 "2024-07-17T19:19:24Z")
You’re going the wrong way! You don’t know what you’re doing! Somebody killed you! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/8 "2024-07-17T19:26:31Z")
But I was in the crosswalk! I had the unequivocal right of way! Me, I’d start worrying about how absolutely frightening the situation is. So, I get to be a ghost…forever? Doomed for an indefinite time to walk the night (and day). No escape? Do I get to talk to other ghosts? Do I get cold? Hot? If I can walk through walls, wilI I fall out of a pane on my way to see Europe? Can I walk across the ocean floor? ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/9 "2024-07-17T19:27:54Z")
I’m hitting up all the museums I never got to see. V&A, MOMA, the Louvre, and so many more. Bonus: they can’t kick me out at closing time ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/10 "2024-07-17T19:32:20Z")
Nothing hurts anymore and without a body I don’t get tired from physical exercise! That is a start. I would observe (fancy word for: watch). Things happen and I don’t have to worry about the consequences. Sounds great. I would try whether I can taste a whisky by wafting through the closed bottle. Then I would try the meals in fancy restaurants. Go to the woods, watching animals without disturbing them, close as never before. Same in the sea, without having to hold my breath. Ride on an eagle, or a vulture. Should I ever get bored, which I doubt, I would hitch a ride on a deep space probe. Coming back may be arduous with the 10 mph limit. But ghosts are forever, right? Perhaps a probe that brings something back, to get a taste of what a long time is? With a couple of nice fly-bys by some cool planets? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/11 "2024-07-17T19:32:39Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > But I was in the crosswalk! I had the unequivocal right of way! You might even say you were dead right. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/12 "2024-07-17T19:41:31Z")
I’m not really interested in haunting humans, I want to check out natural places like forests and oceans, do virtual tours of all the great scenic wonders of the world. Keeping tabs on one’s family suggests the retention of sight and hearing, what about my other senses? Can I smell the scent of pine trees and feel the spray of a waterfall? If there isn’t a form of public transportation to where I want to go, can I fly? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/13 "2024-07-17T20:04:23Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Go to the woods, watching animals without disturbing them, close as never before. Animals can sense ghosts. _Everyone_ knows that! 🙂 People who want to go visit their still-living relatives - Is that really a good idea? Say, your dead mom wants to watch you from the afterlife. She can come by at anytime, unannounced. Think about that. Do you really want your mom to see you picking your nose, wiping your ass or jerking off? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/14 "2024-07-17T20:10:29Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Animals can sense ghosts. _Everyone_ knows that! I knew this was going to be the objection 😃! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/15 "2024-07-17T20:10:51Z")
Want to freak out Ghostmom? Yell out “Oh Mommy!” while pleasuring yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/16 "2024-07-17T20:15:46Z")
I would definitely NOT want to keep tabs on my family. Watching them without any means to interact (or assist) them would be a torturous existence. I suppose I’d wander about for a while until I got bored and pine away into some ectoplasmic echo. Without the ability to affect anything, I assume it wouldn’t take too long. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/17 "2024-07-17T20:25:15Z")
Later humanity, you had your day. I’m going to hang out with the whales, elephants and eagles for a while. Then the lions, the tigers and the bears. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/18 "2024-07-17T20:26:01Z")
No. Not gonna say it. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/19 "2024-07-17T20:30:09Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I’m going to hang out with the whales, elephants and eagles for a while. There is an awful lot of nature to experience. Downside is you can’t take any light with you so the depths of the ocean are likely to be a bit underwhelming. Maybe wait for some rich guy to make a trip down there and tag along. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394/20 "2024-07-17T20:31:42Z")
I’m bored. Anyone want to go haunt a movie? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-ghost-now-what/1004394.md?page=2)