Ghost Hunters Cleaning Up
A group of ghost hunters in Canton Ohio have taken an approach both different and commendable from several others in their contact with the other side. The group has decided to not only communicate with the dead, but to do so in a respectful fashion and even clean up graves left behind as they search, as we all do, for evidence of the nature of life after death.
The Nearly Everywhere Ohio Ghost Society moved in to Rowland Cemetery in Canton today to clean debris from the graves of those who have passed on, removing litter, cleaning graffiti and vandalism, mowing the grounds, and uprighting over 40 toppled headstones. The group is doing its part to ensure respect for the dead is assured, and encourages others to do so as well. This is a much often forgotten aspect of ghost hunting that emphasizes the responsibility of those who will pay attention to the deceased to do good for those who cannot right their own graves.
Andy Pearson, the leader of the Nearly Everywhere Ohio Ghost Society, says he was appalled by the lack of respect shown for the dead. Vandals had been regularly visiting the ill-kept grounds with no regard for the sanctity of those who had been laid to rest there or the families who survived them. The group then vowed that the ghosts with whom they had had contact for so long would be shown the sort of respect they so much deserved. It was hard back-breaking work getting the grave stones upright, some of which weighed close to 300 lbs, but with the same teamwork they showed while seeking contact with the deceased, they worked together and stood the stones upright displaying proudly who was laid to rest there.
Altogether the sight was about two and a half acres, meaning the team had to work quickly to spruce up the grounds while there was still daylight. Several of the graves are over 200 years old, and the final place of rest for some of Canton’s founders.
And this also raises an interesting point that must be discussed more openly in the paranormal community: As ghost hunters are driven by a genuine belief that they are communicating with the restless spirits of the dead, do they not then have a responsibility to these entities? The recent run of “extreme” ghost hunting shows where the investigators attempt to “provoke” entities into getting angry and therefore showing themselves seem irresponsible if they are truly interactions with the dead. Cajoling and disturbing spirits into appearing seems a behavior that doesn’t follow the golden rule of ghost hunting: Treat the dead as you would wish to be treated. The Nearly Everywhere Ghost Hunters Society, on the other hand deserves some recognition for their respect both for the dead and the living who survive them. Tending to grounds is hard and often thankless work, and since the benefactors of their efforts may be unable to thank them in person, they do so only out of love for all life and not out of greed for evidence.
