The question of whether ghosts are real or not has been around for centuries. People have had ghost stories to tell all throughout history, but the debate as to whether they truly exist or not continues to this day.
According to History.com, ghost sightings date back all the way to the first century A.D. The idea of ghosts came from the concept that a person’s spirit existed separately from their body, and continues to exist past their death. A scary phenomenon to many of the time period, “in A.D. 856, the first poltergeist-a ghost that causes physical disturbances such as loud noises or objects falling or being thrown around-was reported at a farmhouse in Germany.”
Ghost stories can vary from the smallest weird occurrence, to legends passed down through generations. For some, the stories are shared for a bit of fun, but others see them as undeniable proof of ghosts. Senior Maya Denny has believed in ghosts since she was ten and heard ghost stories from her grandmother that fueled her belief even more.
“In my grandma’s old house they said there was treasure in there and a lot of people didn’t want to have that house for that reason. She said one night she heard footsteps in there and that it sounded like a guy on a horse, and he had shot a gun. There was a bullet hole already in the house where he had shot the gun, and they say that’s where the treasure was buried,” Denny said.
While some are staunch believers in ghosts, others are skeptical of the existence of such spirits. Whether ghosts really exist continues to remain a question in skeptical minds. Sophomore Summer Younger prefers to think of the idea of ghosts as a mystery.
“I hear a lot, but I don’t ever experience it myself. I don’t remember them [ghost stories] really, I don’t like that creepy stuff, but it’s probably a coincidence, maybe like something turned on or the air turned on,” Younger said. “Anything like the TV is on downstairs but you know you didn’t turn it on, then your mom could have left it on or it could be a coincidence. Other situations you’re like ‘I know for a fact I didn’t turn that on and nobody else turned it on.’”
Ghosts are often questioned because of a lack of solid evidence proving their existence. While ghost hunting shows and proof on social media may exist, the validity of this content can easily be called into question. AP Human Geography teacher Debra Alsip enjoys spooky content while also acknowledging the potential it has to be fake.
“The whole month of October I watch scary movies every night when I get home and I read scary books about ghosts. What’s interesting to me is when people take pictures and then go back and look at them and they see floating orbs, or there’s somebody in a window, to me that’s pretty spooky. If I were to put percentages to it, it’s probably 80 percent fake and then 20 percent I think stuff happens,” Alsip said.
Believing in ghosts requires an open-minded person. Some people claim to be more susceptible to seeing ghosts or knowing odd information. Debate and Advanced English II teacher Beth Simmonds has heard of experiences like this from multiple family members and despite having conflicting opinions on the supernatural herself, she doesn’t dismiss what her family members have experienced.
“My grandmother was known for knowing things that she had no right to know. When I was expecting, we would go to tell grandma, and she was famous for having flowers on the table that were pink or blue. She was always right for all 13 of us, so we had the idea that my grandmother had this sixth sense,” Simmonds said. “I grew up in New York and our traditional family home, New York is one of the original settlements, it’s quite old. When my grandmother passed, we were all sitting around talking to each other and my uncles were sharing their stories about this Native American gentleman and of that house and this grumpy old lady. They all describe her the same, so I’m not sure that I believe in ghosts, but I’m not sure that I can discount it.”
From stories dating back to the first century A.D, people have had paranormal experiences for centuries. Whether people believe or not, the idea of ghosts continues to prevail throughout history and in modern media.
