Real or not?

[Sgt. Pepper]

I tend to believe that someone can be 'closed-minded' about subjects like 'spirits'.

I believe that too. I think it's because most people, whether religious or otherwise, learn from a young age not to believe in spirits. Many parents teach their children that spirits aren't real and are only figments of their imagination. However, the negative stigma associated with believing in ghosts and the paranormal in general has faded significantly over the last two decades or so (see the articles linked below). The articles, in my opinion, illustrate that belief in ghosts and the paranormal in general has become more accepted and prevalent in modern society. For example: Paranormal Nation: Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe in ghosts or aliens and National Paranormal Day 2024- A Day for people who believe in ghosts and paranormal activities.

In my opinion, the rising interest in the paranormal is due to either people being curious about what awaits them and others after death or because they have personally encountered something paranormal and are looking for an explanation to make sense of it. The latter is true for me. I'm relieved to know that believing in ghosts and the paranormal is more acceptable and prevalent today and that the negative stigma associated with this belief appears to have significantly decreased in today's society, as the paranormal has directly impacted my life. I think that it has definitely made my life more bearable.

That may be why I've never had an experience similar to your experiences.....I'm putting 'commune with one spirit' on my bucket list.

I can help you with that if you're interested. If so, please let me know, and I will give you some suggestions.

Finally, here are the articles I mentioned, which I believe demonstrate how belief in ghosts has steadily grown more acceptable in today's society.

Gallup Poll: One Third of Americans Believe in Ghosts (2000)

Americans' Belief in Psychic and Paranormal Phenomena Is up Over Last Decade (2001)

Harris Poll: The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans (2003)

Three in Four Americans Believe in Paranormal (2005)

Pew: The Number Of Americans Who Believe In Ghosts Has Doubled In A Decade (2009)

Brilliant Scientists Are Open-Minded about Paranormal Stuff, So Why Not You? (2012)

Spooky Number Of Americans Believe In Ghosts (2013; updated 2017)

Pew Research Center: 18% of Americans say they’ve seen a ghost (2015)

Paranormal America 2017 Chapman University Survey of American Fears (2017)

You Gov America: Many Americans believe ghosts and demons exist (2019)

Reports Of Paranormal Activity On The Rise During Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Orders (2020)

2 in 5 Americans believe ghosts are real and 1 in 5 say they've seen one, survey says (2021)

You Gov America: Two-thirds of Americans say they've had a paranormal encounter (2022)

Many Americans report interacting with dead relatives in dreams or other ways (2023)

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Could be, but I don't think so. Over my decades of interest, I've seen and heard too much to explain it away including consistency and information not reasonably known through normal channels.

I appreciate that you are open-minded and willing to learn about the paranormal. I think it's okay for someone to say, "I honestly don't know," if they've never had any experience with it, rather than stating unequivocally that the paranormal isn't real because they've never had a personal encounter with it.

 

[Kathryn]

I tend to believe that someone can be 'closed-minded' about subjects like 'spirits'. That may be why I've never had an experience similar to your experiences.....I'm putting 'commune with one spirit' on my bucket list.

Hope it works for you!

 

[MelancholicPotatoChip]

I can see and talk after drinking spirits, but not as well as before drinking spirits.

I'm currently drinking spirits so disregard any stupid posts/comments I make including this one.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Could be, but I don't think so. Over my decades of interest, I've seen and heard too much to explain it away including consistency and information not reasonably known through normal channels.

I just read the following article, and I thought you'd be interested in reading it too. It has an intriguing twist that I thought you would enjoy reading.

Why Skeptics Can't Prove Ghosts Don't Exist

I also thought that, given the topic of the thread, I'd mention this other article again.

It's Not True That Science Won't Ever Be Able To Explain The Existence Of Ghosts... If Indeed They Do