Do you believe in ghosts?
Most people are skeptical. After all, there is no conclusive evidence that ghosts exists. Mediums can be easily sniffed out as charlatans or opportunists, looking to profit off of people's grief.
Yet this little nagging voice in the back of our heads continually asks...what if there's some truth there?
u/TheDashingMan asked:
"Paranormal believers of reddit, what made you believe? (Serious)"
Here were some of those answers.
Just A Reflection?
When I was younger my mom used to invite random neighborhood children over for dinner and parties so they could eat.
At my sisters birthday party everyone was outside getting ready to hit the piñata. My father noticed a girl sitting inside staring out the window at us. We have a large window beside front door. He told me to go inside and ask her to come out and join the party.
I ran up the walkway, looking at her through the window as I went towards the door and then as soon as I passed through the doorway, losing sight of her for a few seconds, she was gone. My dad thought she had fallen. (Theres a couch in front of the window so he thought she fell on the couch).
I looked around for her but couldn't find her so I told my dad. He helped me look for her but still nothing. No one else saw her except me and my dad. My mom said she didn't recall inviting any girls with our description of her. We forgot about it until some years later though I don't really know exactly how many.
My dad and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. From my dad's armchair you can see into the kitchen a little bit. Me and my dad were talking about the show we were watching when he suddenly got quiet. He said my name and motioned for me to come over to him. He told me to look at the microwave. I saw that girl's reflection in the microwave, exactly the same as before. I ran into the kitchen and my dad followed but again no one was there. We were both pretty spooked so we went out for ice cream until my mom came home.
I thought it was a neighborhood kid playing a prank on us the first time. But seeing her the second time unchanged in our kitchen many years later made me start believing in ghosts.
A Benevolent Visit
Shortly after my mother died, I heard her call my name and I turned around and she was standing before me, smiling. Then she simply vanished.
I've never hallucinated before or since, I have no mental problems, etc, so I feel like I have to at least entertain the possibility it was for real.
Moving On
A few years ago my great-grandmother was in her last few days. My family lives a couple of hours away and I wasn't really able to get there. I had just seen her a couple of weeks before that and had personally made peace with the inevitable.
One night I had a dream where my great-grandmother and I had a nice, long conversation in the house that she had lived in when I was a young kid. We talked about her life and experiences, my life, and my future. It was the most vivid and lucid dream I've ever had.
The next morning, my mother called with the bad news that my great-grandmother had passed during the night, probably about 11pm. I don't know at what time I had that dream, but I definitely didn't go to bed before 11.
A Good Ethereal Feeling
When I moved in with my boyfriend he told me there was a (ghost) man that had always followed him wherever he lived. I am a firm believer in the paranormal anyway, but it really didn't bother me after some reassurances that he was benevolent. Not long after moving in, our roommate's girlfriend started staying over more often and this ghost hated her. If she'd use our bathroom the faucets would both turn on full blast. This would always cause her to run out of the bathroom with her pants around her ankles.
The ceiling fans would turn on by themselves, the TV would increase volume on its own. You had to unplug it to get it to stop. We replaced the TV, that one did the same thing.
After a few months of weird stuff happening, I awoke to the feeling of someone sitting at the foot of the bed. I felt the bed compress as though a real person had sat down. I jerked up and looked around and saw nothing but there was an imprint in our comforter where someone had sat. Several more weeks go by and finally the same thing happened again, only this time there was a man there. Big hat, trench coat, looked like he was straight out of a western. After a few seconds he disappeared. I told my boyfriend about him and his response was "Oh good, he finally let you see him".
After that it just became normal. He sat at the end of the bed most nights while I was pregnant and then after the baby was born he must have went in and sat with her. We would still catch glimpses of him here or there and you'd hear footsteps when home alone. We eventually broke up and I gotta say I miss the ghost way more than the boyfriend.
The Same Nightmares
Experiences. My own and other people's. There are things nobody understands that happen. This is one of many stories:
My grandma + uncles bought a house together in 2008 because it was unbelievably cheap. Every man who was married or in a relationship who slept in a particular room in the house would wake up from the same nightmare. We later found out a woman who had been assaulted by her husband's married friends had hung herself there 30 years prior and the house had been going from owner to owner ever since. They (my family) did a bunch of purification rituals and finally ended up locking that room up for good. And that kept it okay for a while but 3 years later, my grandma also passed in the same house so nobody wanted to stay there anymore and they sold it again. For the same unbelievably low price they got it in the first place.
I have many other stories that are just inexplicable if not for something supernatural or other dimensional.
"Nun"sense
3 things for me. two were/ are sightings and one was an experience that saved my life. Firstly was in my first house, i was alone in the house with the bathroom door locked as i was taking a shower. i turn to get the soap and there was someone standing right outside the shower door! I thought my room mate came home and was messing with me so i told him to get lost.... only after finishing my shower i find that the door was indeed locked!
Second was that in my current house we often have "nuns" walking across the corridor from the spare room to our bedroom, still happens on occasion today........
Lastly it was about 5 years ago when something pulled me back from a pedestrian crossing just as a lorry went barrelling through the red light whilst the driver was looking to his left.........i surely would have been severely injured if not killed. there was absolutely no one near me to have been able to pull me backwards....
In Moments Of Need
I have two spooky incidents that happened after my dad died.
First time is that my dad passed away while we were out of the country (it was very unexpected). A couple days before he passed he had issues sending and receiving texts/calls - his phone was always on for business calls/emergencies when we were on vacation/traveling. Several days after we get back home and are planning his funeral with my family. I'm confessing to my them that he embarrassed me at dinner and my last conversation with him was us arguing before he passed and felt horribly guilty.
Just as I explained that, I hear my phone go off and see a text from my dad. We had his phone charging in the kitchen so it was already creeping us out that none of us had touched it for the past few days. I opened the text and it said "I love you, love dad". I obviously lost it and so did my family. My logical mind says that it's just a text he sent while I was testing his phone the week prior that finally went through but his phone was on and connected for at least 3 days back home and the text came at that exact moment.
A month or so after my dad passed, I was driving to the first family get together since the funeral and I was sort of in a funk that this is the first family outing without my dad. As I'm driving through a rural area, I hear my dad's voice yell at me to stop. (He taught me to drive and I was very familiar with his panic yells). I slam on my brakes at an intersection with a green light for me and an 18 wheeler comes barreling through the intersection. If I didn't stop I would have definitely been hit. Once again could be grief and thinking about the times my dad taught me how to drive but still weirds me out to this day. Haven't had any other weird instances since these and it's been almost 8 years now.
Have We Met It Yet?
I don't know how much I believe in most paranormal things, but when I think about the topic, I can't help but think of the mantis shrimp can see. The human eye can sense red, green, and blue, and with varying combinations of those three colors, we get to enjoy millions of colors. The mantis shrimp has 16 different receptors, meaning the mantis shrimp can see in potentially trillions of colors we are physically incapable of even imagining.
I believe that it's not just possible, but almost guaranteed, that there's a huge portion of knowledge we're locked out of because we, as a species, simply are lacking whatever specialized organs that would allow us to study and explain. Problem is, try imagining a brand new sense. How do you explain it to others that have never felt it? If you can't feel it, how do you build a machine that translates it into senses you CAN experience?
There's just so much we don't know that we don't know. Current scientific evidence suggests the paranormal doesn't exist, but I'm willing to say there's every chance that we don't know how to interact with that part of the universe yet and that one day the supernatural skeptics (myself included) may be completely proven wrong.
Poltergeist
When my family and I moved into our new home things started to freak us out. We would hear people talking in other rooms and sometimes we would hear footsteps coming from the attic.
I told my friends when they visited and they laughed at me. The. All of a sudden a lamp turned on and then off by itself. It was weird but we just thought the outlet or the lamp switch is broken. However, when I took a look I found out that the lamp wasn't even plugged in.
Another day my mom was in the living room and 3 windows and a couple glass things broke simultaneously all of a sudden and she heard voices in another room.
Fun With Jane
I used to work at a daycare, and there was a one classroom that always housed the two year olds. Year after year, the kids would whisper in a corner. When asked who they were talking to they would, without fail say "Jane".
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History is made on a daily basis.
Indeed, there is little more exciting than having witnessed the accomplishments of people like Barack Obama, Stacey Abrams, and Greta Thunberg knowing that they have firmly reserved a space for themselves in history books.
Of course, most of the people who paved the way to make the world what it is today have long since passed away.
Not all of them, though!
It may surprise you to learn that there are people who made an indelible impression on history who are still much alive today.
Some of whom even continue to make a difference to this very day
Redditor enginearz was eager to hear about historical figures people were surprised to learn were still alive, leading them to ask:
"What famous person from history is still alive?"
Forever Leaving His Name In Science
"Yuri Oganessian."
"He's the only currently living man with an element on the periodic table named after him."- snowflake247
Quite The Story To Tell
"Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."
"Last human to hold the title of Tsar, as leader of the Kingdom of Bulgaria."
"He was exiled along with his family when the Soviets invaded Bulgaria in 1944."
"In 1990, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Simeon returned from exile to Bulgaria and July 2001, was democratically elected prime minister."
"The private citizen is now 85."- DirectionNew5328
Making Nature Cool For Decades
"Jane Goodall."
"David Attenborough."- random_username_96
The Fought For Freedom And Justice
"John Hemingway."
"The last surviving airman of the battle of Britain."
"He is 103 years old."
"Ivan Martynushkin."
"He helped with the liberation of Auschwitz."
"He is 99 years old."
"Benjamin Ferencz."
"He was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials."
"He is 102 years old."- Ashtar-the-Squid
"Traute Lafrenz."
"The last living member of the german anti-nazi resistance group 'White Rose".
"Most well-known members were the sibling Sophie and Hans Scholl, who were executed by the Nazis when they were identified."- ChrisTinnef
The One Who Made One Giant Leap For Mankind
"Buzz Aldrin, and I’m not even American."- mukaltin
Opening Doors For So Many Others
"Ruby Bridges."
"She was one of the first black kids to go to an all-white school."
"There is a famous picture of that first day."- mumwifealcoholic
He Continues To Surprise Us
"Ozzy Osbourne."- CaptinDerpI
Admirably Defying So Many Odds
"Jimmy Carter."
"98 years old."- Back2Bach
We've Still Got Two Out Of Four
"Paul and Ringo"- HMKingHenryIX
Inching Close To The Big One Double Oh...
"Kissinger."- LucyVialli
Who Could Forget About Dick Van Dyke ?!?!?!?!
"Everyone just forgetting about Dick Van Dyke, he's like 97 and still going."
"If you've never heard of him, he played in Marry Poppins, along with a bunch more movies"- Longjumping_Drag2752
And Still Stunning
"Sophia Loren is still kicking."- The_REAL_McWeasel
Continuing To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before
"William Shatner doesn't look it but that dude is in his 90s wtf."- flubberF*ck
Perhaps what's most admirable, is that even when these astonishing people do eventually pass, they will continue to live on and change the world with the remarkable work they did.
We all indulge in fast food from time to time.
Even if we know what we're eating isn't exactly healthy, sometimes the salty, fatty mass-produced food is the only thing we want.
Resulting in our making weekly, if not daily, visits to a nearby chain.
Then, of course, there are the chains that we make every effort to avoid.
We've likely tried places at least once simply because everyone is always talking about them.
But after having one bite, we have trouble seeing exactly what all the fuss was about and vow to never return.
Even if it might be the only option at a rest stop or even the only available food for miles, we instead opt to wait and be hungry.
Redditor BungOnMimosas was curious to hear what people considered to be the most overhyped fast food chains around, leading them to ask:
"What do you think are the most overrated fast-food chains? Why?"
"Food As It Should Be"... Or Not...
"I know it's not technically 'fast food', but Panera Bread pisses me off."
"Insanely expensive for extremely average food." - Reddit
"Panera."
"Their quality has decreased so much in the past few years and they’ve added weird sh*t to their menu like pizza and chicken sandwiches."
"Massive identity crisis and crap food."- asm233
Things Ain't What They Used To Be...
"All of them, now that they charge real restaurant prices."- P00pf4rt5
Golden Arches
"As much as I hate to say it, McDonald's is the only place that I can think of that the quality hasn't changed much."
"I mean, that's a pretty low bar, but it is what it is."- gnatman66
"The majority of them, especially the really big ones (McDonald's, Wendy's, BK, Pizza Hut, etc)."
"The prices are no longer fast food prices and the quality is not there like it used to be."
"Far better local options that cost roughly the same at the end of the day."- senorita_diablo
Consistency Is Key...
"Dunkin."
"You can go to the same location three separate times, have the food made by the same staff, and receive 3 wildly different results."- AndrewLampart
Not So Popular Anywhere, It seems...
"KFC in France became so bad."- SterBout
Likely Won't Go National...
"Idk how wide spread they are, but in the Buffalo NY area there is a chain called Mighty Taco."
"They were even voted best tacos a few years ago."
"It is absolutely terrible food."
"I’ve tried to like it and given them 3 chances."
"Each time I couldn’t eat more than a couple bites."
"Absolutely terrible and I’m disgusted even thinking about their sour vomit in a tortilla."- aa-2020
"Eat Fresh"...
"I think I’ve answered this question before but definitely for me, it’s Subway."
"Nothing but a giant hunk of bread."
"I’m editing this to add that part of my anger about Subway is how good it used to be."
"I can remember the days of nearly a whole can of tuna salad delicious sub."
"And a Veggie sub with Swiss cheese and piles of yummy veggies and the sweet Vidalia onion sauce."
"It’s all gone to sh*t."
"I would’ve been perfectly OK with increasing price but the big drop in quality pissed me off."
"Oh woe is me with my first world problems."- Mysterious-Region640
Quantity Doesn't Guarantee Quality...
"Starbucks is a scam."- cmkeller62
Tasty, But Not Worth It...
"I’m going to say Five Guys."
"Not because the food isn’t good, but because I’m not paying $20 for a burger meal."- 2PacTookMyLunchMoney
"Dairy queen grill and Chill for sure."
"I worked at one for a lil' while and 1 burger combo is $14.56 CAD."- lolidk13
And Not In A Good Way...
Big Kahuna Burger, it kills you."-Darklock2022
No two people have the same taste in food.
Some people know to avoid crappy food, while others eat literally nothing else.
People Break Down Which Movies They Wish They Could Watch Again For The First Time
There are several movies I've watched so many times I think the viewings outnumber the days I've lived.
And much like a favorite tv series or movie, who wouldn't love to start again anew?
Experiencing that first time but with that feeling of... "I'm gonna love this forever."
We never appreciate the first time enough.
But that's life.
Warning: there are spoilers below.
Redditor Jacale1 wanted to discuss all the movies we wish we could experience new all over again, so they asked:
"What is one movie that you wish you could watch again for the first time?"
There are a lot of mystery movies I'd love to redo, just to figure out the killer sooner.
Gasps!
"The Shawshank Redemption."
MisOlga26
"A great nominee. Will never forget gasping when that rock went through the poster, and again when the warden pushed his arm through and ripped it down.... wow."
GalavantingRhino
Over and Over
"Edge of Tomorrow."
jeanrbel
"Is it bad that I got enjoyment knowing Tom Cruise died a lot in that movie. Never on screen, but it happened. Over and over. I hate that guy. How the hell was he the same height as Nichole Kidman in the movies they acted in together. Rhetorical question."
monrovista
"Honestly the whole reason I watched the movie to begin with is that he kept dying over and over."
AutomaticMethod2437
Swooned Away
“'Stardust'- if you don’t know you’ll never know."
jthekoker
"I’m surprised that a fantasy romcom can be so enjoyable, for a straight guy. It’s just the right balance between fantasy, comedy, drama, and romance. Most of the female cast are very easy on the eyes too."
"I swooned when Yvaine glows while dancing on the ship, and when she talks emphatically to the mouse in the caravan. This movie has a lot of A listers, and they deliver. I’m not gonna lie, I have probably watched it half a dozen times."
Redcarborundum
"The book has so much more in it, even having seen the movie you'll feel like a child again."
Beowulf33232
Hail Sigourney
"Alien."
NearDeafExperience
"I watched this with my wife, who has never seen it, and that's about as close as you can get to watching it for the first time. It really displayed just how good the movie is. Also I love Aliens just as much for different reasons."
QueafyGreens
"Came here looking for this! I watched it for the first time with my dad when I was 11, and it’s one of my favorite childhood memories. Amazing movie."
_shes_a_jar
Hey Arnold
"Terminator 2."
lobotomek
"I first watched this as a kid when I knew Arnold was the good guy in movies, and I had not seen T1. I wish I watched T2 for the first time after having watched T1. The mall scene would have been even more mind blowing."
Volvulus
T2 was definitely bada**!! I'd redo that.
Brilliant
"The Departed."
Lineworker2448
"Bro, I'll go further. If I could watch the Nicholson covered in blood scene or the final scene between Damon and Wahlberg, I would be so freaking happy. The sheer acting clout on display for the first is near a masterclass while the last scene was just so business like, I'd love to relive that scene with fresh eyes. I love this freaking movie."
DaBearsMan_72
Originality
"The original Star Wars. Man, that blew our minds! It totally changed movies from then on. We'd never seen such incredible special effects. The story was so fun and the experience was amazing."
Raggmommy
"Even though I’m not a franchise fan, I can get behind this answer. Because when I saw it first run, I was fourteen, and nothing like it had ever been done. I think it was the first movie where the special effects were the movie? Now that’s standard. It’s a reason people see many films now."
"So, for sheer originality, I’d watch it again, but only for the first time. I barely recall the second movie."
Alexbmac
SURPRISE!!
"The 6th Sense. I audibly gasped in the theater. All the clues are obvious on rewatch but that first time, before anyone knew M. Knight Shyamalan was a twist guy... wow."
GalavantingRhino
"I never got to see it the first time. My girlfriend at the time (now wife) inadvertently let slip the ending thinking I had already seen it. I have never seen the point in watching it knowing the ending. But I did enjoy The Village."
failurebeatssuccess
"I watched it again and it was more of a sad film than a thriller."
anotherbarry
Just Beautiful!
"Spirited Away. I was blown away by how beautiful and bonkers it is."
Lizziebunnypie
"Saaaaame! Every single Studio Ghibli film, but Spirited Away especially! I’ve still watched it a million times though, and it’s always special. If I’m in a bad mood that film always cheers me up!"
"Also, Avatar-the last air bender. I know it’s not a movie, but I felt like it deserved a mention. I’ve watched the whole thing several times, and it’s always great, but I do wish I could forget it and rewatch it. I’m 35 btw... lol."
Mimi_315
Great Scott!
"Back to the Future."
dwkindig
"I'd love to watch that in the cinemas... Now from the future."
billieboop
Now I want to go to the movies.
There is no one way to anybody's heart or libido.
Sexy doesn't always have to equal raunchy.
I've known people turned on by music, books, nature, and even funerals (don't ask).
What starts someone's engine is a mystery.
Redditor asexyjohn18 wanted to hear about all the things that get people in the mood, so they asked:
"What is a non sexual trait that turns you on?"
I love a walk. A little strut. Nothing like getting the heart racing.
Tingles
"Getting my head scratched or having someone run their fingers through my hair."
SensitiveDolphin55
"Same. It’s so pleasant when the tingles run down your spine... ;-) "
PumpkinSpiceMaster
LOLOL
"When a girl genuinely laughs at jokes I make."
Realistic_Practice16
"I remember being on a first date with a beautiful woman and I made a bit of corny joke/comment and she laughed at it. I remember thinking, damn, wait till I get to my good stuff. I did get to my good material apparently as we were married. She gives me as many laughs as I give her."
CarlJustCarl
Do Right
"Kindness. When I see someone going out of their way to help others for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do… that is some truly attractive vibes."
Electrical-Bid-9577
"Apparently it's vanishing from this world really fast. People who show kindness often end up in losses (of course not everytime but most of the time yes). It really breaks my heart."
Walker1798
"Probably the sexiest thing out there. Someone can be smoking hot, funny, talented, etc. But if they're not kind, they're unattractive."
sravll
Oh Yes...
"Smiling right at me, and men stretching. LAWD HAVE MERCY!!"
Skwiddling
"I have trouble smiling at women. Is this a turnoff for them? And ones I like are really hard to smile at. Because I know it's always going to be some really weird big smile if I am crushing which makes me feel like a super duper creep."
Maximum_Knee_4622
Simplicity
"Sorry if this is too kinky but i like it when they care about me."
SirReal10000
"Too far man. You need to rethink your choices."
Funkeysismychildhood
Sometimes it's all about the heart.
Eye 2 Eye
"When a guy explains something to you in a calm and understanding voice. Bonus points for gentle eye contact."
Belphiespillow666
GENIUS!!
"Being crazily intelligent. Screw dirty talk, I want you to explain some unexplainable s**t in my ear."
-F**KINGUSERNAME
"Heck yes. My best connections have been with a philosophy/history professor turned chancellor, an environmental engineer, and a neurosurgeon, all 3 Summa cum laude grads and conference speakers in their fields. The downside to genius though is complete absorption in their fields leaving little time for in person connection."
__trezora__
Yummies
"Everyone should know how to cook. Hunger knows no gender. I like to eat good food so I learned how to cook. I asked my mom one day and she reacted surprised. She was more than grateful to have an opportunity to teach me the ‘finer’ aspects of cooking, as she called it. Lol. I love food."
"My girlfriend, now wife, likes to jokingly say I got her into bed with a well seasoned steak and homemade fries. I mean we did sleep together almost immediately after we finished dinner so maybe she’s right. That old saying comes to mind. 'The quickest way to the heart is though the stomach.'"
SaiyanGodKing
Getting Green
"When I ask my husband for help when I repot my plants and he delicately cleans and moves the leaves. He is a mechanical engineer and he works with huge pieces of industrial equipment, seeing him so tenderly caring for my plants just makes me melt."
BoysenberryNo3877
Limbs A Lot
"Men doing intricate work with their hands."
GooglePixel69
"I second this, also someone who can play guitar/bass real real well... just watching their hands, whoa mama."
squeaky-mcgee
Well, it seems that just about anything can get someone in the mood, especially if you're kind, courteous, and especially a good cook.
Anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!