Ghosts: Are they real?

By: Maasi Haleem
Ghosts; this word alone would create a heated debate, and spark up interesting conversations about stories that has been passed down from different people about these so-called “ghosts”. Now the big question is: do they really exist or not?
Over the past decades, “ghosts” has become a popular subject. Countless movies and books have had plots containing ghosts, and not to mention that almost half of them are said to be based on true life events. Thus making us all wonder – are they real? Do they really exist? Could we have unknowingly encountered one already without us noticing? I know, the last one sounds even worse!
As far back as it can be remembered, it has been known that people have tried to, or even have claimed that they have communicated to ghosts through holding séances. Then there were those psychic mediums who claimed they can speak to the dead, of which most of these psychics were later on exposed to be frauds.
It was a decade ago the phenomena of ghost hunting became popular  mostly due to the hit TV series “Ghost Hunters”, which most of you have probably heard of or even watched. This lead on to the emergence of a number of ghost hunters not only in America, but in all parts of the world.
When it comes to science, the logic of whether ghosts really do exist is highly debatable. Many have claimed that there is not enough scientific evidence to prove that there are ghosts, especially when there is not one universally agreed-upon definition of what a ghost is. Different people define it and describe it to be in different ways. Some claim that these ghosts are the dead who has unsolved issues (they might have watched a little too much of Ghost Whisperers!), while others claim that they are telepathic entities projected into the world from our minds, and lastly, that they are an inhumane form of living that exists in this world just like us humans.
It has been claimed that science and physics can explain these paranormal encounters that you see on TV, unless you really did encounter an unexplainable event that left you covered in goosebumps and sleepless at night. The failure of the weekend ghost hunters to prove that ghosts really do exist has lead to the evidence for ghosts no better than it was a year ago, a decade ago, or a century ago.
With this lack of solid evidence about the existence of ghosts despite the numerous reality shows, movies, and books, it perhaps comes down to what you believe. Maybe this is the year you will encounter one, if that is something you have wanted. Either way who doesn’t love a good ghost story, am I right? Don’t look over your shoulder now.. just saying!