Conspiracies & Coincidences

Kayla Barber staff writer

Ghosts, spirits, coincidences, and conspiracies are conversation starters for a specific group of people. Senior Omar Nashawi stated, “I don’t think ghosts exist in the way we think about them, and I don’t think there are any in the school.”

As of August 30, 2022, 59% of Americans do not believe in ghosts so Nashawi’s skepticism is well justified.

Senior Josiah Flug believes in spirits, but not ghosts. He claims that he has “felt the presence of a relative who has passed away.” This is a very common feeling most people have after a loved one has passed away. Is it the person’s presence the mourning feel, or is it a coincidence? That is up to the person who felt it.

On the topic of conspiracies, Nashawi said, “I do not believe in coincidences. I don’t think that anything happens just because of luck; there are always going to be factors that influence any situation.” Conspiracies are a very sticky topic; some people believe that everything happens for a reason and some people believe the complete opposite.

So, are ghosts real or fake? Theater director Megan Purdue does not believe in ghosts but she does follow the “ghost light rule.” She claimed she doesn’t “know why I do it, but I do because it is a universal theater thing.” Almost every theater has a ‘ghost light’ - a single light that only comes on when nobody is in theater and all the other lights are off. The reason people do this is because people believe it keeps ghosts away.