tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33112888.post7300375115976627515..comments2010-12-29T01:59:57.720ZBillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14239989492128801120noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33112888.post-66479611084745094152010-12-29T01:59:57.720Z2010-12-29T01:59:57.720Zgreat blog entry mate. <br /><br />i remember when i was about 11 using a telescope in my back garden i was trying to find andromeda in the sky and this great big orange saucer shape flew over my house! it looked like a classic glowing saucer with a sort of motion blur.<br /><br />obviously my first thought was &#39;cool a UFO&#39;! then i felt a little vulnerable out there in the dark...then i remember being confused about what else it possibly could have been...<br />i never believed it was anything alien for a second...but i was a little shaken as i couldnt readily explain it...<br /><br />im going for reflection off clouds as a solution but never really been satisfied with it. powerful thing paredolia eh.bertologikanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33112888.post-44857128034332405482010-12-20T23:21:15.679Z2010-12-20T23:21:15.679ZIt&#39;s refreshing to read an anti-ghost story for a change. I myself had an interest in the paranormal as a child, and even today I enjoy the topic as a source of fictional entertainment, but there comes a time when you have to face the reality of your own experience.<br /><br />I&#39;ve never seen a ghost nor a false ghost. I&#39;ve seen UFOs, but that says nothing other than the fact that I could not personally identify what they were. I like to keep an open mind, and while I&#39;m sure that science can eventually prove that something like extraterrestrial civilizations with advanced technology exist, (though whether they are composed of little grey men with large heads who conduct obscure medical experiments on humans is another matter) beings like ghosts and goblins seem to be stretching things a bit. Everyone has the right to their own subjective reality, but they shouldn&#39;t go expecting to prove to others the veracity of their claims without sufficient evidence.<br /><br />Your story makes a great point about the dubiousness of taking a single, fleeting sensory experience at face value. Our brains are wired to fill in a narrative even when one doesn&#39;t naturally present itself. The good thing about the scientific method is that it forces you to slow down, take a step back, and rely on reason rather than emotion in seeking the truth.Bardhttp://www.questforpoetry.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33112888.post-70077570996168315992010-12-20T23:03:57.731Z2010-12-20T23:03:57.731ZYour story is almost identical to mine. Similar background, grew up reading about the paranormal, discovered science in my late teens (most of it after I left school, sadly) and one day when I was about 19 I too saw a ghost.<br /><br />She looked like the old lady from Ghostbusters. She hovered a foot or so off the floor, was glowing and she tilted her head when I tilted mine. Frightened the life out of me.<br /><br />Came back later that night with my brother and we both saw her. He was scared, ran back to the car.<br /><br />Went back the next night with more people and we saw her again.<br /><br />I was determined to find an explanation - if I eliminate everything else then I was prepared to accept it could have been a ghost.<br /><br />Discovered it was the most amazing optical illusion caused by a light hitting the hull of a boat that was resting vertically against a building. <br /><br />A little magic and mystery died that day, but at the same time it killed my belief in the supernatural and gave me a better understanding of reality.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06582786883612195868noreply@blogger.com