Spooked In Los Angeles
Posted in Anomaly, Parapsychology, Thinking Critically on | 5 minutes | 10 Comments →
I've heard people talk about the value of "walking in doubt" lately. I certainly think there's a grain of truth in that statement — but then again — there's a grain of truth to, "Reagan was a good President." Saturday, commenter left a response to The Non-Existent Upstairs Neighbors that corroborated some of the same phenomena we've been discussing lately:
I myself am experiencing similar events. I live in Los Angeles, in an old house built way back in the early 30's or 40's. I live alone and I hear foot steps in my attic, in the hall way, and tapping/ thumping noises coming from the other rooms (mostly from the master bedroom). There were two counts in the summer when there was no air, no breeze and the back door closed on its own. Even with a strong breeze, the door wouldn't shut close, it would have been pushed open by the wind. There was no explanation that I can think of on why and how the back door closed shut. I feel that my house could be haunted, definitely. I haven't seen a ghost materialize, at least not yet, and I don't want to see one. I feel a presence constantly, like someone is watching you from behind. Its a very disturbing feeling to look and no one is there, its very chilling every time. I ignored it for sometime, but now its getting annoying and quite freeky. Every time I hear the foot steps, taps, and thumps, I think it might be an intruder, so I check out the sound with my weapon drawn, every time… Where is this "noise" coming from then?
–Steve, 9
I can definitely relate. The sane individuals who experience these things find themselves between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they're rational, normal people most like anyone else: they know that normally, doors don't close themselves, stacks of games don't fly across the room landing stacked, and there are no non-existent neighbors walking around upstairs or on the roof. Normally, an anomalous noise might not even catch our attention. Key word: normally.
I can't help but wonder how those who only believe in what science permits would react to something like this. In all reality, I believe these are exactly the type of experiences skeptics need to have. It's like when I told somebody it's possible to ride a skateboard over the N Judah tracks: she didn't believe me, because it just doesn't look possible. Yet, there's this one angle that allows you to get over them pretty easily.
"I'll believe it when I see it," she said.
Like her having a hard time understanding how anyone could skate over the mess of meandering iron that is the N Judah tracks, many can't even fathom "the supernatural" because it just hasn't happened to them. Because it hasn't happened to them, and because science doesn't allow them to believe in it, they don't even need to think about it. That's one thing I don't understand about skepticism as a philosophical outlook: why limit your mind, when you can expand it? The more I learn, the farther I go, and the more I see, the more I realize as possible.
I don't know what you think, but I'd say that just like my friends A and L across the street whom I've been reporting on, Steve's quite justified to believe that something spiritual, paranormal or possibly "supernatural" may be going on at his house. More, what Steve describes is eerily similar to what's been described — and some of which I've witnessed — at A and L's house: noise loud enough to grab a weapon because one couldn't reasonably exclude an intruder, creepy vibes, things moving themselves inside the house, etc.
Denial won't do people like Steve much good. Neither will doubt. Should Steve doubt what his senses are plainly telling him? What possible good could that accomplish? An overly-skeptical mental attitude impairs just as much as an overly-passive one. When stuff like this happens, regardless of how well we can explain it, the phenomena represent empirical facts that require not only an explanation, but a strategy for dealing with — whether science approves or not.
As much as my friends and I know when we see green grass in front of us, we know when a stack of games undeniably violates the known laws of physics. Likewise, Steve knows that loud noise and shutting doors don't just happen without sufficient cause. Yet just today I had yet another one of these smarty-pants atheists tell me that my beliefs are "unfounded," as if this person's ever spent a single day in my shoes.
I've come to realize that a certain subset of people simply refuse to grant others permission to believe in God or ghosts or anything spiritual, regardless of the empirical facts they themselves have witnessed. Yet for thousands of years, our ancestors have documented these and many stranger phenomena, across every culture. If we can simply deny whatever can't be reproduced in the laboratory, then it seems to me that we can equally deny any sentient experience anybody's ever had. That, my friend, would be the gateway to solipsism.
What would you do if you were Steve? Would your beliefs change at all? If so, in what way?
Steve Bowen
says...Thing is, I’ve had exactly this experience.
About 30 years ago I was a Biology Undergraduate in East Anglia, a very rural part of England. I shared an old farm house with some friends during my second year. The place was spooky enough as it was over three hundred years old, run down and miles from anywhere. But one night, a few of us were in a downstairs room together and in a quiet moment heard thumps and footsteps from the room above. Someone said, “Ians making a lot of noise up there”, I said “Ians not in yet”. I remember at that point we each looked at the other in trepidation, assuming an intruder. In the event I went upstairs, one step behind a much bigger lad (brave ain’t I?) and opened the door to Ians room to see… nothing. The footstep sound had gone as far as we could tell too. We went back downstairs only to hear the footsteps again minutes later. The sequence was repeated a couple of times and stopped only when Ian came home. We told him what had happened but as he was pretty drunk he didn’t care, so went to his room to sleep.
The following morning Ian recounted waking up in the middle of the night and battling with something invisible pulling on his bed covers, he would’nt sleep in the room again. In fact we were all pretty spooked and claimed to feel presences all over the place. Within a week or two we had all found different accomodation.
Now I have probably recounted that story dozens of times since, originally as a ghost story. But these days I would probably use it as an illustration of how what was probably a mundane noise (heating pipes, rats, (plenty of those about)tree branch knocking you name it) got interpreted by impressionable young minds as spooky, and then was reinforced by the group and ended up giving Ian a nightmare. Once we had decided it was unnatural, that is what it became for us and what kept us spooked long enough to leave the place (I’d spend the night alone there today though, honest)
Mike aka MonolithTMA
says...My ghost is made by iRobot. Every now and then I forget that I put the Roomba in a back bedroom to run and I hear it banging up against stuff. My sister has one that is on a schedule and she had a plumber over once and they were both down in the basement. They heard banging and were both freaked out. The plumber took a big wrench and went to investigate with my sister behind him. They both had a good laugh once they found the Roomba banging into walls and furniture. ;-)
Gideon
says...cl, I’ve seen and experienced events that the pseudo-science of Richard Dawkins & Co. would not be able to comprehend, never mind explain. Like you said, the narrow of mind would be overwhelmed and go into meltdown if they ever experienced what many live with on a daily basis.
Of course, anything I could say here is not verifiable, so I won’t bother. Some idiot infidel would merely scoff at it. I’ll just say that the time is coming when the whole world will have the proof it needs that there is, indeed, a supernatural world. Many, too, will have awoken too late from their infidel slumber to resist the wiles of the Prince of Darkness when he performs ‘miracles’ that pseudo-science says is impossible.
cl
says...Steve Bowen,
You’ll definitely get some sympathy there. Anybody who researches anything should always keep abreast of their own biases. However, just before this, you said,
I just see that as post hoc rationalization, custom tailored to your new worldview. Note that nothing in your assessment is scientifically credible, whatsoever. Just, speculation.
Mike,
So, do those things work well at all? They sure look neat.
Gideon,
Remember though, not everybody who reads here is a denialist. I’d love to hear your experiences. Here, or on your own blog, or at your favorite truckstop for that matter.
I strongly agree. The minute beings manifest – or whenever those first flickers of consciousness kick back in after death – the denialist won’t have the slightest idea what to do, precisely because they’ve chosen to remain ignorant. And that under the pretense of knowledge.
Again, I agree. That’s exactly the danger of relying on miracles for “proof” of a being’s nature: it’s utter foolishness. I get the feeling those who ask for such things would bend over at first sight. That’s too bad.
nedsfaith.blogspot.com
says...Before I was a Christian, I was a lot more open to paranormal things. I played D&D, and was always wondering if there was more to the world than the official story.
Since my conversion, I am actually more skeptical.
I believe there are demons, but I think their influence is minor (in the physical realm). Although, I am believe some practicers of the occult may be tapping into something. There are some pretty scary anecdotes coming from people who used to practice “automatic writing” and similar things.
But I don’t believe there are spiritual beings besides angels (demons being fallen angels). No ghosts or what-not.
So, if something goes bump in the night? Probably not an angel, and I doubt a demon has time to waste scaring kids…
MS
says...Hey cl,
Let me get on record as involved firsthand and personally as well…much more up close and personal and sensational than creaks and moans. Very striking, intense, genuine, protracted, unnatural, and unforgetable experience. That’s not to discount your accounts, Steve and Steve Bowen, to any degree. Thanks for sharing.
I’m with Gideon on the scoffing aspect, and as my account involves a group of folks who may not want the story told, I don’t disclose it in public. Other than that, it’s a bit odd, but I tend to see things the same as Ned.
Steve Bowen
says...Possibly, but why should that be any less reasonable than the supernatural assumption.
In any case even if “things that go bump in the night” really do not have a mundane explanation it does not automatically imply that there is a mind or intentionality behind them. If there is some shadowy existence not yet penetrated by science it could be that it has dodgy central heating too.
Mike aka MonolithTMA
says...We love our Roomba. It doesn’t replace an actual good vacuuming,but it helps us keep up.
Steve Kang
says...Check out this site: http://www.ghostpix.com
Goto to: GALLERY {MEDIA} – EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena)
Next pay check I’m buying a recorder and trying this in my house.
cl
says...Steve Kang,
I checked out the site. Definitely some relevant stuff. The next post will touch on some of it.
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about, though, even if you get something – or many things – I fully expect the hardline skeptics to remain unconvinced. After all, who wants to deal with the cognitive dissonance that entails one’s entire worldview being dashed to pieces?
I’d say your attitude of testing and inquiry seems always more useful than an attitude of denial and mockery.