Do you believe in ghosts? I do, and I've got reason to. What's my reason? I've seen one.

Ever since I was little, the idea that the dead are still among the living fascinated me. I was an avid viewer of all of the paranormal shows on the discovery and travel channel, even though I have an overactive imagination and would freak out for hours on end. Still, I enjoyed every episode and would pester friends and family to find if they believed in all things spooky.

I will admit, at the beginning I was not a believer. Even as an eight or nine-year-old I thought that there was an explanation for shadows and noises; I was that kid to ruin any kind of movie magic. When I was about ten years old, everything changed.

I was outside all alone jumping on my trampoline. It was a very overcast and cool day, the kind of day where the light shines gray; now that I think back on the moment, I realize that it was quite eerie out. As I was bouncing I heard a few knocks like a wooden cane on pavement, and when I stopped and turned I saw my great-grandfather standing in the doorway. He had been dead for about four years.

I can still to this day close my eyes and put myself back to that moment and it sends chills down my spine. The wind had stopped in that moment, and the creature, dressed with the same coat, hat, and scarf that he had, stood in the doorway and waved at me. I jumped down and tried to run after him, but as soon as I reached the doorway he was gone. I tried to tell people about it, but everyone figured it was my imagination. I know what I saw.

Since that day, I have seen floating orbs of light in windowless rooms, and heard a whisper from behind when I am alone. I have also asked others for any paranormal experiences, but I have not gotten many affirmative responses. Others have heard the sound of a loved one's voice, seen things move, or gotten some kind of response to a direct question.

For centuries, people of all different cultures have believed in ghosts. Many religions have also confirmed their belief by preforming exorcisms. In the Victorian era is was super popular for women to hold seances during afternoon tea. Mediums have also been popular since Victorian times. Many folklore stories have been based off of seeing spirits or being haunted by them.

Today, many popular TV shows and movies have story lines that deal with the dead. The Sixth Sense, Spongebob Squarepants, Star Wars, and A Christmas Carol are all fantastic examples of media containing iconic ghost characters that have strong prevalence in pop-culture. It has almost become a social norm to at least accept the fact that ghosts are out there. With the rising popularity of medium based shows, and the stacking video footage from shows like Ghost Adventures. Even the current season of American Horror Story, along with seasons one, and five, are based off the existence of ghosts and rules that they have to follow.

Science offers excellent answers as to why ghosts don't make sense. For one, it questions how ghosts are able to pass through objects as well as slam doors and push objects. It also questions how there are unsolved murders if those who died unavenged can supposedly communicate what happened. Psychology can also answer why we think we see ghosts and how our mind easily plays tricks on us.

It is so simple to doctor videos and recordings to manipulate it into what we want it to say. So in a sense we do not know that the evidence we have now is reliable. There are no lab controlled experiences, there are only horror stories and weekend ghost hunters that just try to have a good time and get a good scare.

The key to believing is through personal experience. Though we lack evidence, I am a believer because my great-grandfather was all the evidence I needed. You can say that I crazy or that I'm silly for ignoring scientific evidence. The fact of the matter is, there is no evidence that ghosts exist, but there also isn't evidence that they are not real.