| The strength of a city can sometimes be measured | | | | complex in those cultures that have ancestor worship |
| by its ghosts. The larger cities are often also some of | | | | as part of their belief system. Singapore's rich cultural |
| the oldest places, or at least the ones with the longer | | | | make-up contains a number of these cultures, and the |
| histories of human inhabitation. It takes human | | | | belief systems all come together in very interesting |
| presence to make a human absence, and that's | | | | ways, and inform the way we think about spirits here. |
| where the good ghost stories come from. Old buildings | | | | There are a number of different paranormal |
| also help quite a bit, and if some of these are | | | | organizations here whose mission is to track |
| abandoned, that's even better. Anything that increases | | | | supernatural happenings, and try to categorize them |
| the dark and creepy appeal will invite more ghosts, or | | | | according to scientific principles. There are also a |
| at least invite the stories. Whatever the belief systems | | | | number of traditions where ancestors are revered and |
| happen to be, from true believer to absolute skeptic, it's | | | | honored. The Hungry Ghost festival is one of the great |
| very apparent that human imagination plays a very | | | | cultural events in the world where there is |
| large part in the story aspect of these phenomena, | | | | concentrated attention on appeasing the spirits that |
| and we're naturally more apt to find ourselves sparked | | | | have not been remembered for a variety of reasons. |
| by things that we can't see. Singapore is an amazingly | | | | It's also worth mentioning that some of the best ghost |
| interesting city state that's very unique in many ways, | | | | stories don't happen in cities at all, but far out in nature, |
| and it certainly has its share of ghosts. | | | | where the conveniences of technology haven't yet |
| Many people notice that there seems to be a high | | | | made their way in. The dark and spooky forest is |
| occurrence of happenings that fall into the paranormal | | | | often much more populated than an abandoned |
| category here. This is in large part due to its old | | | | building, and there's plenty of access to nature here, in |
| buildings, and the long history of cultures here also add | | | | all of its varieties. All of these elements come together |
| considerable force to these stories. The cultures often | | | | to make some of the best ghost stories in the world, |
| are the source of the stories, too, because there are | | | | and visitors looking for tales of hauntings may have to |
| some peoples whose belief systems include more | | | | dig around a little bit, but there's a lot to investigate just |
| contact with the spirit world. It's true that ghosts can be | | | | beneath the surface. |
| found anywhere at all, but the stories are more | | | | |