I always feel like a broken record when this subject comes up! I have seen spirits (ghosts). I know others who have. I have spoken to one man who was a skeptic but who experienced one thing in his 60's which just made him ask "what WAS that?" (note: his experience happened whilst he was awake, away from home, and with someone else who also saw it....then it was confirmed by a member of staff at the building it happened in).
Basically we carry on after death, in spirit form. That is my belief.
Sirona
Things which "happen" to us are interpreted by our brain which runs a context filter (of sorts) entirely DEPENDANT ON OUR BELIEF of what the possibilities are.
In an earlier era people believed, saw and photographed fairies! Later, it was UFO's. Whatever category is currently held to be ___possible__becomes the "likely" explanation for something we JUST DON'T KNOW.
In ancient times almost anything unknown (and therefore mysterious) was interpreted as being the handiwork of "the gods".
This has NOTHING to do with reality necessarily!
A "skeptic" may not be INCLINED to believe in ghosts or spirits, however, the unexplained can prompt that (fallback) liklihood onto center stage under certain circumstances.
Think of it this way.
Imagine sitting on the floor in the middle of a large room while people bring you boxes of "stuff" to sort. You have baskets with labels on them that you are to sort into.
When you come to an item you DO NOT recognize it will go into one of two baskets:
1.Misc.
OR
2.A best guess other category (which may or may not be an error of sorting)
This little exercise is what we do all of our conscious life. When we are kids in a dark room we are easily persuaded by shadows and noises that there are "monsters" out there. But, that is a sorting basket made possible by the stories we have been told and the movies we have seen. Those shadows and noises are what they are and NOT NECESSARILY monsters!
As we grow older and more mature and (possibly) more rational we begin to discard the sorting baskets that are impossible or fictional. However, if we remain irrational (to a certain extent) because of emotional and psychological immaturity we likely cling to fantasy possibility and this makes us SUSCEPTIBLE to magic-thinking and our labels on our sorting baskets WILL INCLUDE the fantastic.
Surely you can see this.
Terry