Jason: Eh, Arjun, Hungry Ghost Month already started, right?
Arjun: Yeah, why?
Jason: Then don’t ask me to go for supper at 1 a.m. again. My grandmother already warned me. During Hungry Ghost Month, better don’t whistle, don’t sing loudly, and don’t stay out too late. Later spirits follow you home.
Arjun: (laughs) Your grandmother says that every year.
Jason: And every year I listen. You never know.
Arjun: Come on. If spirits really followed people who whistled at night, Singapore would be full of haunted karaoke singers.
Jason: Joke all you want. My cousin told me a story. Last year he was cycling home around midnight. He was singing some Jay Chou song loudly. Suddenly he felt like someone was following him.
Arjun: Someone?
Jason: He turned around. Nobody there.
Arjun: That’s called being alone at night.
Jason: No, seriously. He got goosebumps all over.
Arjun: Goosebumps aren’t proof of ghosts. Your body reacts to fear all the time. Horror movies do the same thing.
Jason: Easy for you to say. You’ve never experienced anything strange.
Arjun: Actually, I have.
Jason: See! I knew it.
Arjun: Let me finish. A few years ago, I was walking near a park around midnight. I heard footsteps behind me. Every time I stopped, the footsteps stopped.
Jason: Wah, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.
Arjun: I was scared too. Then I realized the sound was echoing from my own shoes against a wall.
Jason: That’s different.
Arjun: My point is that when we’re nervous, our brains start looking for patterns and threats. It’s normal psychology.
Jason: But why do so many older people warn us about this? They can’t all be wrong.
Arjun: Traditions don’t always start because something is literally true. Sometimes they’re practical advice.
Jason: Meaning?
Arjun: Think about old Singapore decades ago. Streets were darker. Fewer people were around at night. Staying out too late could be dangerous. Parents needed a way to keep young people home.
Jason: So you’re saying ghosts were basically a curfew enforcement system?
Arjun: Exactly. The supernatural version of “be home before midnight.”
Jason: That’s actually quite funny.
Arjun: Also, whistling and singing loudly at night can annoy people. Imagine someone below your HDB block singing at 2 a.m.
Jason: Okay, that person deserves complaints, not ghosts.
Arjun: See? Practical explanation.
Jason: But there are still stories. Every Hungry Ghost Month someone has a weird experience.
Arjun: People have weird experiences in every month. During Hungry Ghost Month, they pay more attention to them.
Jason: Confirmation bias?
Arjun: Wah, look at you using scientific terms.
Jason: I learned from arguing with you.
Arjun: Suppose you whistle tonight and nothing happens. Tomorrow you forget about it. But if something unusual happens, even something small, you’ll remember it and connect the two events.
Jason: Like if I whistle, then miss my bus?
Arjun: Exactly. Suddenly the ghost is responsible for SBS Transit.
Jason: That’s a very hardworking ghost.
Arjun: Poor spirit. Imagine spending hundreds of years in the afterlife only to make people miss buses.
Jason: (laughs) Okay, that’s ridiculous.
Arjun: Look, I’m not saying traditions are worthless. Hungry Ghost Month is an important cultural practice. It helps people remember ancestors and respect family traditions.
Jason: I agree with that.
Arjun: The problem is when people assume every traditional warning is scientifically true without evidence.
Jason: Maybe. But I still feel uncomfortable being outside late during this period.
Arjun: That’s fine. Feelings are real. But feelings aren’t evidence.
Jason: So if I refuse to whistle because it makes me uncomfortable, that’s okay?
Arjun: Sure. Just don’t claim spirits are definitely waiting around every corner.
Jason: Fair enough.
Arjun: Tell you what. Let’s test your theory.
Jason: What theory?
Arjun: After supper tonight, we’ll walk home. I’ll whistle. I’ll sing loudly.
Jason: Please don’t sing. The spirits aren’t the problem. Your singing is.
Arjun: Oi!
Jason: Seriously, if anything follows us home, it’ll be neighbors demanding silence.
Arjun: That’s the most believable supernatural encounter you’ve described all evening.
Jason: Fine, fine. Maybe science has some good points.
Arjun: And maybe traditions can still be respected without believing every ghost story.
Jason: Deal. But if a spirit appears tonight, I’m running faster than you.
Arjun: If a spirit appears tonight, I’m becoming a believer immediately.
Jason: Good. At least we’ll both be screaming together.
Arjun: Now that sounds like true friendship.
Science Vs Superstition 
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