How do I know I’ve seen a ghost?

Given that ghosts are usually described as looking exactly like normal people, how do you know if you’ve seen one? I sometimes think of this when walking along a busy street. Might one of those many people I can see be a ghost? Is there a way of telling? Might they behave differently?

On a few occasions I’ve been walking along a quiet street when I’ve noticed someone, looking quite normal., walking ahead of me. Not thinking about ghosts, I don’t pay them any particular attention. I suddenly realise the person is no longer there. But the thing is, they were only out of my sight for a second or so and there is nowhere they could have gone in that short time.

That might be the end of the incident for many witnesses and it could be reported as a ghost. However, when this has happened to me I have invariably investigated at the time. I have generally found that there WAS somewhere the person could have gone, it just wasn’t obvious. For instance, I found a totally unsuspected tiny path betwen gardens hidden by a high wall. Anyone using the path would instantly vanish from view in the street. And all a witness would see is a boundary wall.

In another example I realised the person walking in front of me had simply removed their coat while I wasn’t watching. I thus thought it was a different person. But if they hadn’t removed their coat at the exact second I looked away, I’d have seen what happened and so no mystery.

I have also, on occasion, seen people walking around in historical costume (see here for example). There are, of course, many reasons why this might occur that don’t involve ghosts. Nevertheless, some people may have jumped to conclusions, particularly in an area notorious for ghosts.

From these experiences, and others, I have come to realise it is really difficult to identify ghosts. I also strongly suspect that many reported sightings may actually have mundane explanations overlooked by their witnesses. People seldom look for explanations at the time of their sighting. It’s also quite possible that if a real ghost does nothing unusual it might easily be missed in plain sight. So how do I know if I’ve seen a ghost? Honestly, I don’t know.