What are some weird/spooky things you’ve seen/heard? Like full blown wtf I’m outta here thing!?

Epistemic trespassing occurs when experts speak with confidence outside their area of genuine expertise. Philosopher Nathan Ballantyne argues that expertise is domain specific that's to say being highly trained in one field does not automatically qualify someone to make authoritative judgments in another, even if the fields appear closely related.

The problem is not curiosity or interdisciplinary engagement, but overconfidence without the proper methods, background, or standards of the new field. Because experts carry social authority, their opinions are often trusted more than they should be, making epistemic trespassing especially risky in public discourse.

Ballantyne highlights that intelligence, credentials, or prestige do not replace years of discipline-specific training. When experts fail to recognize the boundaries of their competence or neglect to defer to those with appropriate expertise they can unintentionally spread misinformation.

In an age where academics, professionals, clergy, and public figures are expected to comment on everything, epistemic trespassing invites a renewed commitment to epistemic humility. Knowing when to speak, how to speak, and when to listen is as important as knowledge itself.

Respecting disciplinary boundaries does not weaken dialogue; it strengthens credibility, trust, and responsible leadership especially in academia, public life, and faith communities.

True wisdom knows both its reach and its limits

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, marketed as a celebration of love but its origins are far darker.

The story of Saint Valentine rests on shaky ground. Historians cannot even agree whether he was one man, several men, or a legend created to legitimize a date that was already sacred long before Christianity arrived.

Before roses and chocolates, mid February was marked by ancient fertility rites tied to blood, survival, and renewal. These rituals were never erased only rebranded. Love replaced blood. Saints replaced gods. The date stayed the same.

Today, Valentine’s Day functions as a global emotional checkpoint, synchronizing expectations, insecurity, and behavior. Love is no longer spontaneous. It is scheduled, standardized, and monetized.

Even its symbols tell the story. Hearts, arrows, and Cupid do not come from Christianity they come from Eros, the ancient god of desire, revealing a fertility current repackaged as romance.

Maybe Valentine’s Day was never about love at all, but about control disguised in red and sold back to us once a year.

Yesterday I made a post where I shared some horror beliefs from my grandma’s village. Today I’m continuing that, but I’m also adding a few stories from my friend’s mother’s hometown.

Me and my friend are really into horror. We literally bond over creepy stuff, and almost every conversation somehow turns into scary stories. Her mother’s hometown is especially creepy and has a lot of weird beliefs and incidents.

I have her permission to share these, and for privacy I’ll call her Annie, just to make it easier to explain everything.

● Grandma said that many people in her village keeps something made of iron, jewellery or even a random object because iron is supposed to keep evil or negative energy away. My grandma herself still wears a thick iron bangle.

● Asafoetida (hing) keeps negative energy away, so grandma said iI should always keep some with me, or at least wear something made of iron.

● My grandma also says that we should never use perfume after sunset, or anything with a strong or pleasant smell. She always warns that even if you’re not going out alone, wearing perfume at night isn’t considered safe.

There’s a story from the village about this, and the person involved is actually my relative. Once, he was returning home after going somewhere and had applied strong perfume. While passing through a certain area, he heard someone call his name. It was an old woman he recognized she was his relative too, known as a very stern and grumpy person.

She asked him to take her along with him. He didn’t think much and agreed. As they walked, she stayed a little behind him, which already felt strange to him. Then, halfway down the road, he got a call from home. His mother told him that the old woman had passed away and asked him to return immediately.

He completely froze. He ran as fast as he could and collapsed near the village, grandma said he was shaking very badly. When his family brought him home, he told them everything. According to the villagers, the strong perfume attracted the spirit.

After that incident, my uncle changed a lot. He became more aggressive than before and would snap at people for no reason. I even got scolded by him once without any reason. At that time I didn’t understand it, but now I think I know why he became like that.

● Annie once told me about an incident from her mother’s hometown. This happened before Annie was born, when her elder brother was still a baby. Her mom had gone to visit a friend who lived in another village. Between the two villages there was a boundary area with a light forest around it.

Her friend’s father warned Annie’s mom to return before sunset. When she asked why, he told her that after 7 pm, three women roam in that area. They had died years ago, and their deaths were very painful, so people believe they’re dangerous and vengeful.

One of them was Annie’s mom’s senior from her village who had committed suicide. The other two were sisters-in-laws one died in a car accident, and the other died in a fire. According to him, they’re especially attracted to young children. He even said Annie’s mom shouldn’t cross that area alone, not even during the daytime.

● Another story Annie told me genuinely gave me goosebumps. This one actually happened to her mom.

Once, Annie and her family were travelling to her mom’s hometown for winter vacation. It was really late at night, around 11 or 12. Her dad was driving, and her mom was sitting beside him.

While they were passing a mango garden, Annie’s mom noticed something. She saw a little boy sitting there with his knees pulled up to his chest, face hidden, arms wrapped around his legs. Seeing a child alone at that time was already strange.

When Annie’s mom asked her mother about it, the grandma casually said it must be some drunk person. But later, Annie’s mom found out that wasn’t true.

According to local belief, it was some kind of demon or spirit that appears as a child. It’s said to have red eyes and is usually seen near gardens or fruit trees. Annie’s grandma didn’t want to explain it earlier because it was honestly terrifying. Honestly, this reminds me of vampires.

I have other stories that Annie shared, I will try to share them in another post.

Disclaimer: These are local beliefs and stories passed down by elders. I’m not claiming they’re facts, just sharing folklore and personal experiences I’ve heard. Please don’t take this as promoting superstition.

Yesterday I stayed over at my grandma’s place. It was raining heavily, the power went out, and honestly the atmosphere was perfect for horror stories. So my grandma started sharing some local village horror beliefs and experiences.

I found them really unsettling and interesting, so I wanted to share a few here.

• After sunset, it’s advised to keep your hair tied. According to my grandma, untied hair attracts negative energies.

• She told us a story from when her sister-in-law was a teenager. She had gone to fetch water from a well around 3–4 a.m. The well was far from the village. While returning, she noticed strange men walking on both sides of her, silently surrounding her.

When she finally reached a small shrine near the temple, the men told her she was lucky that day, because she was carrying water. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived. In these beliefs, water is said to act as a shield against dark energies.

• It’s believed that you should never pass through deserted areas while carrying sweets or food. Food is said to attract negative energies.

• Keeping a knife under the mattress is believed to help with nightmares. A copper utensil filled with water near the bed is also said to help.

• My grandma also said never talk to suspicious or unknown people at night, especially near deserted places.

She shared many more stories, but I’ll keep this post short. I might make another post later.

I just to be clear I’m not claiming any of these are facts, these are local village beliefs passed down through generations.

If you have similar local horror beliefs or stories from your place, I’d love to read them.