👻 Thought of the Day and Question of the Day: Ghosts, Fears, and Horror Movies

October 10, 2025

Every day I like to pause and reflect with a Thought of the Day and Question of the Day. Today’s pairing pulls us straight into spooky season territory, with a witty reflection on ghosts and a playful question about horror movies. In this post, I’ll share my honest take, a few laughs, and maybe even a shiver or two.

Thought of the Day:

“I don’t believe in ghosts, but I am afraid of them.” — Marquise du Deffand

There’s something genius about this quote. It captures how humans work: our brains don’t always listen to logic. We can know, with every rational fiber, that ghosts don’t exist… and still sprint up the basement stairs like we’re in the 100-meter dash at the Olympics.

For me, it’s not even ghosts. It’s the creaks in the house when everyone’s asleep, or the way the cat suddenly stares into the corner like she’s watching something hover there. My 5-year-old asked me once if ghosts could unlock doors, and I told him no. But that night? I triple-checked the locks anyway.

Fear doesn’t always require belief. It just requires imagination, and if you’ve ever walked through your house at 3 a.m. after hearing a weird thump, you know imagination can be far scarier than reality.

This thought also reminds me of how we approach other parts of life. We might not “believe” in failure, but we’re still afraid of it. We may not “believe” in bad luck, but we still avoid walking under ladders or scheduling important meetings on Friday the 13th. Fear is stubborn. It shows up whether or not we invited it in.

And sometimes, the ghosts we’re running from aren’t supernatural at all. They’re the echoes of old mistakes, past heartbreaks, and things we wish we could undo or unhear. The real haunting happens inside our own heads, where those memories rattle chains just loud enough to keep us from moving forward. But ghosts only have power if we keep running. The second we turn around and face them, they fade.

Question of the Day:

If you got sucked into a fictional horror movie, what movie would you choose to get sucked into?

Life already feels like a horror movie most days, an unhinged man with the keys to the nuclear briefcase, toddler tantrums, traffic, but today’s Question of the Day is about fictional horror. If I had to get pulled into one, I’d lean toward a Hitchcock film. At least his characters usually had time to smoke a cigarette and monologue before the terrifying part started. Give me ten minutes of witty dialogue over being chest-bursted in Alien any day.

But part of me is drawn to Alien. There’s something strangely appealing about testing yourself against the ultimate nightmare. It’s survival, pure and primal. Plus, I’d get to travel in space, and what’s more awesome than that.

This question is one of those that reveals who you are. If someone picks The Shining, they’re either ready for a psychological breakdown or they trust their ability to avoid creepy hotels. If someone picks Scream, maybe they think they’d be the one yelling at the others not to split up. And if they pick Shaun of the Dead, well, they’re in it for the comedy, and maybe the pub.

For me? I’ll stick with Hitchcock. Give me the suspense, the shadows, the long slow build. Real life already supplies enough jump scares.

If you’re into playful hypotheticals like this, you’d probably enjoy the scariest movie question I asked.

Wrapping It Up

Today’s Thought of the Day and Question of the Day both circle around the same idea: fear isn’t rational, but it’s powerful. Whether you’re afraid of ghosts you don’t believe in, or curious about surviving inside your favorite horror flick, it’s a reminder that fear shapes us more than we admit.

So, what about you? Which horror movie would you choose to get pulled into, and do you think you’d survive past the opening credits?

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