When you hear the words “conspiracy theory,” you probably think of aliens, the JFK assassination, the moon landing, or the Illuminati and automatically close your mind to those theories. While that is understandable, an open mind to all ideas is a good idea.

One conspiracy theory that has gained popularity is NBA basketball player Kyrie Irving’s claim on his podcast that the world is flat. Many people say “That’s insane; how could the world possibly be flat?” My response to that is this: have you ever been to outer space? If the answer is no, then it could be plausible that world is in fact flat.

While a flat world may be a bit far out, the theory that the lunar landing was staged may be a little more close to home. In the largely publicized and highly controversial photographs that NASA released shortly after the trip to the moon, multiple pieces of evidence argued against its credibility. One key cause of doubt was due to the disturbing lack of stars in the background of the photos taken on the moon. Another reason theorists remain skeptical is that the flag in the photograph appeared to be blowing in the wind, which would have been perfectly normal, except for the fact that there is no wind on the moon.

Staying in space, one of the most debated and longest lasting conspiracies is the theory of extraterrestrial life. I am not saying that aliens are real, but I am saying that there is a good chance that out of the billions of planets in the galaxy, there has to be another planet that could contain life.

The closest thing theorists have to proof that aliens have contacted earth stems from the incident in Roswell, N.M. in the 1950s, where an ambiguous disc crashed into a ranch. While there is not any hard evidence that has been recovered from the sight, there have been numerous witnesses claiming to have spotted what looked like a flying saucer crash-land into the New Mexican desert.

Many theorists believe that the Roswell incident may have ties to the highly classified, extremely guarded and very mysterious Area 51 military base. In my opinion aliens definitely could exist, but until they show up on Earth, I will be skeptical.

While the theory of aliens has been around for a long time, the theory of a new world order has gained national attention within the last few centuries. The Illuminati has been one of the most popular theories, with alleged members list containing famous names such as pop singers Beyonce and Madonna, as well as rapper Jay Z. Many believe that the illuminati may have been responsible for the deaths of prominent individuals, including John F. Kennedy and Michael Jackson.

Speaking of John F. Kennedy, another popular theory is his assassination. There are multiple conspiracies surrounding his death, the most reasonable being that Oswald did not act alone. In the video of the killing, multiple gunshots are clearly audible. Many witnesses believe that the second shot came from what is known as the “grassy knoll,” which is extremely likely, due to the ability to escape the area after shots were fired.

While some of these theories may appear unbelievable at first glance, keeping an open mind can drastically change one’s perspective. In the future, be wary of discrediting a conspiracy theory too quickly; anything is possible.