Myth, Imagination, Reality
It is not always easy to believe in something that sounds like it is from an old myth or an imaginative comic book series. Some ideas may be fun to talk about and entertain, but how long do you listen until you drift into doubt - pulled back into so called reality by the factual paradigms of which you are familiar? I walk that line a lot. A whole lot. Because, I am open to hearing most theories. I do look into the claims made by authors and independent investigators but I keep my skeptical mind. And I implore you to do the same. Sometimes I may find that a claim is just that - a claim - with little substantive documents or data to support it. But a lack of evidence, of course, does not preclude it from being a possibility. Possibilities is what Paranormal Now is all about. Individuals who research alternative theories should be approaching their research the same way as any other professional academic. Only they are taking a leap further away from the fitted puzzle pieces already in place. Rather than seeking puzzle pieces that fit the very edge of the puzzle, they look at the far flung and scattered pieces as a puzzle unto themselves. Aside from the thrill of chasing a mystery, one reason for this is to avoid any pre-existing biases. Perhaps a new puzzle will take shape but now it does not fit within the original puzzle. Then what does one do? It's akin to physics needing a unified theory that brings together seemingly disparate processes like quantum mechanics and Newtonian physics. On their own they may work, but to see them functioning seamlessly in a singular equation is yet to be accomplished. And here we are willing to accept both theories because there is separate data to support each independently. I think this is how historians and archaeologists should also approach their work. The old approach, while steady and safe, may limit results and constrain imaginative speculation which leads to opening doors to new ideas. Because there is nothing wrong with imagination if unbiased data is sought to prove or disprove the theory. It's all about being honest with one's self and one's research. And then who knows what else we'll discover. This is the sort of research that can be very exciting! Far too often alternative thinking which has come under attack (you know, like Darwin and evolution) end up becoming mainstream thinking. Sometimes, unfortunately, long after the person proposing the theory has already been shamed in public. So...Don't give up and let's keep the conversation going.
Alan B. Smith
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