Keeping Your Sanity In An Insane Study



Everyone in the study of the unexplained encounters degrees of paranoia, righteousness, and pious indignation. Because we cannot prove the subject matter, i.e. aliens, ghosts, Bigfoot...we are left with observations and beliefs. Many people in the field of study have decided what they believe the subject to be and how it works and are rigid with those precepts.  

Here's some ways to survive this field of study - 

No one is right or wrong. I might follow a path of physics and physical world explanations and the guy in the other study team might be following religious text and teachings. That being said, a researcher must be humble - no matter how sure they are of their concepts; in the end they could be very wrong about others they laughed at. When you are dealing with belief systems, you are up against a beast. You are no more closer to the truth than they are, as you both already determined what the truth is for you. 

It is vital; however, to have boundaries. Yes, I study HAARP and aliens and the concepts of - does the government know? But that does not put me into a category of conspiracy theorist who avidly reads online for signs of a government- or alien-induced catastrophe. If I am approached by a conspiracy theorist who is very avid about the subjects and wanting to warn me, I politely set a boundary. "I am not a conspiracy theorist." That is a boundary. It says "you are barking up the wrong tree, move on." It's like giving a bear a warning you're in the woods by whistling. You gave him a chance to get away. 

Ultimately, you need to let others be what they are, think what they think, and do what they do. Life has a way of showing them roadblocks, insights, and epiphanies or it keeps them gloriously enveloped in finding evidence to support what they want to believe. It is not your responsibility to change their point of view, make them denounce their beliefs, or stop their line of study. 

Just walk away. 

I see way too many researchers avidly following what others in the field are doing to the point of being a soap opera addict. People often come to me and say "did you hear what so and so did???" I have to reply "I study the subject, not the researchers."

What will you NOT do? I told my son when he was growing up, life is easier when you know what you don't do. Set boundaries. That leaves you everything else to explore. Your world is much smaller when you only define what you are willing to do.

I am an organic diet, micronutrient, permaculture kind of person. But, I am not a new ager who buys machines to alkalinize water and such.

I am an inquisitive researcher, but I am not a conspiracy theorist, nor do I have a concept in my belief system that involves Evil, possession and demons.

I am an artist, writer, dancer, singer, and creative type but I am not a drug-taking, pot-smoking hippie. 

When you define your boundaries, warn people ahead of time they are barking up the wrong tree, you allow others to have their beliefs without it threatening your well being, and you know what you don't do - then, you can survive the insane studies in a sane way.


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