Hey everyone,
This is sort of an open letter to myself. Feel free to comment, query or otherwise add your thoughts!
Over the last few weeks I've become more and more involved in a great debate about PSI phenomena in a third party sense. I've been listening to an internet radio show (podcast) called Skeptiko, hosted by Alex Tsakiris. In it, Alex interviews leading researchers and scientists who are involved in parapsychology, as well as their peers who are critical or skeptical of the work. The idea is to get a dialog going between to hopefully help open people up to these ideas, to find where the controversy is, and hopefully where the truth is based on the evidence. This is all very interesting to me, since I learned about PSI workings and scientific PSI research last year. All well and good!
The problem is, this is a very hot button issue with many people. And many times, the nature of this work is subjective, more so than is comfortable for our current scientific model. There is also a large group of people who are extremely against the possibility of any of this being real. Skeptics and cynics alike attack the area of study in droves.
Fair enough- if there is a kernel of truth in it anywhere, it's a worthwhile endeavor. Let the skeptics weigh in, and, if their research is shown to not disprove the studies, then lets go from there. Whoa, STOP- hold on.. Yes in theory this is exactly what should happen. But unfortunately, that's not what does happen. At that exact point is where an infinitude of rebuttals begin. At first professional, then slowly less professional, and eventually we degrade down to personal attack and emotional appeals. This has become, or very nearly become the case with the Skeptiko show. At first the attacks were only coming from the skeptics, but now after about 90 shows, Alex is also fed up and beginning to feed in to the same anger source.
Anyway- this brings us back to me. I found myself, much to my later surprise and dismay, engaged in a debate with a friend who I had forwarded one of the Skeptiko shows to. We were not involved in personal attacks, but the tone of the debate was... cold. And hours later that same evening, as I reflected back upon the day, I saw completely how out of tune with Love I was acting. Which was a cause for some concern on my part. I am seeing now that in my eagerness to follow this great PSI war, and "root for the home team" I have allowed myself to stop seeing every other person as an equal, intelligent and unique whole. My yellow ray chakra was simultaneously vibrating an intense yellow as I typed out (what I think are) rational arguments for the validity of PSI research, while at the same time closing up my green ray chakra like a sturdy clam. Or leaving it gasping like a fish that's been plucked out of the water, slowly reducing down vibration until it was cold to the touch. Now that's not who I want to be. I would much rather be a naive fool in love with the world than an intellectual who has an iron vice on his heart. At the end of the day whether or not a majority of people believe in PSI functioning doesn't change the truth of reality, so why did I allow myself to become so emotionally attached? Did I begin to view attacks on PSI as attacks on ME? Yes.
Further thinking on this... There is a better path. And it doesn't mean that you have to be ignorant or un-intellectual to continue vibrating with a strong green ray. There is a man who demonstrates both. He is Dean Radin, Ph.D. I have listened to hours of him lecturing, interacting with skeptics and responding to attacks on his work. Remarkably, I can't remember a single instance in which he EVER even raised his voice against even the most skeptical person. He always responds in his usual, calm manner. He addresses the concern with his work, and explains why it holds no water. He does not do this in a judgmental or unkind way. Surely this person is vibrating with a very strong green ray center! And to him I can take my example. (in my "bread crumb trail" link you can scroll down to the PSI section where I have about 20-30 dean radin video links, if any are interested)
thanks for reading!
This is sort of an open letter to myself. Feel free to comment, query or otherwise add your thoughts!
Over the last few weeks I've become more and more involved in a great debate about PSI phenomena in a third party sense. I've been listening to an internet radio show (podcast) called Skeptiko, hosted by Alex Tsakiris. In it, Alex interviews leading researchers and scientists who are involved in parapsychology, as well as their peers who are critical or skeptical of the work. The idea is to get a dialog going between to hopefully help open people up to these ideas, to find where the controversy is, and hopefully where the truth is based on the evidence. This is all very interesting to me, since I learned about PSI workings and scientific PSI research last year. All well and good!
The problem is, this is a very hot button issue with many people. And many times, the nature of this work is subjective, more so than is comfortable for our current scientific model. There is also a large group of people who are extremely against the possibility of any of this being real. Skeptics and cynics alike attack the area of study in droves.
Fair enough- if there is a kernel of truth in it anywhere, it's a worthwhile endeavor. Let the skeptics weigh in, and, if their research is shown to not disprove the studies, then lets go from there. Whoa, STOP- hold on.. Yes in theory this is exactly what should happen. But unfortunately, that's not what does happen. At that exact point is where an infinitude of rebuttals begin. At first professional, then slowly less professional, and eventually we degrade down to personal attack and emotional appeals. This has become, or very nearly become the case with the Skeptiko show. At first the attacks were only coming from the skeptics, but now after about 90 shows, Alex is also fed up and beginning to feed in to the same anger source.
Anyway- this brings us back to me. I found myself, much to my later surprise and dismay, engaged in a debate with a friend who I had forwarded one of the Skeptiko shows to. We were not involved in personal attacks, but the tone of the debate was... cold. And hours later that same evening, as I reflected back upon the day, I saw completely how out of tune with Love I was acting. Which was a cause for some concern on my part. I am seeing now that in my eagerness to follow this great PSI war, and "root for the home team" I have allowed myself to stop seeing every other person as an equal, intelligent and unique whole. My yellow ray chakra was simultaneously vibrating an intense yellow as I typed out (what I think are) rational arguments for the validity of PSI research, while at the same time closing up my green ray chakra like a sturdy clam. Or leaving it gasping like a fish that's been plucked out of the water, slowly reducing down vibration until it was cold to the touch. Now that's not who I want to be. I would much rather be a naive fool in love with the world than an intellectual who has an iron vice on his heart. At the end of the day whether or not a majority of people believe in PSI functioning doesn't change the truth of reality, so why did I allow myself to become so emotionally attached? Did I begin to view attacks on PSI as attacks on ME? Yes.
Further thinking on this... There is a better path. And it doesn't mean that you have to be ignorant or un-intellectual to continue vibrating with a strong green ray. There is a man who demonstrates both. He is Dean Radin, Ph.D. I have listened to hours of him lecturing, interacting with skeptics and responding to attacks on his work. Remarkably, I can't remember a single instance in which he EVER even raised his voice against even the most skeptical person. He always responds in his usual, calm manner. He addresses the concern with his work, and explains why it holds no water. He does not do this in a judgmental or unkind way. Surely this person is vibrating with a very strong green ray center! And to him I can take my example. (in my "bread crumb trail" link you can scroll down to the PSI section where I have about 20-30 dean radin video links, if any are interested)
thanks for reading!