Fear. It's one of the most powerful emotions we are capable of experiencing, probably because it is so closely linked to our self-preservation instinct. Heroes are fearless- on the contrary, what makes a person a hero is the ability to perform DESPITE fear. Fear is a major factor in PN investigation, obviously...in fact, many of you know that I am trying to put together a PN investigation team here in Fairbanks, Ak...I hear from people all the time who are very interested, but they decline active involvement because they claim they cannot conquer their fear.
My own wife, in fact- she loves watching PN shows with me, loves discussing it- but draws the line at on-site investigations.
I myself am not afraid of the PN...I don't know why, but I'm really not. I do have fears- and I have been frightened on an investigation- but only short-term, specific types of fear. Overall the idea of meeting an entity does not cause me any stress whatsoever. Everyone has different fears, of course...but why are so many people afraid of ghosts? They are immaterial, and seemingly can affect the material plane on a very limited level...so why is this such a breeding ground for terror? Give me your thoughts...is it because Hollywood has brainwashed us? Is it simply the Unknown? I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on this. To me, spirits are simply people in another form- my fears are limited to the fears I would feel in the presence of another human, usually- i.e. if I sense a "bad" person, I am uncomfortable and untrusting- on the other hand, if I feel a sad or distressed entity, I only want to help, or communicate.
Let's hear those thoughts!

Thanks for Listenin'!

One of the best ways to conquer ones fears is to face them. Facing your fear of the paranormal be it ghosts, spirits, UFO's, OBE's etc etc is not an easy feat for you can't simply or easily create a situation that will enable you to face that fear. Having had a fear of flying despite taking countless flights it took much time, discussion and repeated reassurance by others and my own thoughts to finaly overcome it. How does one do that with the paranormal? You can go on countless investigations and not encounter anything paranormal or at least anything that may provide experience enough for you to better understand it. Much are done under the vail of darkness which is not the best environment to work in when facing a fear. Finding a reputable PN team to go on investigation with is also not a simple feat. Even if you do there's no guarantee that ppl on the team will not get spooked by something as that can and does happen. Most PN shows and many books out there all example some of that. There is much yet to be learned and answered. Without all those answers how do you readily provide proof to another that there is nothing to fear?

Hollywood has played a major role. The dramatization is often extreme and most often not of pleasant nature. PN is not main stream and is still widely debated. More often then not it is considered odd or merely a case of an over-active imagination by many. Even among those that believe or have experienced it remains that little secret you dare not share so not to be ridiculed by others.

The internet is a great tool for people to learn more and gather at places like SK to discuss and share PN. However just browse through some of the info out there and stories told. You can feel the fear that came with some experiences and for anyone wanting to understand more it can feed what fear they may already have. Not all experiences shared were good ones. It also doesn't help with all the 'dark side' info that is out there and the fact there are ppl that simply tell a dark tale with no truth to it. I have put to rest many fears I once had and now welcome experiences as I have become more comfortable and open to it. That only happened by learning and understanding and ignoring the creepiness that is often portrayed as the truth.

Consider the works of novelist like Stephen King, if there were as many great tales written that erased the fear of the unknown vs. creating it more may be inclined to embrace it rather than fear it. Well I can go on and on here with this. At the end of the day I feel, PN fear boils down to the unknown, our vulnerabilities, lack of understanding and the absence of universal acceptance that there is more.

Cat:)

I agree with Cat. I think the biggest factor is fear of the unknown. Humans like to have some control over their environments and the paranormal is not something that is in our realm of control or understanding. We don't know why some spirits haunt the earth and others do not. We have our theories, and investigators have done their best to make it a science. I believe at some point it will be possible to "prove" the paranormal exists through documented evidence, but I don't believe we'll ever know the "hows and whys". Most people live in a very concrete world. The idea of things beyond that world are difficult for a lot of folks to grasp.

I do think Hollywood has had something to do with it, but long before there was a Hollywood, we had writers using their imagination (and ours) to conjure up the proverbial boogeyman. I think ghost stories have been around as long as people have been around -- stands to reason!

I also think a lot of people who have a real fear of the paranormal may have experienced something at one time or another in their lives, not understood it, and have never been able to shake off the feeling. I have a relative, who some years ago, would not even discuss the concept of ghosts, but would remain tight lipped, shaking her head when any discussion came up, or insist that it was all in everyone's imagination. After spending the night in my parent's home, which was haunted, she refused to stay again. Come to find out, she had an experience at the age of 10, in which she saw an aunt who had recently passed away visit her room and walk down the hall to the room of her grandmother. To a 10 year old, this was a pretty traumatic experience that she kept bottled up for the next 40 years. It wasn't until I had a series of rather disturbing dreams a few months ago that she admitted any of this.

I think incidents like that are more common than we think. People experience something, especially as older children, adolescents or young adults; they are taught early on that this is something that isn't possible and try to convince themselves that it is only their imaginations because that is what society has told us. However, they know they've seen it, heard it, etc...they know there is no reasonable explanation, and that is a difficult thing to accept. I think that leads to a real fear.

[ December 06, 2004, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: Carrie ]

I have to completely agree with Cat and Carrie. People are afraid of what they can't explain or don't understand. While some definitely see ghosts as immaterial beings that have little affect on the material plane, others see them as unexplainable and not purely possible. In a society where everything has to have a scientific explanation to "truly" exist, this can be very frightning.

Another angle to look at, as far as investigation goes, is the human angle. I wouldn't be afraid to go on an investigation if I knew that where I was going was safe. IE: public place...only the people investigating and owners of the place where there. I would however be very wary of investigating anything that was abandoned. My fear of PN investigating begins there...I'm more afraid of anyone living lurking around that I would not readily know about. This could be a possible reason why many are interested in the PN but afraid to investigate. More groups then not, as far as I know anyway, start by investigating abandoned buildings or things of that sort. Plus, I think in general, people are afraid to experience something that they themselves won't be able to explain.

I agree too with Carrie that a lot of people who fear the PN have had an experience at one point that has set the tone for their present beliefs.

It seems like we all keep coming back to the fact that with the PN things are not always explainable or easy to understand. Which does create the perfect breeding ground for fear.

[ December 06, 2004, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Trinity ]

I can't add much to what has all ready been said and am in agreement with yall. As for me, I am much more afraid of the "living" than I am of the dead. When I was investigating with a friend at Gettysburg, he said he was going to wander up the hill at Devils Den, while I was taking pics below. I was like, "Ahem... not in this lifetime, you're not!" Besides the fact that it was pitch dark, and you never leave an investigative partner alone; I was more leery of any living humans that could be lurking in the dark, than I was of any ghosties I might encounter. I think with a lot of people, it's more a fear of the unknown, and we all know how the "imagination" can take hold, if the environment is right to feed it.

[ February 07, 2005, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: SavannahSilkie ]

Hmm...you all pretty much said what I imagined you would say- indeed, what I myself feel. I still don't quite understand how this mechanism works...I suppose it's just dependent on each individual's reaction. I credit my lack of any real fear- regarding the PN, anyway, I'm scared to death of spiders- with an experience I had as a child. My grandmother (who lived with us) had been hospitalized for about a week. (she was 84) I was 4 at the time, and I was used to sitting on the arm of her black recliner and sipping coffee with her. One day I walked in to the living room and perched on the arm of her recliner...and had about an hour's worth of perfect, one-sided conversation with her "empty" chair. My mom and Aunt both watched and listened in amazement...then I got down, cried a little, and told them that grandma was going to heaven and wouldn't be living with us anymore. Actually, she had died that morning, and they were waiting for the right time to tell me! In my memory, I have a perfect image of grandma sitting in that chair, telling me she would be in heaven..nothing ghostly or frightening about it...yet in reality, she (her body, anyway) was probably in a morgue by that time.
This experience had no effect on me that I was aware of..except that I think of entities as people. I don't imagine them as evil, or frightening, or something other than human...early on, in my mind, they just got defined as folks who looked and acted different. Maybe I feel that way because my first experience was friendly, and familiar...I don't know. Even the few times I have been in the presence of something...not good...I felt the way I do when I'm confronted by an angry person. Since I choose to investigate the PN, I think my grandma gave me something pretty terrific in this outlook.
I'm a very aggressive person- and also an openly emotional one...which is odd, in a man. My wife thinks I'm very peculiar, lol..I grew up on a ranch in West Texas, fighting, roping, riding..all the macho stuff. My hobbies have all been what we call "extreme" today...racing, aerobatics, skydiving, rockclimbing. If I feel another man is intruding on my space, I speak up- and will readily answer violence with violence. I think most police officers have similar personalities- you almost have to- and pilots have to be- at least- type A personalities. Yet I cry at sad times, with no shame...and I will talk about emotions- which is seemingly at complete odds with the rest of my personality. It's hard to explain, but I credit this openness to my PN experiences. Something about knowing that there is more to life than this...well, it makes me appreciate life more. I live in a sort of fear that I will die without letting those around me know how I feel, without my children knowing that their father was more than the guy who fixed their bicycles. Maybe it's a fear of dying with "unfinished business", and being stuck...I don't know. I guess that's why I choose to try to understand the afterlife, to define it...
I'm not certain if I got off-topic here or not...actually, I think not. How does fear- or lack of fear- of the PN affect you? Does knowledge, even just personal, unprovable knowledge, of an afterlife affect your lives in any way? Hmm..this isn't going where I first envisioned, but the unexpected often takes me to an interesting place.

Thanks For Listenin',