In the field of the Paranormal, you always come up against your fair share of sceptics, whether it be in person or online. As soon as you mention the subject you instantly get an indication of where people lie with their viewpoint. The way the BCPS operates is one of tolerance and an open mind, as we respect everyone's point of view. Each team member has his or her belief system, thoughts and opinions on various subjects within and related to the field and we are respectful of every one. After all, who is qualified to categorically say if someone is 100% right or wrong with this stuff?
Where things get tricky is when someone is determined to prove you wrong, to immediately ridicule what you think or say without being open to suggestion. The first one being 'there is no such thing as ghosts' or 'its all a load of rubbish' or 'where is the proof?' or words to that effect. The first thing I do is not to argue, which is sometimes hard to do depending on what has been said, as sometimes it can feel insulting. If I argue, then the situation will deteriorate quickly and no good will come of it. Instead, what I try to do is passively neutralise the argument by respecting the person's wishes, which sometimes takes them by surprise as the occasional sceptic will be doing it to try to intentionally get an angry response in order to make them look like they have the upper hand. This usually works as they cannot argue this response.
Then, I ask them to explain their reasoning why they have this viewpoint. Over the years I now think it tends to be because of a few main hidden reasons; they are scientifically minded, they are the type of people in technology or engineering orientated jobs, logically minded, usually not a very creative person and they are just programmed that way. These are the type of people who will only accept something is if it is physically in front of them, fully explainable and rational. The other type of person I usually find are wary of unknown things, they are wary of new things and experiences, sometimes superstitious and cover their fears and concerns by denial. I'm sure there are many other types and shades and levels in between, but I suppose what I'm trying to get across is that there is a reason for their scepticisms.
Anyway, back to my example. Once I have cooled the conversation, I explain my background, thoughts and beliefs. not in any great detail as I'm not trying to plead my case, that is a futile exercise. You cannot forcefully convert someone into a belief system, history has shown us that! I tend to sum things up by saying that I'm not out to prove sceptics wrong by finding scientific proof that ghosts, UFO's, Werewolves etc exist, this is something that may never be proven. I just investigate because of my own personal fascination of things that are unexplained. Regardless of what you think of the infamous Derek Acorah, I do remember a brilliant quote from him that rings very true: “To the believer, no proof is necessary. To the non-believer, no proof is possible.”
Sometimes it is refreshing to have a conversation with someone who is sceptical of the paranormal, it keeps me objective in my approach to investigating. Being on the fence (but leaning more towards being a believer - otherwise I wouldn't have a passion for what I do with the BCPS) helps eliminate possible explanations and causes of what people think is a paranormal phenomena.
So to sum up this blog post, what I am trying to convey is if you are a believer and encounter a hardened sceptic, pause for a moment and try to diffuse the situation before offering a response and carrying on the discussion. Try to be respectful of their beliefs and if the other party isn't respectful of yours, I would advise ending the conversation on the subject. I've seen many a mature conversation about the paranormal on forums quickly deteriorate into a verbal slanging match that ends very badly.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post. As always, this blog a personal viewpoint only and does not reflect the opinions and beliefs of other members of the BCPS team or the team as a whole. If you would like more information on the BCPS and what we do, just visit our website at www.bcps.moonfruit.com
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