Quote:
Originally Posted by trainedobserver
Thanks, I appreciate the sentiment greatly. Quite often I get the opposite reaction which I find extremely baffling as it demonstrates that many folks who claim to be all about the search for truth and "light" have such little regard for standards of evidence, proper methodology, and healthy skepticism. Thanks again. 
The quotation is a piercing insight that Jacques Vallee had into the UFO phenomena and the community surrounding it. One that I feel is even more true today than it was when he wrote it. It is something that we ignore at our own peril. |
I tend to think that this whole thing is a spiritual war...and that the mainstream either is asleep or hostile...regarding the real truth. Or...they just want to keep their jobs and their sanity. The fringe...on the other hand...may have a tendency to go crazy, become cult leaders, or go down other dark alleys. They probably lose jobs, get divorced, commit suicide, become hounded by government agents, etc, etc. So...it may be best to find respectable people who are out on a limb...just before...or just after...the limb snaps...and they come tumbling down. That's not a very nice thought...I know...but this isn't a very nice world...is it?!
I am listening presently to the David Jacobs interview...and regardless of current questions...the program is quite interesting. I also read part of a Jacque Vallee interview transcript last night...and I was impressed with his logic and methodology. To get at the truth...we can't be afraid of boring research...or be afraid to admit that we're wrong. I just keep saying that I'm crazy...and that I don't know what the hell I'm doing. And it's true. This isn't just a becoming humility. I just endlessly speculate, ask questions...and make a smart@$$ out of myself. Obviously...I'm not trying to earn tenure...or become a provost!
I'm already a crazy failure! So with that out of the way...I can happily stumble through cyberspace like a bull in a china closet! The horror!
John Keel and Jacques Vallee should probably be on the required reading lists of all serious ufologists. Just a thought. Someone should start an Online Graduate Program for Conspiracy Theorists and Paranormal Researchers...and not just as a half@$$ venture. Someone should really do it right...where the methodology is much more important than any results or editorial policies. Imagine a retired Oxford Don running such a program. You know...a Joseph Farrell type of person. I'm really sorry to see this Avalon forum come to an end...because I think it is going in that direction. Perhaps that's why it's being shut-down. I don't care what anyone says to the contrary. I think this forum was getting too hot...and the plug got pulled. But then again...I'm crazy and paranoid. Don't ban me bro!
