So what exactly is the paranormal anyway? Is it the Supernatural? Is alien? Is it simply us, as humans, not fully understanding what is going on around us? In short, I think the simple answer is "yes", although I can't prove any of that. We, as "paranormal investigators" get so hung up on finding the one piece of evidence that proves something exists that we simply just can't believe is possible.
One of the most important aspects of the paranormal or not-so-normal field that seems to be missing from the day to day we see on TV and the web from all of these groups is knowledge of what's natural in the environment around us. Depending on where on the planet you happen to be, what is natural may be widely variable to what is natural in another corner of the globe. Knowing these differences is simply one piece of the overall puzzle.
Another aspect is understanding the tools and methods you're using to determine if paranormal or not-so-normal activity exists. It doesn't matter if you're looking for Ghosts, Bigfoot, ET or anything else that might fall into the genre of the paranormal, if you don't know how to properly interpret the data you're compiling, then why collect it to begin with? Misread, misidentified and otherwise misapplied data and assessments are more critically damaging to the field of the paranormal as not having any evidence at all. For those teams who put out evidence of questionable nature, please, you're hurting the field. You're hurting those trying to do true research, and you're making a joke of yourself.
One of the most important aspects of the paranormal or not-so-normal field that seems to be missing from the day to day we see on TV and the web from all of these groups is knowledge of what's natural in the environment around us. Depending on where on the planet you happen to be, what is natural may be widely variable to what is natural in another corner of the globe. Knowing these differences is simply one piece of the overall puzzle.
Another aspect is understanding the tools and methods you're using to determine if paranormal or not-so-normal activity exists. It doesn't matter if you're looking for Ghosts, Bigfoot, ET or anything else that might fall into the genre of the paranormal, if you don't know how to properly interpret the data you're compiling, then why collect it to begin with? Misread, misidentified and otherwise misapplied data and assessments are more critically damaging to the field of the paranormal as not having any evidence at all. For those teams who put out evidence of questionable nature, please, you're hurting the field. You're hurting those trying to do true research, and you're making a joke of yourself.
