By: Terry G

Why do some people see numerous paranormal events, while others don't see any? Does this mean that when you DO finally see something strange, that you're going to continue to see strange things on a regular basis? Let's examine why some people seem to be "abnormally paranormal".

Whether exploring the psychological dwellings of an aquatic cryptid or heatedly debating the existence (or lack of) of the mothman, the paranormal in essence, is ultimately a big question mark upon the page of reason. There are no formal education requirements or prestigious academic honors that will set one “expert” apart from the pack waiting over there by the abandoned mineshaft. By its very nature, the paranormal can have no “credible” witnesses or powerhouse experts. How can you effectively attribute and explain the unknown?Isn’t that an oxymoron? Ultimately after some time spent reading and trudging around in the idiosyncratic depths of the abnormal, one must come to the realization that these things are not meant to be explained. At least by the laws and rules of our universe, that is. One must accept, upon deviating from the normal unto the paranormal, that everything is not as it seems. Many times something doesn’t seem like anything until witnessed with a unique eye, heard with an erroneous ear or felt with a curious touch. What I’m getting at is, to experience the paranormal you may just have to WANT to experience the paranormal. It isn’t always introduced with a sonorous oration.

Why is it that people who experience something paranormal are more apt to have repeat experiences, or cultivate a great wealth of abnormal adventures compared to those who haven’t witnessed anything? Is it because they are more in tune with the paranormal forces? Do they live around and frequent active hotbeds? It’s likely these things are involved to a minimal degree, but I think it’s attributed to the individual being “paranormally minded”, (see where I’m going with this?). Once aware, and interested in something you’re going to be infinitely more educated on the causes/effects/indicators of that subject than someone who (close mindedly) shuns the entire subject.

Now for the next turn, be advised, that I’m going to ask a lot of my readers (you). Here are some figures we’ll assume are fairly accurate (which according to my sources are):

The generally agreed upon odds of seeing a UFO? 3,000,000 : 1.

World population as of 07/01/07 at 18:52 GMT (EST+5) is 6,605,213,377.

So now for some speculation:

This is a problem. Witnesses are often afraid to come forth, for fear of public humiliation and the carnival like atmosphere of press releases. Even the community itself that encourages people to be open about their experiences shuns repeat experiences, people that seem to have seen something unique, or that have descriptions that don’t match the norm. You know what I have to say about that? Nothing. But Nickerson and Adams study of cognitive psychology, done in 1979, says multitudes.

“The fragmented and constructed nature of mental images was illustrated in a simple experiment conducted by psychologists Nickerson and Adams (1979). They asked people to draw both sides

of a penny from memory. Even though all subjects had seen a penny thousands of times, the medium number of salient features people recalled was three out of eight. However, when subjects were asked to select elements from a list, they did much better. Surprisingly, when subjects were shown fifteen possible drawings of pennies, fewer than half selected the correct drawing. "Obviously, visual memories are not accurate pictures of whole objects" (Pinker, 1997, p. 295).”

Now this may seem like a cop-out to the serious skeptic, as studies are always influenced by the funding association or establishment. Maybe this study was “leaning” towards the redesign of a new penny by a contracted private penny design firm? Ok, so lets examine something without such a defined variable.

Do you know what an alien is supposed to look like or how they act? Does anyone? Is there a Dummies Guide to Alien Anatomy and Extraterrestrial Behavioral Psychology at the nearest Barnes and Noble? For the purpose of intellectual stimulation let’s assume that alien beings have a dynamic appearance based on the assumed characteristics of the human individual engaged with the being. James Do loves ‘The Arrival’ and really thinks alien beings have those cool inverted knees and metallic sheen. Well, when marvin the martian finally appears and offers him a ride in the disc, James Do will see ‘The Arrival’ beings talking to him, whereas Dorothy James (whom has been a lifetime fan of looney toons) may actually see Marvin the Martian, raygun and all.

To most, these are convenient escape clauses or ridiculous excuses. To most the paranormal does not and will never exist, but to those who are paranormally minded, anything could be a paranormal event, and any reason could be sound enough to believe there is something else out there: A knock heard from under the table, a lost keychain suddenly turning up in a common place, a mysterious light in the sky.. So what am I really getting at here? I view the paranormal field as an interesting hobby, and a way to spend a few evenings a week reading and theorizing about what might be lurking outside of my door, or above my roof. I’m not sure anyone can tell me my theorizations aren’t correct, or that the world is going to end in 2012. We should continue to love the paranormal for its literal meanings and connotations: Essentially (but not limited to) something out of the ordinary, that can’t be described or explained by the laws of this universe or human logic. Such is the nature of the beast, not the number of it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to be getting back to my spot in line over by the mineshaft.

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