Saturday, December 10, 2011

Para Unity in the Paranormal Community, Can it Happen?

By Martha Hazzard Decker

Para Unity in the Paranormal Community, can it happen? Like any other industry the paranormal industry is made up of many different paranormal communities. Many individuals probably have never thought of paranormal investigations and paranormal research as an industry. If one were to stop and think about it, I think they just might begin to think about it in a different light. It is an industry of TV shows, paranormal events at haunted locations, bed and breakfasts, clothing, books, and movies and so on. Yes, there is money to be made in the educational and entertainment side of the industry.

There are para unity groups, radio shows and Internet TV shows dedicated to raising awareness within the paranormal community to stop the in-fighting and start working together as a whole. It has become the “hot topic” of the year and is a good idea whose time may have come. Some of the meanness that is out there and within the community could also be caused by closed eyes or narrow viewpoints. A response to an article by Dr. Michael Frisbee, The Paranormal Christian, Deceptive Doctrines of the Occult is a good example. In order for unity to begin it must come from within. There will never be a time when everyone or every group has the exact same beliefs or thoughts. That idea could lead us to become assimilated into a world of Star Trek or even Dr. Who. It would be professional for groups and individuals to come together and try to unite and then work toward the ultimate goal of working together.

Many paranormal groups are doing just that and have always done just that and will continue on the same path. It’s a good thing when one group can trust another group and call them when their help is needed or a case may actually be in their locale. One group on FaceBook is the Southeast Oklahoma Paranormal Investigators and member Nikki Buchanan are doing just that and helping their community. Buchanan belongs to many FaceBook groups and has worked to bring the community together and assist her in obtaining goods to pass out to seniors in her community for the holidays. Often the good will go unnoticed and the drama wins out. Para drama has been around for years and will continue to spin around like As the World Turns.

Several months ago an Internet TV show listed para unity as the topic for that night. Several individuals tuned in only to discover a diatribe of statements against another group. Para unity? It must have flown out the door to the studio when it was last opened. It was interesting to watch how people would come in to watch and leave after a few minutes. This was noted through the chat room.

Why is there such discord within the paranormal community? Some think jealousy is the reason. Others think their area is for them alone and become territorial. Some expect another group coming into their space to contact them and ask for permission. If anyone has a list of paranormal groups and their territories it might be handy to post it online for others to read. Some groups may want to be on TV so much so that they will do whatever it takes to get their show.

One Internet radio show that broadcasts through George Lopez’ Dead Air radio shows Weekend from Waco is hosted by Reverend Mark Manly and he often talks about unity within the community. He often hosts other groups and individuals who are working for unity.

It seems that paranormal unity or para unity has become the buzz word of the decade. It seems that every decade has a buzz word or idea. In the eighties it was putting tubes in the ears of children and it moved on to the idea that if a child was active, they must be hyperactive. It changes and will continue to change decade by decade. A simple way to unit is to “go with the flow” so to speak. Granted some of that comes with age and life experience, but when it does come life becomes better.

A search on Google using paranormal unity will bring up quite a few websites to search. There is one site aptly named Paranormal Unity and its mission is to bring individuals within the community together who are willing to work together. They had a good idea but the site appears to be defunct yet the links for groups around the country still work. There is a banner page with some nice graphics that are offered to the public and can be used to show support of para unity.

Some individuals think that para unity is an ill-conceived idea due to the trickery and fakes who abound online. One way to help change the public’s idea or at least get some of them to begin to view the paranormal community as a viable idea is to help weed out the fakers. That is different than having unity within the community and a goal that can be worked on as a whole. Scam artists exist everywhere and in all walks of life. The aggravating and potentially dangerous part of that is that unsuspecting victims allow them into their homes. That is the discussion for another article. Tony Hart-Wilden writes in his commentary on Who Forted the following about unity, “Paranormal individuality doesn’t mean you can’t research and exchange information with others, but it does mean you can be selective what method, theory and evidence you chose to accept. And it won’t stop you from listening to other people’s opinions and ideas, if you did that, how could you possibly criticize them? How much of joining, a family, network, or crew, is actually just a propaganda tool for the people that started them. And when it’s related to a group that has a T.V show, or puts on high profile events, who actually joins for the unity and who joins for the reflected glory? Instead of relying on someone else to open doors for you, why not try to open them yourselves ? When your not bound by anyone else’s rules or protocols you can still learn from them, but only if you chose to do so, rather then having them inflicted upon you by being a member of a group that imposes them.”

Who is right and who is wrong may seem like a school yard battle, but responsible groups working together can usually win out. Even if the other group wants to be on TV so bad they make up evidence, step on their friends and fake cleansings. This is where the truth will prevail or come out in the wash one day. Unity can be achieved by some but not by all. There are plenty of groups out there that strive to work with other groups and individuals. That’s how the change begins.