Why do most guys dismiss the paranormal w/out researching it

[Winston]

I was wondering something. Have you noticed that most guys, esp western guys, think that the paranormal is all bunk without even bothering to investigate it first? Why do guys have such a strong bias against it? It's almost like a "guy thing" to think ESP, telepathy, astrology, ghosts, UFO's, etc. is all bunk or all coincidences.

This is especially true of guys who work in the banking industry or fields related to economics or mathematics.

So how come me and other guys who are into metaphysical things are different from most guys? Does that make us less macho since we are different from the norm?

I do notice though that older guys tend to be more open to something existing beyond the 5 senses, while younger guys discount it without ever asking questions or doing any research. Isn't that irrational for them to dismiss it all offhand, a priori, without even knowing anything about the subject?

Happy New Year,
Winston

[jamesbond]

I guess in America, the paranormal and metaphysical is considered "not macho" and only something that women are into. Maybe men from other countries are more open to the paranormal. In the US, men mainly talk about sports and how they are going to go to the bars and clubs on the weekend and get drunk. In the US, getting drunk is seen as a "manly thing to do." Have you ever noticed in America, young single guys mainly talk about sports and getting drunk on the weekends! I guess they consider themselves "real men" and guys who are not into sports or getting drunk are not considered "real men."

[Enishi]

There could probably be a whole book written on the intricate psychology which causes many people (generally men admittingly) to reject the very idea of the paranormal. It would be a rather fun read, dogmatic skeptics have already had their turn at dissecting the psychology of extreme believers.

In terms of a more simple explanation, I think that being "macho" is definitely part of it (and when you have Oprah, Sylvia Brown and other female, new age dingle berries serving as some of the loudest promoters of the paranormal, its not hard to blame them). Also, I think that many men just want to feel smart. By identifying with the pronouncements of materialist scientists (i.e. we KNOW consciousness is entirely created by electrical signals in our neurons), they get a vicarious sense of smartness.

[Winston]

Here is what my spiritual advisor FaithRada had to say about this matter:


" A collection of random thoughts on Winston's post.... Dualistically speaking here.

Even though your thought processing generally drives me crazy Win.... LOL.. You actually DO bring up some interesting points to consider.



Just for starts... I would say that the Western Mind is generally more "Hard Wired" to the "LEFT side of the brain. Left brained people tend to be better at math ... probably bankers are very Left Brained. Artists on the other hand are more Right Brained. They are less "locked in" to THINKING in a certain proscribed way and are generally more creative types. One could say.. they dare to imagine the unimaginable, to explore beyond normal accepted boundaries.


Perhaps the most advantageous would be to have a healthy balance of both. Intuitive people probably tend to be more spiritually inclined (not to be confused with religion here of course) as they are more willing and able to expand beyond perceived bounderies which the mind creates to keep one locked within the "Physical" experience. IMHO the Western mind is more left brained, focused on the details in front of them, BUT... less able to tap into their intuitive awareness. Unable to easily access their intuitive side they tend to discount the reality and power of it.

Ideally, one could EXPERIENCE one's Non Physical reality AND then be able to process that information in a logical, analytical way. That would be the best of both worlds.
If one can access higher realms but then can NOT make logical sense of those realities.. then we get things like dogmatic religions and cults. etc. A little knowledge CAN be a dangerous thing. This is why it is important to be well balanced.. both sides of the brain working in harmony.

Without direct experiencial access to our non physical side we are operating from a VERY limited data base, and our logic processes, no matter how good.. will be severely compromised. Limited data = a compromised result.

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IMHO It does seem more difficult, on the whole, for the Western mind to access realms which exist beyond the physical. It isn't that their logic is flawed so much as the data they base their logic on is Incomplete. Experiencial, validatable proof IS essential yet one who is not attuned to their own intuition unwittingly cuts themselves off from the very PROOF they CLAIM they seek. And to your question.. Western minds are typically not aligned with their intuitive side.
This should not be seen as a flaw though necessarily, it is simply that the Western Mind, for the most part, has come to have the total PHYSICAL experience.. and they are having that.
Later that will shift. It's like a pendulum that swings first to the spiritual side and then the physical side. The best place to be, from the human perspective .. is about in the middle. * Note: for more on this concept one might want to read some Anthroposophical works.. by Rudolph Steiner. Warning: He is not an easy read ... as has been said, he does not start one off in Kindergarden but jumps right in. Some can grasp his perspective.. many shake their heads and walk away. <g> .. at least for a while. I like him in a lot of ways because he works to connect the analytical mind with the intuitive mind... seeking that necessary balance. He works to blur the line between the physical and the non physical.. and rightly so.

As for Macho?? LOL that's just the ego making a mess of both the physical and the non physical experience. Only the ego cares how we are being perceived by Others. The ego, which is the root of ALL our suffering.


Anyway, yes, I do agree... The Western Mind is NOT really that familiar or open to their inner/intuitive side. They have not learned to hear, never mind trust that "inner voice" of their own wisdom because it is not yet tangable for them.

Spiritually speaking the Western mind is fairly immature, though it is no one's fault really. The Western Mind is simply running a very *Physical" program right now.
If all one has experienced to date is a PHYSICAL reality then that will be their ONLY reality, as far as they are concerned, and their LOGIC will only be able to reflect that, until a more expanded reality is realized.

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At first it is enough to know ( not believe but actually know with validated proof.. in whatever form that PROOF needs to come in for that individual to know beyond any doubt to its authenticity) that mental telepathy or Out of Body Experiences, etc, ARE indeed possible, but in time one receives the understanding of HOW it is possible, WHY they have this more expanded understanding NOW and WHY they did NOT have it BEFORE.

As with physical evolution, one's mental, emotional, and spiritual evolution is a process, an unfolding of one's ultimate potenetial.. which is UNLIMITED.

One could look at the entire process as an Evolution of the "individual" Soul at work here. And if one does not yet know they ARE a 'soul', they WILL know, with TOTAL certainty, when the time is right.
IF...one insists that there can be no soul, no 'non physical' reality to their BEing.. then they are simply not ready to move into that reality yet. This is not GOOD OR BAD.. it is simply where that individual is in their process of ripening. They may NEED to enjoy some more of their PHYSICAL reality first. It is not as if the full ripe apple is GOOD but the Apple Blossom is BAD, or somehow faulty... they are BOTH Perfect, just experiencing different parts of the journey.

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When it comes to the necessary VALIDATABLE proof, the disconnect here for many is.. until it actually shows up, they have a certain concept of how this proof SHOULD show up for them. They are not able to imagine a valid PROOF that MAY not have a so called 'physical' aspect to it. Of course they have no idea HOW such a PROOF could manifest since they have yet to EXPERIENCE it.
The Western mind has no problem with logic per say, but where some err is in assuming they already have all the information necessary when APPLYING that logic. Its a bit like having a perfectly good car.. but no gas. It doesn't matter how great the car (logic) is.. you're not going to get anywhere.

Certainly it is NOT logical for the finite mind to just assume that expanded awareness is possible .... UNTIL one directly experiences EXPANDED AWARENESS directly. With more data available, one's mind can now enter that into the equation and what once APPEARED to be ILLOGICAL, will now be seen as very LOGICAL.




The key here should be obvious.. one can process ONLY that which one has access to, and the typical Western mind is programmed toward the Physical. In time the pendulum will swing away from the physical and more toward the subtle (non physical). Either extreme is out of balance. So, again, Humanity is at its best when a balance is found between the two.
Peace, Faith
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Win << I do notice though that older guys tend to be more open to something existing beyond the 5 senses, while younger guys discount it without ever asking questions or doing any research. Isn't that irrational of them to dismiss it all offhand, a priori, without even knowing anything about the subject? >>

But Win... They DO know one subject and that is the current reality of their own LIFE. A non physical reality does not match their own experience.... YET. That is simply not a Program their mind is READY to run yet. One could say that they are really not programed to even contemplate such things.Probably Older people have already had some insight, some glimps into the INNER Realms. The innitial glitches in my own reality began at around the age of 22. I have a friend who was able to cross through the veil at the age of 5. Its different for each one. Even at 25 I wouold hae told you that the concept of ghosts was just plain silly... until I was able to grasp what a "ghost" actually was. Nothing but an individual awareness, subtle energy, sans a physical vehicle. When we are experiencing an OBE we are essentially "ghosts".Who knew?? LOL Of course there are those who just chose to BELIEVE in ghosts.. or of course Disbelief, and then there are those who actually understand the nature of Ghosts. What good is belief or disbelief? IMHO One should hold out for actual knowing of such things directly and until then just remain NEUTRAL.


I would suggest that it is ILLOGICAL to simply ASSUME that the only VALID reality which CAN exist is the one currently being experienced, otherwise we would never wake up from our dreams. "

[Winston]

Here's what the leader of a paranormal study group had to say about my question:

"Probably the same reason most guys in American are Republicans: they’re just plain stupid. Emotionally and spiritually retarded, actually. Western males tend to be caught up in the archaic us-vs.-them, fightin’ an’ fuckin’ mindset of the days when human culture was divided into male hunters and female nurturers. Those days are rapidly approaching an end, thankfully. As we progress, our interests broaden physically as well as spiritually. Soon, male-dominated paradigms of fear, division and hatred will fade away in western culture. Either that, or western culture will itself fade away and become a footnote in human history.

Here’s to a new beginning in 2009!

-Matthew"

[Enishi]

Here's what the leader of a paranormal study group had to say about my question:

"Probably the same reason most guys in American are Republicans: they’re just plain stupid. Emotionally and spiritually retarded, actually. Western males tend to be caught up in the archaic us-vs.-them, fightin’ an’ fuckin’ mindset of the days when human culture was divided into male hunters and female nurturers. Those days are rapidly approaching an end, thankfully. As we progress, our interests broaden physically as well as spiritually. Soon, male-dominated paradigms of fear, division and hatred will fade away in western culture. Either that, or western culture will itself fade away and become a footnote in human history.

Here’s to a new beginning in 2009!

-Matthew"

Seriously, I roll my eyes whenever I see comments like this. This guy needs to spend some time living in a family run by a control freak American Woman where the husband is chained down by anti-male divorce laws.

[jamesbond]

Women seem to be more drawn to tarot card readings, psychics, astrology and the like. I think this starts at an early age. I guess the paranormal isn't "manly" enough for some men. I myself am fasinated by the paranormal including, ufo's, the afterlife, ghosts, esp and psychic predictions.