In the following, I am presuming that the reader is familiar with the professor in religious studies, Diana Walsh Pasulka, her first and latest book on the UFO phenomena, American Cosmic, and how the content of that book has reverberated through the ufo community. In case you are not familiar with prof. Pasulka or her book, you can go to her American Cosmic website here.
So, what is the "Twitter controversy" the title of this post refers to? Again, I will presume that most of the readers of this post are familiar with the tweets that prof. Pasulka shared on January 11, 2020. My purpose with this post is neither to reproduce those tweets nor analyse their content verbatim.
Amendment, 2020-01-12: Today, on January 12, 2020, several of prof. Pasulka's trusted friends reported that her Twitter account was hacked. Not any of the tweets which caused "controversy" on January 11, 2020, were neither written nor published by prof. Pasulka. I believe that to be the case, and I hope she is alright. Back to the main text. /Janne
What I mainly would like to do in this post is to take a bird's view on what the hacker's Twitter "controversy" reveals about human psychology and our strengths and weaknesses in finding out the truth.
Why? Because my own reactions and the reactions of others on the hacker's tweets reminded me of how strong the need for knowledge and certainty is for us humans. Also, our deeply ingrained need for social belonging.
To have a need or a desire to know is mostly a good thing. Knowledge about what is real or not, relevant or irrelevant in our immediate surroundings and in life in general, gives us a sense of control. That, in turn, provides us with a feeling of certainty and safety. All very human needs.
Most importantly, I think the need to know and sense of control gives our lives meaning. We can even feel that our lives have a more or less articulated purpose. That is powerful, and there is nothing wrong per se with meaning and purpose in, and with, your life.
Human emotions and cognitive abilities can work both for or against us. They are all double-edged swords. It all depends on how self-aware we are and how we consciously choose to use our emotional and cognitive tools.
There is actually no "negative" or "positive" emotions. All emotions have a function. If you get upset by an opinion that differs from your own, ask yourself, "why?" If uncertainty makes you feel worried or triggers anxiety (in a clinical sense), ask yourself, "why?"
Where am I going with this? My point is that for many people -- including myself -- the search for the truth of the UFO phenomena is often obscured by a strong attachment to other people's beliefs.
No matter who or what one is attached to, the attachment is more emotional than rational. This is true not only regarding the UFO phenomena but also to ideological and religious matters, etc.
Why is that? Because of our human need to know "how the world works". Because of our need to feel in control and safe in a complex world. And we feel most safe with other people. Humans are profoundly social. As a side note: The need for social interaction varies among people. For example, extroverts have a strong need for social interactions. In fact, it is not good for their well being to be alone. And introverts have a lesser need for social interactions. (Parents should not push an introverted child to be more social or an extroverted child to be less social; it can do more harm than good since temperament is primarily genetic and therefore hard to change).
So what happens if you create your identity and perception of reality on the beliefs and perspectives of other individuals?
The most crucial question is: What happens when someone or something from the outside threatens your identity and worldview?
The central issue here is fear, right? The fear of being wrong. The fear, and shame (another powerful emotion), of putting your trust in the wrong person, group, project, world view, etc. The fear of losing your identity, purpose, and feeling lost in the world. The fear, and shame, of being rejected from a social context (50 000 years ago, rejection from your social group meant an almost certain death).
Some people react to fear with aggression, stubbornness. Other people react to fear with sadness, bitterness. People respond to fear (or stress) in all kinds of ways. Fear is, of course, like all other emotions, neither negative nor positive. It simply has a function. Fear can teach you something about yourself and your underlying assumptions of how the world works (and shame can teach you something about your values or the values you should live by to feel like a coherent individual).
The Twitter "controversy" reminded me of those human needs of knowledge, certainty, and social belonging. How those needs can work for or against us on an individual level and on a group level. How those needs can take us further away or closer to the truth of the UFO phenomena.
It all depends on how self-aware we are. It all depends on how we use the tools that Mother Nature has given us.
What is the lesson of the "Twitter controversy"? For me, it is to remember that the truth about the UFO phenomena is the only thing that matters to me. My only loyalty is to the truth.
My own beliefs and opinions are just that; beliefs and opinions. They do not solely identify who I am. My world will not crumble if it turns out that I am totally wrong about everything I have said or written about the UFO phenomena, a careful and selective disclosure process, and so on.
Most importantly, I was reminded that the only thing I can control is how I react (preferably "act") to events in the outside world and not get too firmly attached to my own or others' beliefs.
The search for the truth is a balance between the individual and social aspects of the search. The trick is to find and stay in a neutral zone (or as neutral as possible and reasonable) between those two aspects. In that way, you can clearly see what is going on around you and within you. In the neutral zone, you will not get firmly attached to your own beliefs or those of others.
There is already much noise that obscures the genuine signal. Let us not add to that noise by getting too attached to our own opinions and beliefs. Let us find a neutral zone within us that will help us be more aware of our reactions to "threats" to our worldview. That will help us act more wisely.
Take care!
/Janne
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