I know more than a few quite well-educated and intelligent people who are fully open to the possibility that such things as unicorns and faeries might actually exist.
Of course there's no real evidence that such things exist, but there's also no conclusive evidence that they don't exist... rather like it being equally futile both to prove and disprove the existence of God.
We just don't know.
As science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke famously said: "We surmise, but we do not know. That's why it's called a belief."
We live in a part of the world where "Sasquatch Lore" is alive and kicking, and more than a handful of fringe dwelling hermits are not only fully convinced that Bigfoot is a real thing, but also attest to having had encounters.
Unlike many, I don't have much investment in either outcome. I can't deny it would be sort of cool if we really did have giant Neolithic man-primates living in them thar woods!
My own interest has always been in trying to understand the reasons for these legends... what gave rise to them.
There are certain aspects to the way they are often dismissed that strike me as faulty logic. Like why (in the case of Bigfoot, for example) people across a very diverse geographic area have the same myths, even though they had zero communication, and no known travels to shared areas?
It wasn't like they could just write each other letters and spread rumors of similar beasts.
Mass collective psychosis?
When does it stop being psychosis? Let's consider that we don't go around calling people "psychotic" because they say they believe in God, even though tangible evidence of God is as scarce as tangible evidence of Unicorns.
As I said, I'm not invested in the outcome, just the nature and origins of the story.
Ultimately, perhaps we are best served by simply embracing the modifier "yet." As in, we do not yet have evidence for the existence of Bigfoot, Unicorns,Faeries... or God.
They exist as possibilities in the scientific sense, but as very real in our hearts and minds.
Regardless, we genuinely want our legends to be true. What we would actually do if confronted with the reality of those things we "believe" in I can only speculate on... often the mystery is more comforting than the tangible.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!
Greetings bloggers and social content creators! This article was created via PeakD, a blogging application that's part of the Hive Social Content Experience. If you're a blogger, writer, poet, artist, vlogger, musician or other creative content wizard, come join us! Hive is a little "different" because it's not run by a "company;" it operates via the consensus of its users and your content can't be banned, censored, taken down or demonetized. And that COUNTS for something, in these uncertain times! So if you're ready for the next generation of social content where YOU retain ownership and control, come by and learn about Hive and make an account!
Proud member of the Silver Bloggers Community on Hive!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — NOT posted anywhere else!)
Created at 2023-12-19 01:14 PST
1019/2274