Apparently, some misunderstood my video blogs and assumed that I’m planning to leave the bigfoot field altogether.
For the time being at least, that is not the case. Nor did I ever say that it was, though I suppose my words could have been misconstrued – as they were here. The mention I made of “professional suicide” was a tongue-in-cheek response to those who would consider it such. A bit of humor that wildly missed its mark with a few. What I said - if one listened carefully and chose to listen to the content of the vlog rather than focusing on how I looked or criticizing the way I emote when I speak about something I find meaningful – is that I was hanging up my “researcher” hat. Resigning, as it were, from what has become the typical research approach to this phenomenon. I thought I made that clear… but I guess not. So I’m making it clear now.
It has never been my intent to stop sharing information about this phenomenon with those who are interested. Everything has been on the backburner while I deal with getting this book to print and prepare for my presentation at the Oregon Sasquatch Symposium. It’s coming up in a hurry – only three weeks away – and I have a lot of thoughts and information to pack, somehow coherently, into an hour and 45 minutes.
I spoke in my video blogs about shifting my focus away from “research” and finding a more comfortable role as an eyewitness advocate. What that means, simply, is less tree-knocking, less call-blasting, and less hairy hominid chasing (take note of the keyword there…). I’ll be working more closely with eyewitnesses who have encounters to share, who desire to understand these creatures, who have something they’d like to get off their chests, who’d like a listening ear, and sharing that information with others when I have permission to do so. It is my intent to continue to publish this blog, just as I am publishing the upcoming book, for the benefit of eyewitnesses or those who wish to be. Not researchers. For too many years, I’ve allowed popularly-held preconceived notions about what these creatures MUST and MUST NOT be, according to the research community at large, to subtly influence my own understanding and approach to this subject and to dictate what I share. That is the hat that I’m hanging up.
I am still out in the field, almost on a daily basis. However, I’ve adjusted my approach drastically. This change is based upon eyewitness testimony that corroborates much of what I’d suspected all along, but had sadly ignored; choosing instead to go with the flow, doing what was “expected” of a “bigfoot researcher”, succumbing to the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle peer pressure in this field. What I do nowadays probably wouldn’t look much like the “bigfoot research” you see conducted on television shows and youtube channels. But it sure does feel better. I actually feel excited and hopeful once again when I’m in the woods, instead of feeling discouraged and somehow ashamed of myself.
I’ve come to find that the more I feel I understand the nature of those barefoot folks in the forest, the more of an advocate I am for them as well. You will likely begin to notice more of that here. Also, in order to effect a shift in thinking, I feel its necessary to examine what doesn’t work and why, and sometimes I may point out examples that I believe are relevant. As a result, it may appear to some as if I’m being critical (or “condescending”, as the above blogger put it) at times. My intent is not to embarrass others or hold myself in higher esteem, but to communicate an alternative idea that may prove fruitful. Remember, if I am speaking of the ineffectiveness of “bigfoot research” as a whole, I’m referring to the methods that we ALL have been using for years… MYSELF INCLUDED.
As this blog continues to evolve, it is my hope that it will offer a couple of things:
First, it will become a place where eyewitnesses can share their stories. I will post eyewitness encounters here from time to time in hopes of reaching out to those who have had sightings and those who would like to share in them. It’s crucial, I feel, for witnesses to have a voice, and to not feel alone in their struggle to understand and synthesize what they’ve seen. (That is, after all, why I started doing this in the first place… because of my own sighting.)
Secondly, while Bigfoot is an entertaining topic, I’m more concerned with educating myself and others about it. There is a vast difference between entertainment and education. There are blogs and websites out there which focus on sensationalizing the Bigfoot phenomenon… the “scary” aspects of it, reports of aggression, the “hunt”, the “chase”, or drama, gossip and politics surrounding personalities in the field… ad nauseum. Tabloid journalism has its place in the entertainment world, I suppose. But it’s a far cry from education, isn’t terribly constructive, and creates fear and intolerance. We often fear what we don’t understand.
Most importantly: As my understanding of this subject grows, any fear of the Big Guys I may have felt is replaced with feelings of awe and genuine respect. And that, ultimately, is what I’d like to share with you.
If you have an encounter that you’d like to share with the others who read this blog, please feel free to email me. If you’d like your name to be kept confidential, please indicate that in your email.
