By Chad Wilson,
Publisher — Paranormal Underground eMagazine

I was sitting peacefully, surfing the Web on my laptop, with not a care in the world. Out of the blue I hear a voice, “Oh, it is Sunday. You have to blog.” Looking over at my sweet girlfriend (and Paranormal Underground’s Editor-in-Chief), Cheryl, I smiled briefly … but the smile quickly turned to a grimace at the thought of blogging.

It’s not that I don’t like to write; I love it. I just hate writing on demand. You see, I am all about free will. What does this have to do with anything? Well … this leads me to my blog topic for today … forced perspectives.

I wholeheartedly believe that people should not be forced to do things differently or change their opinions just to fit another person’s or another group’s viewpoint. I believe everybody has the right to see the world the way they want, free from coercion or intimidation from others.

I occasionally find myself on various forums reading about varying topics. I love to read other people’s opinions about topics that I love. But many times, I see posters who challenge the intelligence of other posters who believe differently than they do. It’s almost as if some of these posters are hostile just because others dare think differently than they do.

Why get so angry because another individual holds a different opinion? I never really understood that line of thought. We all have the right to follow our hearts and minds and hold individual beliefs. I have to be honest; I get extremely irked when someone takes it upon themselves to try to impose or force their own world view upon others. Don’t get me wrong, intellectual discussion and debate is wonderful and necessary, but when that discussion crosses the line of a respectful exchange of ideas and moves into the “obviously you don’t understand your viewpoint or you wouldn’t think that way,” I get annoyed.

Having a place where people can respectfully exchange their opinions with others is what Paranormal Underground is all about. And I promise that is what Paranormal Underground will always be about. We will provide an environment for others to discuss the paranormal and other issues, free from ridicule and personal attacks. Yes, it is okay to present an opposing view on Paranormal Underground; that happens quite often on our forum actually, but it must be done respectfully and with the realization that others might not see things the same way as we do. Whether our differences are minuscule or immense, we must respect others and give them a right to their beliefs without persecution.

I’ve noticed through the years, 38 to be exact, that world views by and large tend to shift from time to time. If I’ve learned one thing it is that change is a constant. As long as I am allowed to believe as I choose, I can deal with this reality.

I am all about free thinking, endless possibilities, and new discoveries. Let’s try not to silence others because we think differently than they do.

Please come share your thoughts on our forum at http://www.paranormalunderground.net/forum/.