Ostracism and the road less travelled
Sheryl Gottschall ©

Many people in the UFO community have suffered from some form of ostracism at some time during their time spent pondering this elusive phenomenon. Perhaps a strange glance was cast your way when you spoke of your interest, or you suddenly felt a non-physical door slam in your face. Or then there’s the straight out, "you don’t believe in UFOs do you?" Maybe that was a while ago, but you haven’t forgotten it have you? Ostracism is not only expressed in the human species. It is very common throughout the animal kingdom and serves a very real purpose. For example, some animals will ignore their young so they go off on their own. Or if there is a sick animal amongst the herd, it is left behind so the sickness doesn’t spread to the rest of the herd. But the main reason for ostracism is so that the "functional" group becomes more cohesive. In the animal kingdom a cohesive group is necessary for survival. But this is also true for the human species too.

Internet studies have devised a model for ostracism which is the very opposite of what a human needs to survive. These basic needs (above and beyond physical needs) are: A sense of belonging; Control; Self-esteem; Meaningful existence.

You may not have realized it at the time, but although there were short term effects on you when you felt that door shut in your face, studies have also revealed there are long term effects too. The short term effects were hurt feelings and your physiology being aroused. The long term effects are becoming alienated and despondent. Although you may not feel this much, if at all, you probably would become more aware of these feelings if you had that door shut in your face day after day. Unfortunately, this has happened to more than a few people on this planet (myself included) so their natural response is to protect themselves from re-experiencing those feelings by not talking about their interest, their sightings or close encounters. What is the end result? A self created cover-up. Have you noticed how many people talk about UFOs in society. It’s not taboo but it’s at the end of a long list of things usually not spoken.

So how do we break this code of silence amongst the population? This could be a difficult challenge fraught with much "thinking outside the box". It’s not going to happen overnight so a long term process of education is in order. Also required is support and encouragement for those who speak out about their interest and experiences. And what about those who have an interest and want to do their bit by spreading the word?

This is the time when those who want changes to occur will be required to take a stand and this means courage. Courage is the make or break of the change artists who shape our world. Do you have it? Are you ready to get it? I wonder! Those who want to create change are going to be required to think against the grain, go against the flow, and become less sensitive to what others think. Remembering that what people usually say or do is just the knee jerk reaction of self-defence often helps. So what if people think we’re crazy for entertaining the ideas we have or talk about what we see or even experience, providing they don’t want to lock you up of course. So what if we loose a few votes along the way. Those people just prove they are not the people with whom we should associate. It is vitally important to us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, to feel that we are being true to ourselves. When we pursue our passion and pursue it to the hilt, we become enriched and lead a fulfilling life.

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