60 lines
3.3 KiB
Plaintext
60 lines
3.3 KiB
Plaintext
|
>> Marge Christensen is the National Public Relations Director of the
|
|||
|
|
Mutual UFO Network. A very important post, the PR Director is charged with
|
|||
|
|
"getting the word out" about UFOs, and for the past several years, Ms.
|
|||
|
|
Christensen has been doing that through her MUFON Newsletter. The last
|
|||
|
|
issue took on a rather dour tone, as she lamented the current state of af-
|
|||
|
|
fairs in Ufology, and seriously considered resigning her post. This arti-
|
|||
|
|
cle from the latest issue, however, sets a new, upbeat tone for the new
|
|||
|
|
year, the 41st of the UFO era.
|
|||
|
|
----------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE DOLDRUMS
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
by Marge Christenson
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The reader will no doubt note a strong contrast between the tone of
|
|||
|
|
the last newsletter and the tone of this one. That is because "a funny
|
|||
|
|
thing happened on the way to the doldrums!"
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Over the past several months, Ufology had become pretty discouraging
|
|||
|
|
from my vantage point. Media coverage popularized the UFO subject as a
|
|||
|
|
type of folklore; abduction hysteria was rampant; bookstore shelves pre-
|
|||
|
|
viously devoid of UFO books were suddenly copiously stocked, including re-
|
|||
|
|
prints of some of the least credible books on the subject; respected UFO
|
|||
|
|
researchers engaged in bitter battles over the authenticity of the MJ-12
|
|||
|
|
documents, with egos and personalities often taking priority over facts
|
|||
|
|
and objectivity. None of this spoke well for Ufology as a profession.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Concurrently, inactivity and apathy appeared to dominate many of the
|
|||
|
|
persons in leadership positions in Ufology, namely our MUFON State Direct-
|
|||
|
|
ors. Coordinating any type of programs or projects nationally was virtual-
|
|||
|
|
ly impossible.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Several Ufologists urged me to disassociate myself from MUFON, which,
|
|||
|
|
they felt, is not a scientific, credible organization, and would thus e-
|
|||
|
|
rode my own credibility if I remained involved. I was depressed and was
|
|||
|
|
seriously considering resigning as MUFON's PR Director.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
One day, I decided to clean out my files. In browsing through the
|
|||
|
|
data contained in those files, I realized that the UFO subject remains one
|
|||
|
|
of the most significant enigmas of the 20th Century, regardless of the cur-
|
|||
|
|
rent state of affairs in Ufology. I also realized that there are still
|
|||
|
|
some very impressive, top caliber persons involved with the field, and
|
|||
|
|
with MUFON, in spite of the fact that some good people have recently re-
|
|||
|
|
signed.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The intent of this commentary is not to be melodramatic, but rather
|
|||
|
|
to caution those of you who may begin to feel discouraged with the subject
|
|||
|
|
or feel that you are getting "burned out" to first sit back and try to
|
|||
|
|
take a look at the larger scope of things, rather than to give in too
|
|||
|
|
quickly to your frustrations. Chances are that you will come to the same
|
|||
|
|
conclusions I did, and will decide to hang in there and give it another
|
|||
|
|
shot.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The UFO phenomenon is one of the most important enigmas of our time,
|
|||
|
|
and if we don't continue to gather data related to it, and to research the
|
|||
|
|
subject, no one else will do so, and mankind will be oblivious to a sub-
|
|||
|
|
ject that is someday going to have an impact on just about every aspect of
|
|||
|
|
life as we know it on this planet.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|