December 28, 2014 — Paul Eno

[Gene Steinberg]

In this episode, your Paracast hosts largely moved away from UFOs and such in presenting Paul Eno, host of the "Behind the Paranormal" radio show. This is Paul's second appearance on The Paracast; is first was way back in 2009, and included his son Ben, who shares hosting duties on his program.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

IMPORTANT! The original version of the show fed by our network appears to have two defective segments in the final third of the recording. I've uploaded a fixed version. The premium version in The Paracast+ doesn't have this flaw.

 

[Muadib]

Good show so far, haven't quite finished it yet, but its interesting so far.

One issue I have is this guys take on suicide, the idea that people only do it for selfish reasons and then are punished for it in the supposed afterlife strikes me as callous and simplistic. How about people who end their lives due to terrible pain from chronic illnesses? How about sexually or physically abused children who commit suicide to escape their tormenters? Are they doomed to an afterlife of loneliness and misery? If not, who decides?

It reminds me of the popular, but ridiculous, new age idea that we create our own reality. It sounds great on the surface, but think about it for awhile and you realize its nonsense. It's an appealing perspective for some to imagine that they are solely responsible for their wonderful, first world lives in which they've always had enough, but what about those born into poverty and squalor? What about those born into physical or mental retardation or childhood cancer? Are they creating their own reality? How about when a plane crashes, who creates that reality? Everyone on the plane? Just one sad person who wants to die and dooms a whole plane full of innocents? The problems with an idea like this are legion and I'm sure the mental gymnastics believers use to justify these beliefs are just as legion.

Bottom line, new age ideas about the workings of the universe are fucking stupid.

 

[Tyger]

Good show so far, haven't quite finished it yet, but its interesting so far.

One issue I have is this guys take on suicide, the idea that people only do it for selfish reasons and then are punished for it in the supposed afterlife strikes me as callous and simplistic. How about people who end their lives due to terrible pain from chronic illnesses? How about sexually or physically abused children who commit suicide to escape their tormenters? Are they doomed to an afterlife of loneliness and misery? If not, who decides?

I have not listened to the show so I cannot speak to the above. However, intention is all. Global statements are never wise, as you are proving. Perhaps he was referencing a particular motivation of some suicides.

It reminds me of the popular, but ridiculous, new age idea that we create our own reality.

This sounds like a thread topic. I'd be game.

It sounds great on the surface, but think about it for awhile and you realize its nonsense.

Not so. It's because we are going against a powerful (innocent) conditioning. Nothing nefarious afoot but a powerful conditioning, none-the-less. Standard science plays a significant part in this conditioning btw. JMO.

It's an appealing perspective for some to imagine that they are solely responsible for their wonderful, first world lives in which they've always had enough, but what about those born into poverty and squalor? What about those born into physical or mental retardation or childhood cancer? Are they creating their own reality? How about when a plane crashes, who creates that reality? Everyone on the plane? Just one sad person who wants to die and dooms a whole plane full of innocents? The problems with an idea like this are legion and I'm sure the mental gymnastics believers use to justify these beliefs are just as legion.

Are you okay with me taking your text here to a new thread to start the conversation?

Bottom line, new age ideas about the workings of the universe are fucking stupid.

Only because people view themselves as powerless - as victims. Only because they view the world as separate and inert. It's a powerful belief system that is self-fulfilling.

P.S. I am not 'new age' and wouldn't know 'new age' if it punched me in the face, but I am familiar with manifestation work - which is what you are referencing - and if you can deal with lllloooonnnngggg silences from me (because I don't always have the time to respond in detail) I'd welcome an honest conversation on the subject. Let me know.

 

[Muadib]

I'm up for another thread, as my time permits. I get what you're saying Tyger but the problem I have with the idea is that it seems to me that by saying we create, and thus are in control of, our reality, that means there are no victims and that nothing is ever beyond our control.

Sounds like bullshit to me, but to each their own. I'd love for you to answer the question about the plane crash, who creates that reality?

 

[Muadib]

Expanding a bit on my original post and Tygers response, even if he was only talking about some suicides, I don't think his reasoning is valid.

It's very easy to stand on the outside and offer reasons for peoples behavior, but that doesn't make them correct. Do we ever truly know why someone chooses to take their own life unless they specifically tell us? Even then, one has to wonder if they're being honest. So the idea that we can explain suicide in such simplistic terms and then assign an afterlife punishment scenario, based on what may be our own faulty perceptions or bad information we've received, seems just as ridiculous to me as the idea that there are no victims because we create our own reality. Does that go for rape victims as well?

 

[SheaOlmsford]

Good show so far, haven't quite finished it yet, but its interesting so far.

One issue I have is this guys take on suicide, the idea that people only do it for selfish reasons and then are punished for it in the supposed afterlife strikes me as callous and simplistic. How about people who end their lives due to terrible pain from chronic illnesses? How about sexually or physically abused children who commit suicide to escape their tormenters? Are they doomed to an afterlife of loneliness and misery? If not, who decides?

It reminds me of the popular, but ridiculous, new age idea that we create our own reality. It sounds great on the surface, but think about it for awhile and you realize its nonsense. It's an appealing perspective for some to imagine that they are solely responsible for their wonderful, first world lives in which they've always had enough, but what about those born into poverty and squalor? What about those born into physical or mental retardation or childhood cancer? Are they creating their own reality? How about when a plane crashes, who creates that reality? Everyone on the plane? Just one sad person who wants to die and dooms a whole plane full of innocents? The problems with an idea like this are legion and I'm sure the mental gymnastics believers use to justify these beliefs are just as legion.

Bottom line, new age ideas about the workings of the universe are fucking stupid.

From my medical experience, many people who take their own lives are not of sound mind. Many people who have untreated clinical depression, bi-polar disorder, or intense anxiety disorder begin to hear an inner-voice urging them to kill themselves. Such decisions are not made by a rational calm mind. Paul Eno has no clue what he is talking about, and is presumably blessed that he has never suffered (as I have) from any of the above mental disorders that can cause a person in a moment of great despair to commit suicide. He showed himself to be shallow and without empathy. I suspect what we were hearing was early religious indoctrination.

 

[Wade]

I'd be game too but I wouldn't be able too go to deep as it makes my head hurt but like Tyger has been delving into the electric universe of late I've been mulling overt chaos theory a lot and how it permeates our reality. It seems to me that chaos theory would fundamentally conflict with the concept of us creating our own reality.

Also Listening to episode and will endeavor to keep any future posts on topic about this episode.

 

[wwkirk]

I've listened to Behind the Paranormal, so I was pleased to hear Paul Eno this week.

 

[Wade]

It was a pleasant 2 hours and being somewhat familiar and receptive to Paul's thinking I can't really find much to discuss but like Muadib I'm a little alarmed at Paul's comment about suicide being a selfish act. I sort of wished that got fleshed out a little more even though it isn't a paranormal subject. I now wonder if he would make a distinction between suicide and assisted suicide where there is an prearranged agreement in place and possibly an acceptance by most the parties. If as Muadib suggested the person was chronically sick or wasting away in life and felt relief (and release) that their suffering was coming to an end soon I think they would be going out in good spirits and if there is life after "death"...I'd like to think there is.. that would carry over as well. It's an interesting thought, that one would get brownie points In the afterlife for sticking it out with either emotional or physical pain (or both) so as not to cause emotional stress In this life.

 

[Muadib]

I've listened to Behind the Paranormal, so I was pleased to hear Paul Eno this week.

Does anyone know if there's an archive where I can download past episodes of their show? I could hit up Google, but I figure I'll ask here first....

 

[Muadib]

It was a pleasant 2 hours and being somewhat familiar and receptive to Paul's thinking I can't really find much to discuss but like Muadib I'm a little alarmed at Paul's comment about suicide being a selfish act. I sort of wished that got fleshed out a little more even though it isn't a paranormal subject. I now wonder if he would make a distinction between suicide and assisted suicide where there is an prearranged agreement in place and possibly an acceptance by most the parties. If as Muadib suggested the person was chronically sick or wasting away in life and felt relief (and release) that their suffering was coming to an end soon I think they would be going out in good spirits and if there is life after "death"...I'd like to think there is.. that would carry over as well. It's an interesting thought, that one would get brownie points In the afterlife for sticking it out with either emotional or physical pain (or both) so as not to cause emotional stress In this life.

I wouldn't say I'm alarmed, I just completely disagree with his take on suicide and the possible afterlife repercussions.

I can see where he's coming from, somewhat. Given what he said about his father committing suicide when he was 7, I can see how that would color ones perspective when it comes to this particular topic. Combine that with his early religious indoctrination, as another poster pointed out, and I can see how his opinion was formed.

However, for someone who stressed over and over again that we need to think about these subjects in a deeper, more comprehensive manner, it was surprising to hear such a shallow take on such a serious subject.

Other than that, I enjoyed the episode and I'd like to hear more of his theories on the paranormal.

 

[wwkirk]

Does anyone know if there's an archive where I can download past episodes of their show? I could hit up Google, but I figure I'll ask here first....

Free Podcasts: Behind the Paranormal with Paul & Ben Eno

 

[ALPHA ROMEO UNIFORM]

Going on the comments regarding sucide (most folks are calling out for help ) and others need to be carefull as words can be are strong and destructive if used in a negative manner regarding sucides.

 

[Muadib]

Free Podcasts: Behind the Paranormal with Paul & Ben Eno

Thank you, wwkirk.

 

[Wade]

He's done a few interesting cases that weren't mentioned that was brought up on his various C2C appearances a few years back. I think you may still be able to finds a torrent of two of them. One of my favorites is the ghost village of Bara-Hack in Ct. where there may be some kind of time rift thing going on. i think he's may have even mentioned it on his previous paracast appearance. From the reports mentioned you can not only hear subdued whispering voices but the sounds of inanimate objects as well such as ox cart wheels turning

 

[Wade]

btw, as much as I liked the episode I liked the accompanying after the paracast a lot more. Some damn good ruminating there guys and Gene, you're more than just o.k.

 

[Wade]

When the talk started to turn to disclosure I was sorely tempted to fast forward through it because it is not a subject i like to dwell on but Paul threw in a curve ball of sorts when he suggested that disclosure was not in the cards because the phenomena may hit a little close to home as far as it's origins. This is something I've thought about for some time but it may have been something I picked up from another appearance he made elsewhere previously.

 

[SheaOlmsford]

When the talk started to turn to disclosure I was sorely tempted to fast forward through it because it is not a subject i like to dwell on but Paul threw in a curve ball of sorts when he suggested that disclosure was not in the cards because the phenomena may hit a little close to home as far as it's origins. This is something I've thought about for some time but it may have been something I picked up from another appearance he made elsewhere previously.

The people who could disclose anything are not with the "government" in any official departmental spokesman style sense. Other governments have officially disclosed what they know, and what more do we know? We know that objects were sighted and tracked. Wow! And I waited a life time to find that out from government files in Brazil or a handful of other countries. The people who clamor for government disclosure have evidently (IMHO) never worked even for a major corporation, where subprojects are funded and kept secret from the rest of the corporation. When I was a young programmer, I joined one of those "secret" projects for a major corporation. They put us up in a rented office space far from the corporate headquarters and our paychecks came through a 3rd party. On paper we worked for another company that only existed legally but not functionally. We were 1 man's secret project. Only he knew of our existence. If that corporation was forced to disclose all its business ventures, my little world would have been passed over since it was meant to be invisible. To me, the people pushing disclosure, like Stephen Bassett and even Richard Dolan, are simply providing themselves with a meal ticket by keeping this bogus crusade alive. Richard should know better.

 

[Tyger]

He's done a few interesting cases that weren't mentioned that was brought up on his various C2C appearances a few years back. I think you may still be able to finds a torrent of two of them. One of my favorites is the ghost village of Bara-Hack in Ct. where there may be some kind of time rift thing going on. i think he's may have even mentioned it on his previous paracast appearance. From the reports mentioned you can not only hear subdued whispering voices but the sounds of inanimate objects as well such as ox cart wheels turning.

Ooooh! Sounds delicious!

LINK: Pictures From The Ghost Town Of Bara Hack, Pomfret, CT | Looking Through The Lens

TEXT: "On August 30th, 1971 three Rhode Island parapsychology students visited “Bara-Hack” looking for evidence to verify whether or not the rumors of its’ haunting were true. They met with Harry Chase and went to the Lost Village. They encountered the following: a sense of depression when entering the area, constant barking of dogs, lowing of cows, strange human voices, and a complete absence of birds. They explored for a couple of hours and came back at night. They heard spooky voices coming from the Nightingale Brook. They came back October 30th and 31st with more investigators. They lost their way walking towards the burying ground even though they had been there before. One of their new team members became frozen in place on the trail and could not be physically moved by anyone there towards the direction of the cemetery. One of the investigators wrote about the experience in a book called Faces at the Window, Paul F. Eno, 1998. The premise for the Blair Witch Project is thought to come from the accounts of this “investigation”.

"The Lost Village or Bara Hac is located in a hilly area surrounded by many brooks and streams, voices and other sounds carry for miles in these areas. There are still even today working dairy farms and hobby farms in Pomfret which is part of the Last Green Valley. Pomfret is a rural area and as such almost everyone has dogs and other animals. Since much of Pomfret and Windham County is a National Heritage Corridor and the Last Green Valley much of the land is protected from development. There are coyotes, fisher cats, bobcats, black bear, and recent sightings and tracks from mountain lions. A common sign of a predator being in the area is an absence of normal forest noises, a strange stillness devoid of sound.

"I am a Pomfret resident and have been to Bara Hac many times including after sunset and have never encountered anything unexplainable. [...] I have spent a good portion of my life exploring the New England forests and countryside."