Those "one glimpse" and sounds in the night are not really outlook-changing for me. Those are part of my outlook, always have been, except the first glimpse lasted at least 3-5 minutes and covered roughly 550-600 yards of total travel beginning more than 100 yards to my left, moving 75 yards in front of me, and continuing away for 400+ yards to my right before going out of sight. That's not a glimpse. It is plenty of time to ask yourself questions, to weigh what you are seeing. Oddly enough, despite all else, I can't report any bone-chilling cries. "Whatever."
So, whether you choose to accept it for yourself or not, understand that <<for me>>, non-existence of bigfoot is no longer an option. I can't suggest it, I can't coddle it, not with any integrity whatsoever.
At the same time, it is also clear Science does not accept the existence of bigfoot as reality.
I'm a science guy .. despite all else. The apparent inconsistency disturbs me. Science SHOULD be able to find and validate the existence of bigfoot. I see only 2 options. Either the bigfoots have been astronomically lucky and the humans astronomically unlucky, or we're missing something in our understanding of science. And that latter should not be a surprise. When we talk about discovery of new species, new medicines, new sub-atomic particles, finding out that science was incomplete via the mechanism of discovering something new is almost commonplace. And yet when we consider bigfoot, suggesting that seems to be offensive. A challenge of dogma.
So here's where I get in trouble by answering your question. Besides being a science guy, I am also a born-again Christian. A terrible one, worst example you'll ever meet, don't want your view of others tainted by what you know about me, but here I am, that's me. Mark Barton's interview goes into things that I have heard other places from other people though not in the same level of detail. Go back to the older posts here and read what ThePhaige shared. Consider parallels.
Until I know what they are, from the standpoint of scientific proof, I have to consider other things they might be, things that science doesn't allow for right now. In this case, what amounts to being demonic entities. Being Christian does not remove my science bent. I have wondered if "demonic", "alien", and "interdimensional" could really be 3 different descriptions for the same thing, just viewed through different cultural understandings of "science" of the time.
If that is the case, we could be in way over our heads. We might be assuming superiority over "these things" the same as we have intelligence superior to a raccoon and yet it might be role reversal, something so offensive to our ingrained sense of human superiority that we refuse to look at it.
I'm not concerned about what happens out there in the woods. I'm concerned, to some small degree, about what might know me and follow me home, not in a physical sense, but in a metaphysical sense. What doors, what boxes, are we opening when we seek them out? What boundaries do we have to protect ourselves from something physically, and metaphysically, immeasurably mightier than ourselves?
Understand ... if any of these notions are correct, are real, I believe that like everything else real, they operate by physical principles science CAN understand .. though it may not do so yet. Suggesting such things, hopefully I've offended the monkey hunters, the scientific establishment, the small minded, and the rest of the Christians all in the same post by putting ALL of the dogma I can think of on the table, including my own, and questioning every bit of it.
Flame away ...
But if you're thinking, not flaming, maybe you understand ... we do NOT know, and until we DO know what is, we also do not know what is not. Since what we know is failing at every turn, I think we better consider that something we do not know is in play. If wrong, we lose nothing but a little mental gear spinning, but if right, we might save ourselves from a lot of grief. Maybe even being 411-ed.
MIB