“I believe in Sasquatch.” It’s interesting to observe someone’s reaction when I make that statement. Given my persona as a practical, pragmatic person, I usually get a look of absolute disbelief followed by the question “you know that video was a hoax, right?” But every once in while I see a gleam in someone’s eye and I know that I have found a kindred spirit. “Do you really think so?” the person might whisper. Or “I do too, but don’t tell anyone.” How someone reacts to this simple statement tells me a lot about how they are as a person in the world. Do they still have a child-like sense of curiosity? Do they approach the world from a place of wonder? Are they seekers who don’t need answers?
What I’m really stating when I say “I believe in Sasquatch is: “I believe in the unbelievable.”
I used to say I didn’t know if Bigfoot existed, but I hoped he did. Over the years I have come to believe that Bigfoot does exist, and this simple act of believing transformed my life. It brought wonder, joy, and sacredness to a life filled with cynicism, hopelessness, and despair. It showed me the difference between existing in black and white and vibrant, living color.
Whether we seek the answers to life’s mysteries through science or religion, we simply find our own interpretations of what we have observed. We can argue about the origins of the universe. We can categorize and mythologize it into something we understand, but when we do so we take away the very thing that makes us seek its answers in the first place – the wonder. Asking if the big bang or an intelligent being created the universe is like asking who turned on the light during a sunrise. The question is simply too small for the miracle. Some things are just unknowable and that is what makes them so awe inspiring and joyful.
Albert Einstein once said “we can treat everything as a miracle or nothing as a miracle.” Believing in the unbelievable taught me to see miracles everyday and my life has never been the same. So I have to ask you, do you experience joy at the sight of a dog’s wagging tail? Can you share a child’s curiosity of a bug on a leaf? Do you feel wonder at the sight of a shooting star? Can you look into the face of another and find the sacred? Do you, can you, believe in Sasquatch?
A few years ago, I bought a piece of artwork titled Splendid Sasquatch. The artist claimed it was the cast of a real Sasquatch footprint found on the Snake River near Walla Walla, Washington. The large footprint is surrounded by fake moss, leaves, and twigs. It looks as if Bigfoot has stepped out of the wilderness and into my living room. I can’t help but smile whenever I look at it.
I believe in Sasquatch, because I believe in the unbelievable.