Please help settle this tiff between this couple:
“Realist” says:
My partner believes in elves and fairies and other mythical creatures as if they’re real beings interacting with us all the time — usually unseen but sometimes physically manifest. I don’t believe that to be real. I was testing just how committed to their belief they were, and after laughing at the idea that someone would actually believe something like this, we promptly began arguing about whether I was open-minded enough to be in this relationship.
“Believer” says:
I believe anything is possible, even things society says are not real. I believe that there are many unseen forces in the world – call them angels or fairies or whatever, I believe that these things are real and I know I’m not alone, people are afraid to talk about it because we’re afraid of being judged. My partner thinks I’m a fool for believing this and I don’t know if I can be in a relationship with someone who is so “mainstream” and unwilling to try on new ideas. When someone laughs at my beliefs I think that is a big red flag.
What do you think? Who do you side with, and what should they do?
LemonVibe 
I would like to keep my personal view out of it but I think it is important to state it so you know where this overall advice is coming from. I don’t believe in magical creatures nor am I religious. I feel that life is amazing enough without having these narratives as part of it. HOWEVER I would never be so presumptuous to assume that just because I believe in something or don’t believe in it that I am correct. The idea that I could say 100% that all we know is what we know, there is nothing out there to be discovered to be true would be quite frankly the exact same as saying that I know 100% there are magical things I can’t see. They are the same argument as both are not based on any true fact and are in fact an interpretation of what limited information has been passed through our various senses to give us an approximate idea of what the world is and how it functions FOR US AND ONLY US.
So, to answer the question. I think that what the other person thinks / believes is their own business but if you feel that you can’t be with someone who sees the world differently to you I’m sorry but there is no one who sees the world exactly as you do and what you’re looking for doesn’t exist. So it really comes down to actions and decisions. If you don’t feel that this worldview affects you in any real way then what is the issue? If however you don’t trust the person to be able to make sound decisions that could harm you or negatively affect you then make your decision on that. Ideas don’t really matter, the actions that come from them do.
But that is just my unique point of view 🙂
I think you should both agree to disagree and not make fun of the other’s beliefs if you want to get past this. It’s akin to being with someone of different religions.
I think there is room for both. For example they keep finding things to be true that were considered bunk by western scientists like Auburn University just discovered the microstructure of primo-vascular system, revealing possible foundation of how acupuncture works and western doctors and medicine companies are now looking into easter medicine and finding that some of the medicines asian doctors have known about for hundreds of years work as well as or better than what we have now.