“Pagan Community”. I can tell I’m going to get hammered on this one…
I’ve been following a few new blogs of late, and this one produced an absolute rocker of a post for our education and edification today. There’s also a few additional reading blogs included at the end that continue the theme. This person hit a chord with me too.
“Pagan Community” is to me, currently an oxymoron. For those of you unsure of what an oxymoron is, it’s something that seems ridiculous and unbelievable in the first instance – for example, military intelligence or government surplus. (Sheesh, had to throw in those 2 politically charged ideas, didn’t I?)
The “Pagan Community” has A Problem. Yes, I capitalised those words, as I feel it’s The Problem that’s facing the “Pagan Community” currently. The “Pagan Community” is currently killing itself off, each faction or person chewing down on another until there’s not much left. *laughs* I could probably liken it to ‘Leviathan’ from the Supernatural TV series really – say or do one thing wrong and someone ties on a bib and you’re made a meal of. And it’s generally messy. And they generally bring friends to the degustation event for shits and giggles. If this continues happening, there won’t be much community left in the “Pagan Community”. Which means we all lose. And it also indicates to those who thing we’re all flakes, nutbars and crackers (again with the food references?!) that we can’t even agree to get along with ourselves.
I’ll say right now that I’ve been part of some of these things; I’m human enough to feel pissed off and hurt when things go pear-shaped and react accordingly. But I’ve never acted deliberately to destroy something a fellow pagan has set out to create simply because I can, or because I don’t like what they believe/do/ritual for.
On the flip-side, I’ve also been on the receiving end of meal-makings. *shrugs* I’m still here, I still believe what I feel to be right for me, so obviously it didn’t work. Or did it? Mr U and I have noticed things have changed towards us in a few areas, so looks like some of the BBQ sauce did splatter. (I clearly need to have second breakfast, given the amount of food references I’m using)
Yes, we’re a divinely diverse bunch of people, and yes, there’s going to be things we don’t see eye-to-eye on, but isn’t it a good chance to pull our heads out of our arses and see the contributions we all can make? The value we all have as individuals who are part of a labelled whole? Or is the “Pagan Community” going to eventually wind up eating itself to nonexistence…