Disconnect
This is a page from the third version of Technopagan Yearnings. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.neowayland.com/C188389413/E20070208125922
Public face of Paganism
Readers of Pagan•Vigil, my political blog already know that the last couple weeks have really cut into my blogging. But even before that, I have to say I am feeling a real disconnect from the whole "Pagan community" thing.
I am not sure if it is me getting older or if Paganism really has taken all the strange turns that sometimes I think it has.
There was a time when I never even would have considered the idea of "Pagan laity." When I would have said that a modern Pagan pretty much needed a working knowledge of magick. I can't say that anymore.
I read Wren's Nest and in one thread there are people condemning neocons for being Dominionists, and in another thread the very same people are just as fundamental on the subject of global warming. And gods help you if you dare to point out the similarities.
I suppose part of it can be traced to the differences between the People of the Journey and the People of the Book that I have talked about before. And I am certainly not the first to make that observation, it looks like William James noted something similar.
But if I had to go deeper (and I think I do), I'd think about it some more. The Book People aren't the problem.
I think the real issue is Those Who Want To Be Noticed. That's probably an oversimplification, but at this point I am going to accept it as a working assumption.
It's not that they believe, it's that they need the perception of others to validate their belief. I've talked about that need for validation before too. And personally with my stepfather's condition and the oh-so-politely phrased demands to "come back to God and show your love," I can certainly understand the temptation. It would certainly be much easier if some of my family and family's friends accepted me as I am, and failing that there are times I want to ram it down their throats.
So what the heck am I doing writing this on a blog? I guess it comes down to I don't want the fundies to win.
When it comes to Paganism, the voices of reason on the internet are getting harder and harder to find. And I am not just talking about the politics, although that is part of it too. Common sense is getting buried in the noise. It's below all the grandstanding and costuming. Like it or not, the face of modern Paganism is defined by what's on TV and the glitzy inaccurate websites.
The loudest voices are those who are disconnected from life. And those are the ones I don't want to be associated with.
I'm depressing myself just thinking about this, so I think I am going to wrap it up here.
Posted: Thu - February 8, 2007 at 12:59 PM
