A great friend of mine and awesome Pagan chica, Kallan, recently posted about Pagan apathy. It is a very inspiring, insightful post about the Pagan community and its almost lackadaisical attitude towards very public disdain for that very community.
Part of me became a bit angry while reading it. Not at Kallan, of course, but at the idea that Pagans could be apathetic at all. We're a faith that faces many adversities and much hatred, and we're a group that never lets its guard down. How can a group that is consistently put on the spot and accused of so much bad in this world ever be apathetic about anything?
Well... apparently, we can be.
We've watched a beautiful center and temple very nearly fail at a price tag of $7500. We've responded in a rather blase fashion to threats to our civil liberties such as The Response. And most terrifyingly, we've let other members of the community slip through the cracks.
So why, when all this is going on around us and people (both in the community and out) are pushing against us, do we respond in a way that is, well... apathetic?
The other angry part of me comes from a very personal place, one that feels as though I'm part of the problem... and let's face it, I am. Like many Pagans, I've disengaged myself from a lot of this; stuff happens all the time, we have to grow thick skins, you can't make people change. That kind of stuff. In a way, it's a very positive way to think, as there is only so much in the world that we have control over and there's no reason to stress about the others.
But what about the bigger issues? The failing centers, the government hatred, the suffering of our fellow Pagan brothers and sisters?
This reflects so much more than just the outside. It speaks to our insides as well: When we see something fall apart, hear another expletive-laden outburst, or feel the emotional wreck another has turned into. I think, because of this, our apathy comes from a place of fear. We fear being the next person who might have to endure what others around us are going through!
I'll admit to being fearful myself. I'm terrified that a day will come when a Pagan group I'm in crumbles or I'm hatefully called a witch or no one comes to my aid when I'm truly in need, so I tend to hide all that away. If I can't see it, it doesn't exist, right?
Then it becomes personal. The Pagan group I was a part of DID split up; I WAS harassed for my faith (and the propensity to have it on the public stage is all too apparent -- see again The Response), and I HAVE seen friends and loved ones in despair. It's heart-wrenching.
And it means I, and we, have to do something. I mean, if no one steps up to the plate, people will continue to throw rocks at the bullpen, knowing full well they're eventually going to hit something or someone. The next target might be you, or someone you know, or maybe even a person you just met that morning. While we all have to come to our own realization that the plate is, in fact, where we're supposed to be, that day is going to come eventually, and our name's going to be called. Whether we're ready or not.
Dust off those cleats, dear readers. You might be next.
Excellent Post. Well said. I'm making an effort to try to become more involved in the external or local community I have here around me.
ReplyDeleteHey there, sweetie! Loved this post. So glad something I wrote had an effect. We've started something on Facebook where the DC40 are concerned. If interested, email me and I'll add you to the group. There's no way to invite folks from the group (I didn't start it), so it's one of those where you have to auto-add someone and you know how I hate that! I think many of us are experiencing the wake-up call.. it's happening and it's exciting to watch :) Thanks for being a part of it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Renee. :) I am, too! It's difficult because I admit to being shy (not introverted per se, but not willing to put myself out there so readily), but we've all gotta step out at some time. Good luck finding a community in your area!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Kallan! I owe it all to you and the post that started it all. ;)
ReplyDeleteAs for that group, I would love to be invited! It's a pain that the group's membership is that way, but better to know about it at all than not, yanno? Anyway, so yes, please sign me up! And I hope that everyone gets their spiritual caffeine so they wake up and are pushed into action.
Thank YOU for spreading the word!
And any other readers who want to be involved, please contact Kallan (or myself, I guess, after I'm added -- not entirely sure how this auto-add thing works, lol)!
I don't think these folks are getting it. And I think blaming apathy instead of their poor business models are the major faults.
ReplyDeleteA few years of picking up mass produced junk made in China, mined from the earth, or poorly written books full of either typos or falsehoods will lead most pagans away from shops selling that sort of tripe. I see a large number of intermediate witches turning to used books, libraries and etsy for books and supplies if they aren't already making their own supplies.
After years of seeking deep spiritual stuff from pagan community centers, festivals, and temples and not finding it because the content is very introductory over and over. Instead they might make pilgrimages to important sites, go camping in the woods with other pagans or alone, and delving deeper into spirituality as only can be done in small groups or alone.
I know a lot of pagans, sometimes is feels as though a third of the new people I meet in my area are pagan or new age. But these people are not buying their spirituality. They are growing it themselves. It is what all the books told us to do, the books said you didn't need to buy new things, and they were right. Once you are set up with your main tools, half a dozen books, and a few seeds to grow things, you don't need anything more.
Pagans are less apathetic, I think, I think they are more caring and going deeper than they did before. And its just in a direction away from mass produced stuff and away from massive get togethers.
I know my issues are the same as yours; I'm shy when it comes to getting out there and finding people of like mind (come on, we'd been married for 8 years before I even did a ritual with my hubby) and I'm afraid. It's taken me this long to even be open about things with family and close friends. Online it's different; I've posted a few Pagan related things on my blog almost from the start, all my online friends know I'm Pagan (unless they've forgotten... They've all been told at some point though), etc. But even online it takes me a bit to get up the nerve to go out and meet new people. I mean, I've had my blog for 5 years, and it took me until a couple of months ago to go looking for other Pagan bloggers. If people like us can get over those hurdles of fear and shyness, perhaps the Pagan community will be a step closer to where we want to be? And, perhaps, we will - we being the Pagan community as a whole - be able to educate enough people between us about what Paganism really is so that gradually less and less Pagans will be afraid to come out of the broom closet? You never know!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Pagans/Wiccans who are 'apathetic' are merely invoking their right to Keep Silent.
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