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Been thinkin'... Part Two
Mar. 31st, 2007 12:39 pm(continued...)
What I was getting at with the example of my elf and leprechaun friends is that, were I to meet those on-line, exclusively, who made such claims, my skept-o-meter would immediately blink like a blinkin' beacon. The same for a pegasus-cheetah hybrid, an angel, a demon, an elemental, a twelve-tailed were-Pikachu, soulbonders, people who claim to have multiple personalities and other real mental disorders/disabilities and claim they are a "spirituality" or a "phenotype", or claim said disorder validates their belief in a scientific and wholly non-spiritual way.
I'm not sure where these more outlandish and colorful personae emerged from. The most surreal beings when I frequented A.H.Ww were those who claimed to be Wendigo (as a vengeful forest creature). Over the years younger people entered the scene, and making time for self-analysis and employing common sense flew out the window -- to do so "took too much time". To question was suddenly considered a big no-no, and meant you were close-minded and elitist.
So many don't seem to understand, one can be self-analytical without employing cynicism. Critical thinking doesn't equate disbelief. One isn't intolerant and close-minded for not immediately accepting and supporting everything someone claims without question.
Back to the point I was beginning to make -- despite the raised eyebrow such oddities I mentioned above might cause me in the on-line realm, I am open to accepting such things in person, where I can observe, interact with, and get a feel for the flesh and fiber of the individual. Of course people can wear a false face in person as well as on the computer screen, but it's much easier to know instinctively if someone is true in the flesh. And even if one is delusional, projecting fantasy, this isn't in itself a negative. In all this time, I still haven't ruled out the possibility that I could be a nut-job for believing in my mental/emotional/spiritual/symbolic connection to Lynx. It's certainly not logical or
scientifically provable.
The danger lies in using ones delusion to manipulate others or inadvertently (or purposefully) harm others and oneself. Being a wolf, an elf, an alien, what have you, isn't an issue if one can maintain a happy, healthy life both on- and off-line.
If one wants to use otherkin as the common modern vernacular for animal person, go for it. It seems that's how it's used, anyway. Words are words, no more, no less. We give them power and meaning.
Do books makes us become what we're not? Books in and of themselves, no.
Within the pages of books new worlds can be made real. Words can awaken new thought, cause stagnant neurons to spark. The beauty of a well-formed sentence, the perfectly conveyed philosophy, bridges true magic between the head and heart.
Books can comfort, and expand the mind. Books can temper or flare every emotion. I believe they can trigger awareness, that they can serve as a catalyst for transformation. At the same time, in the individual lacking a strong sense of self, books can become crutches, and hold sway over peoples thoughts and deeds, influencing to an unhealthy degree even though it may seem Good and Right to the individual and other converts or believers.
Books are powerful things. As for creating what's not there, well... this can happen, though what's created is an illusion. Then again, get enough folk to believe in an illusion, a symbol, and watch it become real; The Velveteen Rabbit, as it were. Which begs, what is Real?
What I was getting at with the example of my elf and leprechaun friends is that, were I to meet those on-line, exclusively, who made such claims, my skept-o-meter would immediately blink like a blinkin' beacon. The same for a pegasus-cheetah hybrid, an angel, a demon, an elemental, a twelve-tailed were-Pikachu, soulbonders, people who claim to have multiple personalities and other real mental disorders/disabilities and claim they are a "spirituality" or a "phenotype", or claim said disorder validates their belief in a scientific and wholly non-spiritual way.
I'm not sure where these more outlandish and colorful personae emerged from. The most surreal beings when I frequented A.H.Ww were those who claimed to be Wendigo (as a vengeful forest creature). Over the years younger people entered the scene, and making time for self-analysis and employing common sense flew out the window -- to do so "took too much time". To question was suddenly considered a big no-no, and meant you were close-minded and elitist.
So many don't seem to understand, one can be self-analytical without employing cynicism. Critical thinking doesn't equate disbelief. One isn't intolerant and close-minded for not immediately accepting and supporting everything someone claims without question.
Back to the point I was beginning to make -- despite the raised eyebrow such oddities I mentioned above might cause me in the on-line realm, I am open to accepting such things in person, where I can observe, interact with, and get a feel for the flesh and fiber of the individual. Of course people can wear a false face in person as well as on the computer screen, but it's much easier to know instinctively if someone is true in the flesh. And even if one is delusional, projecting fantasy, this isn't in itself a negative. In all this time, I still haven't ruled out the possibility that I could be a nut-job for believing in my mental/emotional/spiritual/symbolic connection to Lynx. It's certainly not logical or
scientifically provable.
The danger lies in using ones delusion to manipulate others or inadvertently (or purposefully) harm others and oneself. Being a wolf, an elf, an alien, what have you, isn't an issue if one can maintain a happy, healthy life both on- and off-line.
If one wants to use otherkin as the common modern vernacular for animal person, go for it. It seems that's how it's used, anyway. Words are words, no more, no less. We give them power and meaning.
Do books makes us become what we're not? Books in and of themselves, no.
Within the pages of books new worlds can be made real. Words can awaken new thought, cause stagnant neurons to spark. The beauty of a well-formed sentence, the perfectly conveyed philosophy, bridges true magic between the head and heart.
Books can comfort, and expand the mind. Books can temper or flare every emotion. I believe they can trigger awareness, that they can serve as a catalyst for transformation. At the same time, in the individual lacking a strong sense of self, books can become crutches, and hold sway over peoples thoughts and deeds, influencing to an unhealthy degree even though it may seem Good and Right to the individual and other converts or believers.
Books are powerful things. As for creating what's not there, well... this can happen, though what's created is an illusion. Then again, get enough folk to believe in an illusion, a symbol, and watch it become real; The Velveteen Rabbit, as it were. Which begs, what is Real?
