Day 28 – Something that you miss/28. One misconception about Paganism you'd like to clear up

[witchscauldron]

Something I Miss

For all that I enjoy my personal space and time alone, I miss having friends close by. There's something to be said for having people around you that you like seeing almost every day, who drop by for a while just to say hi. Social time feels frantic now, as if I have to try to cram every moment I can in. I know I won't get to see people again for weeks, or months - so I put myself out there a bit more than I'm comfortable with, which makes it more stressful.

I can't let myself feel lonely. Like regret, it's pure poison to my mind, and enough of it turns to physical pain. So this one's hard to live with.




ONE misconception? ~LOL~

There's tons - tons and tons and tons - of things I would love to 'clear up'. Unfortunetely, I think it would involve getting people to think critically, and Llewellyn would have to stop publishing. Ain't gonna happen.

That being said:

1) You can be a pagan, and be a skeptic. You can be a pagan, and value the works of science. You can be a pagan, and have use for logic, and critical thinking. Being pagan doesn't mean being a mystic fluffball totally out of touch with reality. So stop acting surprised, other pagans, when I tell you you need to join the reality the rest of us live in, and stop treating paganism like your favorite form of escapism.

2) Related to number 1: UPG has its' place. I value my own. But there's the key: personal. I may or may not accept yours. I wasn't there. I didn't experience it. I can accept that you had an experience. But I'm sorry - I don't accept stories about things that violate the physical laws of our universe, or stretch my credulity to the breaking point. There are usually reasonable explanations for things (Occam's Razor, anyone?), so work through those first.

3) Don't exaggerate for the sake of self-aggrandization. If your self-esteem is that low, you shouldn't be messing around with magic. Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk, and don't call up anything you can't put down. Respect is earned. Your words and deeds prove your character to the people around you - and if all you've said or done is fiction, what does that say about you?