|
I'd like to place my thoughts on a few of the issues presented.
First and foremost:
Fluffy. Being a fluff.
Close to what I'd refer to a Beginning, the word had a Very particular connotation. It was associated with a very specific group of people.
The type of people whom would approach magic as a means to be special, that they want to have something deeply their own to have a moral high ground in as much as to be respected. These people had let their desire to be Right outweigh their desire to be knowledgeable and respected.
Specific authors, such as Silver Ravenwolf, were contributory by injecting ideas into mould-able minds. Ideas of intolerance and limitation, and sometimes of outright dissonance.
Some people espouse that their way is best, and not only that, the only way. That if one doesn't serve the utmost light and the brightest good for the whole of the world, that they're no more fit for compassion, kindness or consideration that a parasite scraped from the blackest horrors of human imagination. Inhuman and ugly things, to be feared and abhorred only.
All this, simply for daring to take up a path with "morals" or creed that came into conflict with that they Personally had adopted. The irony is that magic by nature Cannot have a set right way. It's an ordered chaos, a tangle of paths, as diverse as the individual lives and souls that tread this world. It's Ment, to me, to be diverse and rich. To treat it as a one sided object is to lose perspective and balance, to become as poor minded as anybody else whom would look down at any pagan/witch/magic user/anything you call yourself as detritus and filth.
To treat those of other paths or creeds as vermin, is to lower ones self to the level of the people who would call All users of magic or alternative faiths, abominations.
But, human nature is infighting and back-biting. If it were not so, Catholicism wouldn't have fractured like a splintered bone unto the dozens of sects and splinter groups of understanding we have now. To act against our brethren and level accusations against them of going against the Right, is to stoop to the same depth that many truly do face. Being told they are damned for daring to believe in something different.
I may have strayed from the definition slightly, but the point is there. The person who is convinced there is only one way, usually a path of Love and Light and "self sacrifice" for only doing no harm ever, is the Usual culprit for the term fluffy Originally, because they Want to see their Universe as a single unified shining place, where no cruelty exists and they can be blissful, sitting in a *Safe* place, that no harm can come to them if they don't Inflict it. This limited view, enforced by a zealous and unwilling nature to bend, or to even consider the point of view of others out of respect or experience, was the reason the word fluff became.
Now, it's simply a replacement word for those who want to abandon their humanity for a life of dreams.
That attitude used to be called Chasing the Dragon once, where people would intentionally lose themselves in dreams, drug addled though they were, they Preferred a fantasy brought by then the reality around them.. Even if they do have the power to shape their reality.
If everybody in the world, not just this site, was more inclined to take a deep breath and explain a truth, instead of standing up and shouting why a person is wrong, there would be far less of the "new fluffs" around. It takes time to explain, and not everybody Wants to really learn or listen. Or really wants to take the time that truth takes, and would rather a beautiful lie.
But take it from a deeply cynical and relatively bitter person, that a person who Is Willing to Listen and Learn is worth every second it takes to answer their questions and Give a Truth to them. We Cannot impart all wisdom, too much of magic Needs to be first hand experience for that. But we can show guidelines, and help people avoid pitfalls that we ran head-first into.
But we can only help if people want to listen. For all the knowledge or power a person has, if the audience doesn't wish to learn or Change, then the person wastes breath. There will be people that will vehemently argue their point, and their ability to turn into a purple monkey at will, until all you feel is an utter contempt for them, but still.
To be human is to make mistakes, and to learn from them.
There is NO shame in being human, only shame in not being willing to be a Better human in your own way.
Magic is diversity, change and growth of an intimate and personal nature. A journey as much as anything, and one that often times Has to be personal and cannot be expressed in words. Our language is simply too poor for the translation.
All of that said and done,
1. Removing fantastical spells would be nice, but we'd also need to ensure more couldn't be added. That would require more stringency that isn't enforceable, beyond the judgement of those controlling covens. It's better for people to use common sense and personal judgement, as insight in that manner is also a useful tool for magic. Critical thinking simply isn't taught enough anymore, and it's utterly invaluable.
If anything the fantastical spells and posts should be Kept, to encourage creative and critical thinking, and to grow more people interested in discussion and betterment over those who want to be Right.
2. I find more people abuse their ability to rank simply to put down others, to be what *I* think of as fluffy and belittle their ideas/ideals, or simply to wield the power to do so as a means of being "better" then them instead of actually trying to show them anything. In fact I see it often abused in the exact way that many people often said that Other powers were abused. Fancy that. Power corrupts.
3. Age restriction beyond the current woln't solve anything. As was said, you could find a 15 year old whom has more of a drive and willingness to learn and grow, then a 40 year old who's more interested in becoming the centre of a cult of personality, with vapid followers praising their every infallible move. Censoring the site and barring access doesn't change the fundamental flaw of human nature, that some of us are just terrible and others actually wish to better.
They say each human born has a hole in their heart, that greed and hatred endlessly flow to. That we feed this hole endlessly with our superiority, our need to best others, and our selfish behaviour. They also say that attempting to be kind, gentle or loving fills the hole.
I don't fully agree. We're all vicious at times, we have things we cannot tolerate. The nice old lady that runs the store and gives free candy to kids might be extremely racist.
The respected local businessman might deliberately hire only people he likes instead of people qualified, based on his arbitrary judgements.
A child will look down at another for being different, or because they feel good making others suffer.
It's all part of our nature, and our choice to Embrace the Shadow within and become truly better, or to allow the Shadow to infect our hearts with our poisonous behaviours.
Ultimately our choices make a difference.
"Fluff" is only as far a concern, as it Should be a concern to help better others understanding. Instead many people heap scorn, and we see that the few who could learn shy away and hide. "Fluff" is concerning because it becomes an issue of refusing to help, and choosing to Belittle. Heaping contempt does little to solve the fundamental issue, where Usually lack of knowledge is the problem. Sometimes it can be more then that.
Perhaps this "fluff" is a person who doesn't know who they are. They've been a bit psychic all their life, and others that they trust have psyched them up into believing a fantastic tale about their past life as a warrior king or god from on high. The "fluff" that speaks as though this is true, and doesn't want to change their image, is stuck. Stuck in a place that lies have put them in, and held pinned by their own ego, sense of worth and desperate need.
Pity and spite shouldn't be responses, but tolerance and the hope that given time they can see reason.
Too many people just brush others aside, and if that's done how are we better? How can we fight for our freedoms in a world that often looks down on our faiths and belief, when we return the favour to potentials in our midst?
People will always come to magic as a quick fix. Or a desperate hope, or a means of spiting the know-nothing parents who have their heads in a bible (or similar literature!) and who can't possibly fathom their unique needs.
Such ideas become part of our culture, when we're often raised to see magic and miracles as an instant means of achieving the deepest desires of our hearts.
Many people don't want to see a truth that means work, when they've grown their entire lives being told that it's a short-cut in the strongest degree of the word.
Finally, Fantasy spells.
They don't stop, because like it or not there is a Hope associated with them. Hope for more, hope for a beyond human existence, an escape from the misery that people find themselves in. A window of freedom from the hate they're surrounded by, or the emptiness inside of them.
People have forgotten Many things that being Human simply is.
Many of us feel lost.
Many of us feel empty.
Many of us are wanderers in the dark, or blinded by light.
We aren't alone, but we've decided we are. We've decided that nobody can know our pain, because our perspective is unique.
We need to remember, that as Human beings, we all suffer. We all feel joy. And that just because the Situation and person change, the fundamental nature of suffering is a Shared experience.
We create our Reality, and we Partake in the Created reality. If you suffer, then others Have shared that suffering and it Never Needs to be Only your burden to bear.
That.
That should be part of what we strive for. To remind each other of our Essential Human Nature, instead of a mindless drive to shove our "lessers" farther into the mud.
Anyway.
Just my thoughts. I don't care if you agree, disagree, are offended, or are neutral. Doesn't matter.
These ideas are mine. You're always free to have your own.
Infact, I encourage it.
Best of luck, all Dear Readers. You'll need it.
|
