I couldn’t have said it better
So I’m just going to quote Finnchuill’s Mast, from the post The Maw That Tried to Eat the World:
“What this really strikes at is the amount of time and devotion with which many people who identify as pagans immerse themselves in heavily mediated, online activities where they are abstracted from their own environment, and any physical community, and often fully emotionally disassociated from those around them. For those of us whose practices are about embodied engagement, experiencing the numinous in the natural world—and the built world as well—the addictive nature of social media is a problem and can be an obvious interference with practice.
Another thing that is inherent in media like Facebook and Twitter is the splintered and chopped up communications that by their very nature do not allow for any deep consideration or response, and so often generate misunderstanding and miscommunication. Druidic, Celtic, Dionysian, and animist traditions, among many others, operate in a far different domain, places where presence, being, and deep communication and communion are at the heart of the process/practice.”
I admit that I am one of those people who are so emerged in online activities. It comes from a lack of any like-minded people in my immediate surroundings and the wish to feel part of a religious community (that is, I admit, often not very focussed on the religious). Ideas like Theo Bishop’s SDF hopefully will help me with this.
But you are right. At the same time it can also serve as an excuse not to look for or create a physical community. It is addictive and often leads to passivity instead of actions. Thank you for reminding me of this. I am considering making a change.
I certainly can’t speak against using the internet to find religious community. I found my partner that way, and several friends who ended up, at least for a period of time, actually doing religious practice together. But I found these people through content-heavy venues like the old mailing lists and more recent blogs. And I quickly took our conversations over to email/phone, where we could actually start digging deeper rather than trading 140-character quips. I think that’s one of the big differences.
Though what I mostly object to is people who can’t seem to participate in engaged, physical reality because half their brain is always connected to their devices. Even when they find real-life community, they’re checking their FB status instead of being present with it. And even aside from human community, the gods and spirits deserve our undivided attention.
This is really well said and something I had not really considered before. Lately I have been having the most eye-opening experiences coming from interaction with people in the real world. I’m glad you posted it so I don’t fall into the hole of neglecting my environment for something less tangible.
Reblogged this on Notes from the Underground and commented:
I like these words.
The internet is nice, it’s interesting, but I take it only for what it’s worth and no more. It will never even come close to replacing the moth that flew past me at just the right time, on just the right path.
Indeed. Well said.
Very well said on the use of social media–we all need to monitor it and find the right place for it ourselves!