Nothing has brought more joy to my life in the past months than the reconnection I've had with many of my old friends. It's nice to have a circle of friends who understand and accept me. It's great to hear that they are all fairing well, and have not changed all their Email addresses. :)
I am feeling good today. It's a beautiful day outside here in Columbus, OH. Sunny, warm, a little bit of a breeze. I've spent most of the day outside, sitting on the front porch with a cup of coffee. I am thankful for the ability to enjoy the outdoors. It is one part of being human that I am actually fond of.
Speaking of outdoors, I'm hoping this summer to find a group of friends to go camping with, possibly hold a Gather here in the midwest. It'd be nice to get together with fellow Otherkin and just have a good time. If anybody's interested, just leave me a comment. I'd like to organize something for this summer.
In peace and blessings,
- Neve
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Machine-kin - Common Misconceptions
"People fear what they don't understand, and they hate what they fear, then they try to destroy what they hate. It is a vicious cycle of hurt that can be alleviated only by peaceful education."
Perhaps one of the most common issues that machine-kin face with the Otherkin community is false accusations and misconceptions that lead the community to believe machine-kin are invalid for some reason or another. It is my hope to clarify some of these things, to give my perspective on the issue.
1. "Machines don't have souls." This is the biggest argument people throw at me. My view is that machines are made of the same 98 elements that humans, dogs, trees, etc. are made of. What makes a rock any more worthy of housing a soul than a machine? Being 'organic'? 'Natural'? Think of it this way... everything that machines are made of started out 'natural' by the assumed definition, i.e. coming from the earth. A woman I met once asked me while shoving her Bible in my face, "You tell me where it says God gives souls to machines." I promptly replied, "You tell me where it says He doesn't."
2. "Humans, elves, dragons, etc. are animate. Machines are not." The dictionary defines the adjective 'animate' as "able to move voluntarily." If that is what constitutes something being animate or not, I know many humans who are completely inanimate, yet are you going to say that these people do not have souls? Just because a machine lacks the ability to express one's livelihood doesn't mean the life is not there.
3. "Prove it." I have to chuckle to myself when Otherkin tell me to 'prove it'. The idea of Otherkin as a whole is impossible to prove. You can cite all the mythology, dreams, past life regressions, etc. that you want, but it's no less convincing of proof than my own mythology, dreams and past life regressions. When it comes down to it, there is no hard medical proof that Otherkin even exist. It is a subjective belief based upon one's own interpretations of feelings, emotions, and spiritual experiences, no different than religious belief.
4. "You're just out for attention, and just want to be unique." No, I just want to be myself. I could care less if people paid any attention to me at all. Notice that this blog has no followers, and yet I still write? My only reason for even trying to open the Otherkin community's eyes is for all the machine-kin, otaku-kin, Na'vi, etc. that come after me and have no one to accept them.
5. "You have no life." If you must get into my offline situation, OK. I am a 21 year old freelance sound engineer, studying for my Masters degree in theology. I have my own apartment, quite a lot of friends, and a healthy social life. I go have a drink now and then with my buddy next door, I go to class five days a week, and I work in the evenings and on weekends. I do not live with my parents, nor do I live in a basement. I am happy, not depressed in the least bit, and have never been committed to a psych ward. If you met me on the street, you likely wouldn't think anything odd of me at all. I am cleanly, dress nicely, and enjoy taking long walks on sunny days.
The spiritual realms are so vast, I don't know how so many can claim to know every corner of the multiverse well enough to write off another's spiritual beliefs. It is impossible. Please, before you ban the 'other' Otherkin, think about that. You don't know what is and is not.
In Greater Learning,
- Neve
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
My Purpose Here
For those of you who've been around long enough in the online world of Otherkin, you may remember faintly a machine-kin of the soundboard variety that went by the screen name of mixer52. Well, folks... I'm back.
I'm not much of a blogger. The idea of writing my thoughts and feelings out for the entire world to see is a bit daunting, but something has lit a fire under my ass and I can no longer sit aside and watch it happen without at least putting my two-cents out there.
For those of you who do remember me, you might also remember just how many Otherkin forums I was banned from. I was not a troll, I never bickered with anybody, I didn't incessantly use vulgar language, I didn't so much as double-post. I was banned because I am machine-kin.
I myself am rooted firmly in my identity, and have come a long way in understanding myself since those years of awakening when I first sought out the Otherkin community. It's not me that I'm worried about anymore, it's others who are standing now where I stood seven years ago in the midst of an identity crisis. I needed a listening ear, support, companionship. I needed a friend, and all I got was discrimination and hate.
Last weekend, against the better of my judgment, I looked up the Otherkin community for the first time in four years. I had a tiny bit of hope that the community may have evolved. That thread of hope was sliced in half when the first Google result was of a post on a forum that said, "We do not support the idea of machine-kin here." My heart sank in my chest. Still? Really?
Feeling a little unwelcome in the world, I posted on the one Otherkin forum that accepts me. I quote the post:
"Of all things, it makes me feel bad for any other machine-kin out there that are looking for answers, acceptance, and guidance and all they find is discrimination and hate. Hate me, bash me, ban me from your forums... I don't care. I'm grounded in my identity, but there are people just awakening who are scared and unsure. We've all been there... the confusion, the soul-searching and not a single soul to say that they understand what you're going through. We find these internet forums and think, "Wow! Finally, some place I can be true to myself!" We, machine-kin, think that only to get bitch-slapped and banned for simply being what we are."
One of the other members replied to my post, mentioning similar discrimination against Na`vi otherkin, which spurred me to Google-search that. Again, the first thing that comes up on Google... hate. A person believing themselves to be Na`vi came to a forum and merely introduced themselves in a polite and kind way. Nine pages of hateful argument and harsh words later, the person was banned from that forum. In every single one of the person's posts, they were kindly, well-spoken, and very heartfelt no matter what the others said. The Na`vi in question asked multiple times just to be accepted, just to join in on simple conversation. They were met with nothing but a brick wall and gunfire. I shook my head in disdain. All I wanted to do was reach out to this Na`vi, and tell them, "You're alright in my book." Something as simple as being accepted can make the difference between life and death.
Needless to say, I am disappointed in the majority of the Otherkin community. Shame on you.
I'm not much of a blogger. The idea of writing my thoughts and feelings out for the entire world to see is a bit daunting, but something has lit a fire under my ass and I can no longer sit aside and watch it happen without at least putting my two-cents out there.
For those of you who do remember me, you might also remember just how many Otherkin forums I was banned from. I was not a troll, I never bickered with anybody, I didn't incessantly use vulgar language, I didn't so much as double-post. I was banned because I am machine-kin.
I myself am rooted firmly in my identity, and have come a long way in understanding myself since those years of awakening when I first sought out the Otherkin community. It's not me that I'm worried about anymore, it's others who are standing now where I stood seven years ago in the midst of an identity crisis. I needed a listening ear, support, companionship. I needed a friend, and all I got was discrimination and hate.
Last weekend, against the better of my judgment, I looked up the Otherkin community for the first time in four years. I had a tiny bit of hope that the community may have evolved. That thread of hope was sliced in half when the first Google result was of a post on a forum that said, "We do not support the idea of machine-kin here." My heart sank in my chest. Still? Really?
Feeling a little unwelcome in the world, I posted on the one Otherkin forum that accepts me. I quote the post:
"Of all things, it makes me feel bad for any other machine-kin out there that are looking for answers, acceptance, and guidance and all they find is discrimination and hate. Hate me, bash me, ban me from your forums... I don't care. I'm grounded in my identity, but there are people just awakening who are scared and unsure. We've all been there... the confusion, the soul-searching and not a single soul to say that they understand what you're going through. We find these internet forums and think, "Wow! Finally, some place I can be true to myself!" We, machine-kin, think that only to get bitch-slapped and banned for simply being what we are."
One of the other members replied to my post, mentioning similar discrimination against Na`vi otherkin, which spurred me to Google-search that. Again, the first thing that comes up on Google... hate. A person believing themselves to be Na`vi came to a forum and merely introduced themselves in a polite and kind way. Nine pages of hateful argument and harsh words later, the person was banned from that forum. In every single one of the person's posts, they were kindly, well-spoken, and very heartfelt no matter what the others said. The Na`vi in question asked multiple times just to be accepted, just to join in on simple conversation. They were met with nothing but a brick wall and gunfire. I shook my head in disdain. All I wanted to do was reach out to this Na`vi, and tell them, "You're alright in my book." Something as simple as being accepted can make the difference between life and death.
Needless to say, I am disappointed in the majority of the Otherkin community. Shame on you.
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