Why are the pagan people so much more in touch with feeling?

[NightBathen]

Did you ever stop and think about the magnitute of emotion that we feel every single day. Did you ever stop to think about the introspective nature of our religions, and the impact it has on our sensitivity, and the way we precieve and deal with our feelings?
I bet that if there was a study at Berkley or somewhere, and you pitted pagans against the rest of the world, we would hands down be the most loving, nurturing, caring people on the planet. We see things others don't, feel what other dont, love what other could not, and care about what other have forgotten.
I would like some of you to relate to me, an experiance that you have had, where you can say that you felt more strongly about what was happening, than the other people around you(only if not pagan)
I would just like to read about the thoughts of my brother and sister witches, on the depth of their emotional persception. Maybe, possibly link that increased sensitivity to being Pagan.

(example, a bird flies into your windshield and you start freaking out, you husband cant understand why.) Get it?

[Kithling]

x

[wickedlizard]

read EQ it´s a great book!

[Emerald Oak]

I know I'm going against your request a little, but I just gotta say it.

I'm not a very caring person. I mean, I avoid stepping on bugs, I hate seeing things die, and I love to watch animals/bugs do their thing, but I juist can't care for human beings very easily. My own mother calls me cold.

But, I'm still Pagan.

(No implications intended)

[Vuthiel]

I know I'm going against your request a little, but I just gotta say it.

I'm not a very caring person. I mean, I avoid stepping on bugs, I hate seeing things die, and I love to watch animals/bugs do their thing, but I juist can't care for human beings very easily. My own mother calls me cold.

But, I'm still Pagan.

(No implications intended)

Ditto. I'm the exact same way.

[Eldric_Dragonsblood]

I have to agree with Kithling. The ability to feel and emote has little to do with which path a person is on. It has to do with the person knowing themselves. I know a few pagans that are not at a point where they know themselves well enough to be "more compassionate" and all that. At the same time, I know of and know many followers of the Judeo-Christian super-religion who are much more compassionate than most pagans.

Being in touch with one's self is vital to being about to have empathy with others. People can instinictually (sp?) know those people who have the gift and skill of empathy. So, those in need of help congregate and find those that can help.

I think, and please correct me if I am wrong in this, that the fear/caution we sometimes feel concerning our religions and the periodic discrimination we encounter causes us to look for the best within our community, while at the same time look for examples which degrades other paths. Unfortunately, this is normal human nature/psychology. Often times, and I would even hazard the statement almost always, we do not realise we are doing this, unless we are concentrating on why we are seeing this. I think part of the lesson we are on this plane to learn is being able to completely free ourselves of this tendency. This lesson is infinately harder to actually learn than one realises when we first come to this realization. I would even hazard the guess that this lesson is the one hardest lesson to learn, and it in and of itself is the lesson that causes the most of our returns to this life plane.

I hope this makes sense to everyone. I ask forgiveness for my presumtion upon other's mindset and the Plan of the Deities. I also ask your forgiveness for my spelling; I have had troubles with spelling caused by dyslexia all my life.

[Xentor]

One could type me as reserved. I normally won't show my feelings towards other people. (I'm working on it, however, it's getting better!)

But I do care, intensely even. I care for the way my music bands and choir are managed, I care for the enlisting and education of new members, for the choice of music and the organisation of concerts.

One specific issue: our woodwind band needed music teachers. We had previously ruled that our teachers would have to be graduated music teachers, but weren't able to hire any. Thus I offered myself as a temporary substitute, was accepted and started training two trumpet students. More people should've had lessons but refused (and our board still doesn't know how to oblige them to take classes). At the same time, I started talking to the local music school. The music comittee (which I preside) and the board of our band agreed to have the local music school handle all music training within half a year.

We're two years over due. I had to stop my music teaching to make time for my own university education. There are no substitutes. The same arguements against local music school that were presented two years ago are still presented but never solved. I've handed the board a couple of solutions but it doesn't help.

That situation is infuriating. Our members will walk away for lack of training. We can't give any of the new members the training they need. And our board will not make a decision. They're going to loose the members we need so badly.

I gave three years of my life to help get this woodwind band back together. I feel obliged to continue helping the club. But its board doesn't seem to have a long-term view. It's repeating the same objections over and over again and simply doesn't make any progress.

This situation is very hard to deal with. All the talking we do doesn't seem to help. We mostly agree (musicians, music comittee and board) but nothing really happens. All my effort seems to fail its target.

[WitchJezebel]

I know I'm going against your request a little, but I just gotta say it.

I'm not a very caring person. I mean, I avoid stepping on bugs, I hate seeing things die, and I love to watch animals/bugs do their thing, but I juist can't care for human beings very easily. My own mother calls me cold.

But, I'm still Pagan.

(No implications intended)

I'm quite like that too, Emerald, with humans; but let me say that I'm extremely caring with my close friends (I only have a handful) and my sister. Animals are another story. I can't watch the Animal Precinct or Emergency Vets without a box of tissues; I donate to the Wildlife Federation, specifically to saving the wolves and the Humane Society will get donations when I can too. I've been labeled as cold as well; but I'm not really - I just don't have much sympathy for those who bring misery upon themselves.

[Kithling]

I have to agree with Kithling. The ability to feel and emote has little to do with which path a person is on. It has to do with the person knowing themselves. I know a few pagans that are not at a point where they know themselves well enough to be "more compassionate" and all that. At the same time, I know of and know many followers of the Judeo-Christian super-religion who are much more compassionate than most pagans.

Being in touch with one's self is vital to being about to have empathy with others. People can instinictually (sp?) know those people who have the gift and skill of empathy. So, those in need of help congregate and find those that can help.

I think, and please correct me if I am wrong in this, that the fear/caution we sometimes feel concerning our religions and the periodic discrimination we encounter causes us to look for the best within our community, while at the same time look for examples which degrades other paths. Unfortunately, this is normal human nature/psychology. Often times, and I would even hazard the statement almost always, we do not realise we are doing this, unless we are concentrating on why we are seeing this. I think part of the lesson we are on this plane to learn is being able to completely free ourselves of this tendency. This lesson is infinately harder to actually learn than one realises when we first come to this realization. I would even hazard the guess that this lesson is the one hardest lesson to learn, and it in and of itself is the lesson that causes the most of our returns to this life plane.

I hope this makes sense to everyone. I ask forgiveness for my presumtion upon other's mindset and the Plan of the Deities. I also ask your forgiveness for my spelling; I have had troubles with spelling caused by dyslexia all my life.

Your spelling is amazing, considering that you have that problem, then. :)
Yay for overcoming problems. :)

Giving everyone equality in your own mind is the hardest lesson people have learning, from what I've seen. It's easy enough to complain about others being prejudiced, and then to point out exactly what is wrong with those people. I'm not saying that prejudice is good, it's not at all, but people don't seem to accept it and try to change it enough. Each person thinks they are right, they just don't think about how the other people think they are right. In them, it's acceptance, in the others it's prejudice, and not just about religion, sexual preference, race, etc.

Need to stop writing for the moment before I completely lose my train of thought.

[Xentor]

I think I get this.

I am prejudiced, and I'll see another as prejudiced. I demand the other to overcome their prejudice and accept me (and my ideas), while at the same time not accepting the other (or their ideas) because of my own prejudice.

We've got a proverb in the Netherlands, that reads,
"It's easier to see the splinter in another's eye than to see the bar in one's own." I don't know the English translation.

I know from personal experience that I'm perfectly capable of accepting my own shortcomings when they're pointed out to me, but still won't accept the shortcomings of others myself.

[Kithling]

I think I get this.

I am prejudiced, and I'll see another as prejudiced. I demand the other to overcome their prejudice and accept me (and my ideas), while at the same time not accepting the other (or their ideas) because of my own prejudice.

We've got a proverb in the Netherlands, that reads,
"It's easier to see the splinter in another's eye than to see the bar in one's own." I don't know the English translation.

I know from personal experience that I'm perfectly capable of accepting my own shortcomings when they're pointed out to me, but still won't accept the shortcomings of others myself.

Exactly!!