“Resist.”

I cannot tell you how often I hear this word in its various little instances. And how little attention I have come to pay to it. Sure, I get the criticism. I am a white, heterosexual male. I understand all of that, but the constant chant of finding opposition through negative phrasing and actions…well…man it wears on this hippie.

Certainly, there is a battle of sorts between a newer generation that wants to express itself freely, and an older generation that wants the world to stay where it is culturally. Those of you who were alive when I was born (1965) and experienced this culturally tug of war, can stop me anytime. Same thing for those of you who lived through the decadent time of the early to mid 1980s (along with me). And those of you in the 1990s….anyone seeing a cycle, yet?

A large portion of what we have seen, comes from a difference in the overriding cultures. But there’s other stuff underneath all of this too. The idiotic sub-culture of racial supremacy, pounded out in whatever format you want to frame it in. And all of that is greased with the corrupt nature of what our politics have become here in America. We talk about resisting “the man” using slogans and concepts from the 1960s to reframe our fight against the megalith of older generations and dying poster-frames for the tired concept of racial inequality.

But I get it. I understand the entire resist conformity. I’m in a minority Spiritual Belief system. I am a believer in the minority perspective of polyamory. I believe that people should love who they love, regardless of societal straw-folk that are lit with the flames of hatred towards race and gender. Everyone should have an equal chance at the same pay rates as any else – regardless of race, gender, age, hair color, whatever. Depeche Mode probably put it best….

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully

So we’re different colours
And we’re different creeds
And different people have different needs
It’s obvious you hate me 
Though I’ve done nothing wrong
I never even met you
So what could I have done

I can’t understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand

But beating our brains against concrete and steel walls not of our making is not useful. We bloody our heads, with nothing to show for the effort behind the shouts of anger and pain we make – and the hollow thump we create against said wall. However, I think there is a better way to go about things.

We all know the maxim that the way to get magick to work is to get off your ass and do whatever needs to be done. Perhaps, we should use our own behaviors as the beacons towards how to accomplish what is necessary. Instead of screaming and yelling – we live. We live as we normally would. As if the laws that keep loved ones apart are not part of our lives. We show how our lives are just as “normal” as anyone else’s, by living our lives. We don’t incite the violence, but we also don’t stand to the side when someone is being abused. Even someone on the “other side”. Most Pagan-folk that I know are compassionate people. I think that more of that compassion needs to be on display.

No. I don’t think that the idea of “resistance” is blowing out shop windows of corporate stores. I think that is criminal activity. You don’t like the big-chain coffee store? Don’t shop there. Want to show the old 1950s folks that people love who they love, and that is normal? Then treat your relationship normally. Don’t use it as a flail when you’re in public. Certainly don’t hide it. Just be yourself, the way you feel your relationship SHOULD be viewed by everyone. Resist the stereotype by JUST LIVING. Don’t become the parody that you think you should be…be you. Just live. That, my friend, is resistance. And don’t become a punching bag. Defend who you are. If you must physically defend yourself or someone else – do so.

As I note in nearly anything that I write…all of this is merely my opinion. My style of “resistance” may not live up to your standards, and that’s fine. But remember, before you criticise and chastise me for not being “Pagan Enough” or “Resistance Enough”…I’m not saying that anyone MUST do ANYTHING I have noted above.