(Yes, it's Thursday. But I wrote it on a Monday two weeks ago!)
This one is getting filed under “Pagan Pet Peeves”, though I could probably throw it under “New Age Personalities” just as easily. There’s a certain kind of person out there, who I’ve run into several times, who enters a ‘mode’ when they’re doing something New Agey. Their voice gets softer, higher pitched, and very, very dreamy. They stare deep into my eyes upon meeting, in an apparent attempt to “truly connect” to my inner person, and then promptly spend the rest of the conversation staring off blankly into space.
Honestly, if I thought these people were actually high, I’d cut them some slack. But they’re not. They’re acting out this bizarre interpretation of a wise mystic, filled with perfect trust and perfect love and oh-so-slightly more connected to karmic wafting than me. This is generally the purview of tarot readers, reiki practitioners, and teachers – anyone who’s trying too hard to gently remind everyone that they know more than their customers or students.
The Dalai Lama does not act like this, folks, and everyone who does drives me up the goddam wall.
They try so hard to “connect”, that they completely miss making an actual connection. Normally, I stand up and walk away. (I understand it’s part of some people’s shtick at Ren Faire, and I can appreciate a good marketing ploy, but still, eurgh) If I can’t though – if I’m in a class, or a workshop, or talking to someone nearby when Wise Mistik (sp intentional) pipes up – it brings out a very particular side. I’m not really trolling, at least not to the standards of the internet, but dry quips, pithy asides, and blasé statements meant for a giggle just start flowing freely. I can see it starting to slowly grate, but mostly I’m just aiming for a snerk. Maybe even a real smile.
When I want to connect to someone, I smile. If I’m really trying, then I try to make them laugh. Laughter is pretty much at the root of human connection, and if it’s uncomfortable, then something is wrong. Laughter does not undermine connection or understanding, it fosters it. Staring deeply into strangers’ eyes, while uttering breathy statements and nodding sagely, is the opposite of connection. It’s pantomime, a monologue designed with pauses for other actors to put in their own monologue bits, but no one is interacting.
Actually, I’ve seen Christian priests, and especially Sunday school teachers, who do the same thing. So I guess it’s not a New-Age specific personality, but I could do with it being a little less prevalent!
Ok, rant complete. Slack returning in 3…2…1…
Blessed Be!
Pennanti
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