Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Just To Clarify Some Things...



This post is a bit more productive than the last one but everything I said in that pseudo-rant still applies. This post however, really hits the issue on the nose.

A Lady's Prerogative II: Wounded Aerth contains references to religion, specifically some of the more prominent religious movements during the 1600s. I started writing Wounded Aerth in 2013, first publishing its first few chapters in 2014 and back at that time I was a very different person, not so hardened by social mistreatment if you will. 

The reason that I maintain that the Sanctum Seclorum is secular is so that nobody of any particular religion (or lack thereof) becomes the victim of when a story like this is used as a vehicle to create burden for people of different religions, other than those mentioned in the story.

I myself am of a different set of beliefs (probably much closer to those of Barris, being an Atheist, though I lean towards Buddhism and Taoism). I gave the benefit of the doubt back in 2014 as a show of gratitude to some of the early kindness I'd experienced at the hands of some religion. However, I've since that time progressed in a very different direction, but I've always maintained that the Sanctum Seclorem is secular. It has roots in ideas that can be found in just about every philosophy, but its core is solely about preserving a solid historical reference.

I will not see this story used as a vehicle to create burden against others, simply because there's no mention of their religion in this text. The Sanctum isn't populated only by groups with a mystic foundation based upon religion, but of numerous philosophies and eidos, including Atheism and even Nihilism (yes, there's a deeply intricate Aetheric weave for both). There's astronomers and philosophers and scientists and many, many Pagans too, working together to protect the Aerth.

This story with its presence of religion, will not be used as a vehicle to attack people of different cultures solely on the ground of absence of their religion in the story and I do not put up with that sort of activity or behaviour at all when it stems from my writing or art. Having differences of opinion, or having qualms against ideas presented by other religions or philosophies is one thing, but using my writing and art to burden others simply for the omission of their religion, when one or more specific religions are mentioned goes against my grain.

I have friends who also lean towards Buddhism and Taoism, and Paganism, and I will not see them or others who are absent mistreated or burdened simply on the grounds of their absence in this text. In the future, any references to such ideas will only appear in the context of mysticism and its connection to the specific order of the Sanctum to which it relates. I'm keeping it Secular, but recognizing that different forms of mysticism have their own distinct origins and tradition.

However, if you bring your social weapons to bear upon others as a group in a harmful way, you're asking for trouble and toying with the fires of conflict. Could you sustain as a group what you dish out against others, often those who are solitary? I'd bet in most cases, the honest answer would be no. The reason that anyone would be on that side of the fence rather than the other, is because the people dishing it out, could never handle receiving it from a mob, and the person who is being subjected to it, can, though its still destructive to their life. You never know when you'll end up in the same position, but I think the idea is that part of social awareness should be to rise above and act upon the convictions of your own conscience, not simply to follow when you see others tormenting someone ie monkey see, monkey do. Remember that children, the most impressionable of our future are learning from that behaviour and its regard for respect and rights.

Addendum: I apologize if my statement here was triggering for anyone who has experienced turmoil at the hands of any representative of any faith who violated you in any way, but my thoughts were about preventing the kind of chaos that occurs when a bunch of people use a medium for revenge against one offending faith, and end up attacking many (including the inoccent) as a result. 

Believe me, I have plenty of anger towards faith right now for a lot of things, and like anyone who has experienced issues and serious matters, they don't require justification as anyone who is familiar with such problems will know. The damage that would occur if I allowed in the case of this story alone, to be used as a weapon against all faiths not present or mentioned in the story, would create chaos, and possibly a retaliation. In my experience, that's the first step to escalation of growing world tensions, no matter how small a web site like this might seem. 

Although I myself have a pretty liberal attitude when it comes to sexuality, I do not in any way stand with anyone of any faith or employ, who would violate their position of trust and use it as a vehicle to sexually violate or exploit members of their parish, group or client. I apologize if my statements in this post were triggering for anyone on that matter.

I can't imagine the pain that must arise with being violated in such a manner by a person of responsibility so intensely trusted, and then to be silenced and ostracized for speaking of it in the hopes of warning others vulnerable to such activity in order to spare them the same pain. I can and have however empathized.

My hope is to avoid the chaos that arises when a medium is used as a generic weapon, and misses the mark instead hitting many innocent bystanders whom have nothing to do with the motives for using a medium as such a weapon in the first place. That in turn creates confusion and retaliation and from there as I stated, escalation. 

However, sometimes there is nothing more therapeutic than to express freely one's rage over such a situation (almost like primal scream therapy). Remember though that to onlookers, especially those who don't have reference or perspective about such issues that such expression might be alarming. I'm sure that many of my rants both those published here and any verbal expression that I've had over issues have been as much, but those rants are a side effect of forceful social radicalization. 

I strive to live by balance, one foot on each side. As much so a concept of a philosophy with which I stand as it is of one of my favourite philosophers, C.G. Jung. My initial point is that I completely understand the wont of such expression, but see no value in losing one's own rationality by way of radicalization in the process. Its like giving someone a button by which they can agitate you even further simply by pressing it every now and then, and the more you react, the more buttons it gives them.

There's the issue of self identity that is created when your behaviour extends to extremes that borders on diametrical opposition of expressed values. That's an opening through which many people in society (organized cults especially) will use to deny a person of their identity and being, by claiming that in being inconsistent with one's own self, that it is proof that one is not in the driver's seat at times, and that it is proof that someone else is in the driver's seat, usually one of their cult members as they'll claim. My neighbours just responded to my post here with: Rock hit - meaning that to them, I'm possessed by someone they refer to as Rock. I guess I'm just not good enough to have such thoughts, but Rock (Apostle Peter or Dwayne Johnson maybe) is? I only need a quarter of a bookshelf for my ego (the amount of space my written works would take up if printed), not ten bookcases, though with most people who are in the public eye, the public themselves often become a surrogate ego, especially when the person in question seemingly lacks one. Ego is something that can be purposely inflated by others simply by taking anything from a person related to their identity. Most will respond in ways that reinforces ego. Putting pictures of themselves in every post? Mentioning their name and making sure their post is signed? Get the picture.

Wounded Aerth was started in 2014 when I had very different sensibilities, but I think that it accurately represents that time in any society that is on the brink of regime change or social upheaval to dangerous ends, where that rising tension is exploited in such a way so as to create a market for hunting and burning witches (wytches in my own lore). Such things have happened before in history and if we're not careful, they'll happen again. Maybe they're already happening right now. Regardless, I'm still the same person that occasionally posts rants. I just wanted to clarify certain issues, and to ensure that there are people out there that know I stand with them.

New artwork coming...

I'll stick with my Shhhh! Digital colours.

No blue white red black for me and certainly no cults that erase people.

My love interest is Chinese and I don't play guitar. I personally don't believe in Cain and Abel with all due respect.

I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701.











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