Removal of the zero-tolerence mentality

     When  you hear  that  a school or business is installing a zero-tolerance policy  over something, you think  that  they  are going to  crack  down on a certain problem. When I  was a kid, I  thought that  when the US government was establishing a zero-tolerance policy on  drugs, I  was thinking that it  was a great thing. But now I have experienced life more and been reading the news of stories about children and my  opinion has changed about zero-tolerance policies.

    Recently a little girl was talk  to  her friend about a 'bubble gun' at  school. The little girl was suspended from school because she was going to  shoot her friend with  a pink  plastic hello kitty bubble gun. The little girl  had to have a two  day mental  evaluation , of which  she was found to  be a typical little girl.  The gun comment was placed on her school record.  Her parents couldn't switch  schools because of the gun incident.

     I am stunned that  this girl was considered a threat to others because she talked about a bubble gun. She didn't even own one. This was purely a school employee hearing something and going to  the extreme. I  don't care if the country is still recovering mentally from the Sandy  Hook school shootings, it doesn't mean that any and all  gun talk should be taken seriously.  Thinking things through completely before acting upon a situation is always best.

     In this  zero-tolerance mentality, any  and all  possible violations of a law are given the same exact treatment.  So  under this concept the little girl is just as dangerous as the Sandy Hook  shooter.  Stop  and think  about that for a moment.  A little girl talks about taking her hello  kitty bubble gun and spraying her friend with it, and she is considered as dangerous as any  mass murderer.  Zero-tolerance was meant to  close some loopholes and help  enforce laws.  Zero-tolerance  was never meant to  stop  people from thinking.  Billy forgets his cap gun in his coat pocket from the weekend. Monday he discovers it at  school, by Monday  afternoon he is in police lock-up, the school is still in lock-down,  counselors were called to assure the students and teachers that  everything is alright.  The media get attention of the story and little Billy's life is over before it started.  Why  because zero-tolerance and zero-thinking turned a student into  a cold hearted killer.  The teacher couldn't access the situation and take Billy's cap  gun away and call  his parents.

     I  think  that  this mentality is starting to  affect  society,   people are losing their ability to  judge a situation.  Yes you have to  look  at  the full  picture. What is worse, calling a little girl a threat or allowing a killer into  the schools? I understand that, but what  about the price of freedom?   When you can't talk  openly or act freely with  your friends and peers because something might classify you as a threat. Could the company's zero-tolerance drug policy  result in your desk/locker getting searched because you have talked about legalizing marijuana.  Are the Schools going to have to  tell  the little boys that  they  can't play  cowboys and indians because it involves making gun gestures?

     What  makes each  and everyone of use unique is not just how we look, but  how we think as well.  A person's view of the world and the desires they have make them unique as well.  I  feel  that  this zero-tolerance mentality is oppressing some of the creative aspects of humanity.  We should have the freedom to  talk openly, and what  type of world are we living in when a little girl is threat like a killer because of her desire to  play with  a bubble gun.

Divided we stand , united we fall...

     Pagans like all  religious groups have troubles, there is nothing we can do  to  escape it.  In my experiences with  online groups, pagans are better off in small  groups.  When we get so  big  we fight and argue over the smallest things.  I have recently interacted with  a Celtic pagan group on facebook. Some of my posts were troublesome for some of the members. This  group's most active members are Celtic Recon,  people that  try to base their Celtic pagan beliefs on historically proven facts, with  as little modern interference as possible.  Because my views are more liberal  and open to many types of pagan, they were not welcomed warmly.
     What is bothering me greatly is the way  the handful of members treated the posts that I  made.  They  stated that  there were standards and that I  wasn't meeting their standards.  If your group is called  'Celtic Paganism" and the posts are relating to  Celtic paganism in general  how  could they  not be valid to  the group. I  tried to  have discussions with  the members of the group  and names I  used as references were laughed at.  Raymond Buckland and Isaac Bonewits were looked down on.  I learned from Scott Cunningham that  everyone is a teacher and that everyone had information to learn from.  So I  am starting to  see this group as too closed minded to  work  with and be a part of.
     So I  think  about how this reminds me of the Lutherans versus the Southern Baptists.  How two  groups that  share so much can be miles away at the same time. They are both christian denominations, they  both use a version of the Catholic bible,  They  both talk about accepting jesus  as their savior. But because of a different view points here and there, the two  groups have members that  speak  badly of the other. There  are families divided because one member is of a different christian denomination.
     I  then look  at all  the pagan online groups that I  have been a member of and I  see the same thing happening.  Paganism  like Christianity is a blanket term  for a collection  of similar groups that  have a similar theme and structure. A handful of pagans can get together and build a wonderful group. Once the group gets big enough, egos and differences of opinions butt heads and some cracks appear and the foundation starts to  fall apart.
     So  you  don't like wiccans, you think  they  are a joke.  That  was the opinion of one member of this group.  Wiccans do  share many  traditions that  have Celtic roots. How can you laugh  and abuse  people that  are honoring the same people you do in a different but similar manner? That is like a Methodist laughing at catholics  when they  pray.  We are supposed to  gain strength through our differences. We are supposed to  live with  our fellow man to make this world a better place.  And yet the attitudes of this group  shows a complete lack of consideration for any pagan outside of their mental  set.
     Pagans like to  say  that  we are better than that,  several love to  explain that  pagans should take the high road.  We are human just like the christians and the muslims are, we will have personality clashes and ego  trips.  But that  doesn't mean that  we can't try harder, open our minds to a new way of thinking.   If you want to  be part of a larger community you have to  be part of the community and work with  those that  differ in the community.  So  what if you are a wiccan,  if you walk  a Celtic path like me in many  ways, there are grounds for us to  share information and be stronger together.
     If you are going to  be reclusive in your pagan path  and only share with  those that  think  just like you, you are just like those gated urban developments.  You  only become part of a community when it fits your needs. Outside of the gate, nobody really knows you and wants to  be  a part of your group. I  seen people in this group act as if they  were superior to  many others.  They  said what  others should be reading and what  others should know. These are the elitist Celtic pagans of facebook. 
     I posted a Pagan book list from my group onto  this other group.  and I  was told outright that it  was a 'crappy list', but  the person that posted that  comment stated she couldn't do much  better. My  book list was too wiccan.  My  pagan group is open to all  pagans and no  pagan path is alienated.  A list of books that  contains information about the Celts in some form was rejected in a "Celtic Paganism" group .   A group of Celtic pagan elitists passing judgement on something that  was meant for the whole group.  Over 900 members to  this group  and 5 say that it is not worthy  to  be in the group.
     I  hope for the day  when this sort of thing stops.  We can and should have differences of opinion on many  topics in life, but  who are we to  judge what is worthy  for everyone else. It is your life, live by  your own standard of ethics, but never impose them on others.   Don't be an elitist over other pagans,  try understanding  their way of thinking and remember how much  you dislike people  holding rules over yourself.