Being on the fringe

[Kendrick]

For whatever reason I always find myself interested in things on the fringe. I'm into historical reenactment, (which at least I have a good base for local activity and involvement there) and D&D (which is at least more socially acceptable now than it was when I started over 20 years ago *sigh* 20 years ago....).

But I also was drawn to Paganism, generally, and Wicca in particular, for a while. Now I find myself more of a Secular Humanist. But this is in an area, which as I've observed before, is known for the 200 ft tall cross by the interstate. So not exactly good hunting on the social interaction there.

And now I'm part of an awesome fanbase for an awesome show. But isolated locally in that. I know of one other Brony in my reenactment group, but she lives hours away. (and I think I may have somehow upset her now)

And I hesitate to be too open about it socially since a lot of the people I know are somewhat uber-macho. (A dear friend and neighbor is an ex-military, prison guard, and top level armored fighter. And has a personality type to fit the history.)

The internet is awesome, and helps a lot, but for those of us that are not in metro areas with the possibility of meeting others with these shared interests:

How do you cope? It gets a bit depressing to be alone in ones enthusiasm sometimes.

One a unrelated side note: I am going to donate soon. As part of that I think I want to change my username to something more ponified. I'm using the name I chose in the SCA now, but I'm blank on what a good option would be.

[TemplarFrost]

It could be your paganism. Being a Christian and all, I tend to stay away from Paganism, Wicca, Witchcraft and such. And when I looked up a Wicca tree on Google Images, I sudden feeling of depression, loneliness, and a bit of fear. Like my soul was spiritually rejecting the occult. My point is, the reason of your loneliness might be Paganism. I'm not entirely sure, but its a thought.

[starswirlthebearded]

It could be your paganism. Being a Christian and all, I tend to stay away from Paganism, Wicca, Witchcraft and such. And when I looked up a Wicca tree on Google Images, I sudden feeling of depression, loneliness, and a bit of fear. Like my soul was spiritually rejecting the occult. My point is, the reason of your loneliness might be Paganism. I'm not entirely sure, but its a thought.

Choice of faith does not dictate how lonely one is, it only dictates what they are willing to believe. I am quite interested in the occult and wicca and actually made quite a few friends because of it, despite not believing in any of it (I'm an atheist). I find the ancient beliefs of people very interesting especially those from darker ages and how people perceived the world. Yeah, I'm an odd one, a atheist who likes to learn about theology, but really its an integral part of culture and the understanding of people and their motivations.

As for being alone in my enthusiasms? Never happened to me ever. When I get into something, I share it, and most of the time at least a few of my friends end up getting into it themselves. No matter how strange it may be, all of my friends know I'm insanely picky and hell bent on quality. (They tend to figure that out when they find out that I haven't spent less than $100 on a set of headphones in over 4 years, and I have in total 1.5k in audio gear (3 headphones, a DAC/Amp, and two portable players))

Really, share your passion. You won't be alone as you think. There are quite a few Military bronies, though judging from how you described your neighbor he seems to be set in his frame of mind. Which I find entertaining, because perceptions of what is masculine and feminine are quite fluid. Here are a fact that I can guarantee your neighbor doesn't follow despite every warrior race followed until modern day. It was unmanly to hold back emotions. Yes, that means you were seen as WEAK if you DIDN'T CRY. Also, pink was seen as a manly color up until around the mid-20th Century, and blue as feminine.

True strength is having conviction for what you love despite opposition.

[Chapien]

It could be your paganism. Being a Christian and all, I tend to stay away from Paganism, Wicca, Witchcraft and such. And when I looked up a Wicca tree on Google Images, I sudden feeling of depression, loneliness, and a bit of fear. Like my soul was spiritually rejecting the occult. My point is, the reason of your loneliness might be Paganism. I'm not entirely sure, but its a thought.

Fear of the unknown. What one believes does not contribute to their feelings of loneliness or isolation; rather, it is what those around him believe.

As for being on the fringe, I know exactly what you mean. I'm an Atheist in a mostly religious community, I am an utter history nerd (though I personally prefer the writing and creation of alternate history over re-enactment). I also play Dungeons and Dragons (Well, Pathfinder, but there isn't much of a difference really), and though I have four IRL brony friends, most of my friends do not share our enthusiasm. Finally, my rather outspoken and unusual political views often push me to the fringe in the eyes of others.

But I cope by going on the internet and finding like-minded people. There will always be people who agree with you- always.