Have you ever discovered that your priorities have completely changed? I think it's part of adulthood, but I don't know. I'm not even sure what an adult is, really, but I've got that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I became one when I wasn't looking.

What did I care about ten years ago? Let's see, that would make me seventeen, and a senior in High School. I cared about getting laid, shocking people, and being the center of attention. I took pride in being really, really weird, because I thought it made me significant. I didn't want to be accepted, because that was "normal."

Looking back, I was a total twerp. A few people liked me, a few people were entertained by me, but I don't really think anyone respected me. I certainly didn't respect anyone else, so I'd be surprised if they did.

Now, I'm worried about my job, my credit rating, the purpose of my life, being respected and accepted by my peers, the rapidly climbing price of gasoline, whether I'm doing what the Gods want of me, who the next president is going to be, how much my taxes are going to be... and, well, yeah, getting laid. (Some things never change, but at least now I don't let it control me, and it happens every now and again.) In short, I'm an American male approaching thirty at a speed that's more than a little disconcerting. I'm thinking about having a family, for crying out loud.

In other words, I've gone mainstream. Yes, I'm a religious/political activist, but whoopty-doo. When I run into an old friend from High School, my general hope is not that they think Wicca is cool, but that they think it's nothing. A non-issue. The fact that I'm a Wiccan affects every aspect of my life, but it doesn't define me.

This may seem like I'm not proud of my religion, and nothing could be further from the truth. Being a Wiccan is one of the many things that make me who I am, and if I weren't a Wiccan, I wouldn't be the person I am. I'm proud of that person, whether you call him Catalyst, Cather Steincamp, or that guy who's supervisor on third shift.

Do you think that the average African American wakes up in the morning and goes "Gee, I hope my boss thinks of me as an African American?" Being white myself, I can't say for sure, but I really doubt it. I'm pretty sure they wake up and hope they're doing their jobs, that their credit ratings are okay, that the kids are healthy... in short, they worry about the same things I do. Certainly they have issues to face that I do not. There is an entire subculture there, and I expect it's as diverse and complicated as the Pagan subculture in which I live and they do not. There are also subcultures of Politics, Economics, Religion, Gender, and sexuality that may or may not affect their lives (or mine). But for most of the day, the African Americans exist in the same culture as I do, and their lives aren't much different from my own.

Does this make them ashamed to be African Americans? Hell, no. Does this make them not care about the issues that for some stupid reason African Americans still occasionally have to deal with? Not at all. All it means is that they are normal people, just like you and me and every other person in the rat race.

I work in a culturally diverse department. My shift consists of a Jewish man of Russian descent, two African American women, and myself. Unless I miss my guess, the fact that I'm Wiccan means squat to them. Hell, the fact that I'm white probably doesn't enter into it a whole lot. I certainly hope they don't give much thought to either, excepting that they respect these parts of me as part of the respect for me as a whole.

The people who annoy me in any minority are the ones that insist on being looked upon as a minority first, and a member of society second. This applies to genders, religions, races, nationalities, or sexual orientations. If I can't respect a man on his own merits, why should I consider his race? If you're rude or incompetent, why should your given genitalia (or what you do with it) have any affect on my opinion at all?

None of this is to say that you should hide what you are. How can you respect someone who is ashamed of a part of himself? How can you respect someone who endures insult over something that is not shameful? I wear my pentagram openly, and with pride. If something comes up in conversation that involves Wicca or Paganism, I don't avoid the topic. As I've been spending a lot of time on Eclectic Storm lately, a lot of conversations with my friends and co-workers include the subject. And if somebody makes a statement that is offensive to me as a Wiccan, you can bet vital parts of your anatomy that I'll speak up about it.

Treat me like an equal, and I will respect you and honor your differences. Hit me in the face with your differences, and I won't respect you at all.

© 2000 by Cather "Catalyst" Steincamp