Sevenfold Silence

In the otherkin community there's a lot of talk of where we came from and why we're the way we are (which makes sense--it's a big mystery). Sometimes people start talking about if we're here as a 'punishment', or if Earth is like purgatory, and--meaning no offense to these people--I feel like either banging my head against the wall, or offering teary hugs.

Are you here to be punished? I can't say for certain, but if you think you are you'll probably be that much more miserable, and you'll end up feeling punished. Regardless of how miserable you actually are (and if you are genuinely unhappy, I am very sorry for this), you'll become miserable if you think your existence here is pain. Moods are self-fulfilling prophecies like that.

I think that at the time of one's Awakening one goes through a certain bout of depression that's symptomatic of identity problems in general. It isn't intrinsic to the otherkin experience in general, at all--plenty of people go through it for other reasons, and I think that in time it passes. Moreover I think that a lot of people Awaken during adolescence/puberty, at which point depression and general unhappiness manifest. Whether or not you're actually here as a punishment, immediately around your Awakening might not be the right time to entertain the notion--it'll make you more unhappy than the psychological shock alone would.

In other words, it's possible--lots of things are possible, and I won't get into questions of karma, ethics, or pissing-off of godforms--but I'd hope that anyone entertaining the notion would consider other possibilities quite seriously. And--to be honest--if you are sincerely that depressed to believe that your entire existence is intended as a kind of purgatory, please at least consider going to a psychologist. The bad rap they get in the 'kin community is, in my opinion, undeserved--they are not going to lock you up, and they can help you through whatever psychological pain you are in. I promise.