So, there is this ideal that we've all seen at least at some point. Friendship, Love & Tolerance, whatever you wish to call it. Some cling to this ideal while others have grown weary of it or have become jaded.

So what's going on right now? Well, the fandom is very much divided and bronies tend to be more passionate than for their own good. Bronies also tend to be needy and may have an insatiable appetite for attention. There's also this stereotype flying around that emotional instability, moodiness and/or depression occurs quite a bit among bronies.

Well... That's kinda to be expected.

I've seen a bunch of bronies come into the fandom with expectations of being accepted with open arms and to be seen and supported for the person that they truly are. I've seen newcomers get welcomed with numerous thoughtful posts and it really did make them feel embraced. For some, it's the first time they ever felt welcomed just for being the person that they are -- the first time they as persons have ever felt validated.

Well, that in itself brings about a problem of its own; one that fellow bronies don't really know how to deal with. For people like that, it is as though they have found salvation in friendship -- but of course they'll never phrase it like that themselves. The tendency that emerges from this is that people will turn to friendship for all of their problems. For example, bronies may turn to their friends to satisfy their craving for attention or they may constantly spill their emotional baggage unto everyone else, expecting to be listened and attended to. That is emotional dependence; plain and simple. So the argument is that accepting someone whole-heartedly may indeed make them feel happy and grateful, it can also make them very dependent on that validation which must be fed to them constantly. If that happens and if for any reason they cannot satisfy that thirst, they may feel neglected, hurt or depressed.

There's another unintended consequence that arises from accepting people whole-heartedly. More specifically, accepting their flaws as well. This may create a perverse incentive to postpone or neglect self-improvement. If people love you the way you already are then what need is there to improve yourself? What I'm saying is that it may give bronies the idea -- if not outright encourage them -- that it's okay to repeat mistakes because "that's just who I am, right?" Blindness in validation will mean that their flaws too become validated which may create the environment for them to worsen.

Blind acceptance leads bronies to resign their autonomy and their growth both in life and in spirit. Friend-relationships may more closely resemble parent-to-child relationships where one is emotionally dependent on the other. But nobody is parented forever. There comes a time when one must fly on the power of their own wings and be able to act on their own -- to realize their own strengths and potential. Good friends may show you the way but it is up to you to walk that path.

However, please understand that I am not saying that you should walk alone or that you should keep your baggage to yourself. Just because you're not alone doesn't mean you'll never have to face anything on your own. Even in the show, all ponies are good at what they do respectively and don't rely on each other for every problem facing them because if they did, they would be pretty helpless even when together.

I hoe that sheds some light on what's going on in this fandom and hopefully put into words what some bronies suspected or knew all along. However, I don't have any answers as to what the fandom should do about this (I might do that in a future blog) but I do urge bronies to think about this.