"I guess I have always been a Druid in my heart"...(a rant)

"I guess I have always been a Druid in my heart .. Healer and Herbalist I was raised in the old ways and still keep it that way ..simple life and enjoying what nature has to offer."

How does you "studying the old ways" and being a healer and an herbalist make you a Druid? Hell, how many Wiccans believe that same definition/information makes them a Wiccan?

As others have pointed out to me this seems to be a "fill" in the blank sort of statement with any tradition that one "feels" is correct. Neopagans seem to have lost their need to understand and they believe that as long as one "feels" something is right it must be despite the fact that by making such blanket statements they are not only disrespecting those who have actually dedicated themselves to the path they claim they are members of, but turning Pagans into touchy feely ignorant hippies.

In this particular case, this person makes a general statement about being a "healer and herbalist" and studying the "old ways." While that blanket statement might be fine in regards to justifying calling oneself a pagan, they are not at all being specific to Druidism. One could easily use that description for a Wiccan or any eclectic pagan path.

In regards to a tradition like Druidism, there are YEARS of study, followed by years of practice. Someone who claims a title like Druid and justifies it by such vague means is dismissing all the years of dedication, contemplation and importance of a such a role. Not everyone can be a Druid so making ignorant statements like above diminishes the role and disrespects those who have put in the study, time and responsibility taken on by those who truly do live the title.

*side note* There are/have been Druids in many roles and when I state that a Druid is a leader, advisor, and teacher I am not neccessarily refering to a Priest of sorts. In a modern society, I believe a Druid would have been someone whose years of study and experience would naturally put them in such a role because when one becomes so dedicated to their path and an expert in their field, they automatically enter a "role model" position. That is what is a Druid is/was of the Celtic society.