The Rabyd Skald – The Future Uncertainty

December 1, 2018December 1, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Saturn’s Day

Just by way of announcement, there will be no Rogue Wizard or The Grey Wayfarer this week. I just don’t have the time to do it right, so it will wait for next week and I will double dip with one of both to make it up to you. Right now I am dealing with school, work and a lot of uncertainty about the future. I do take a lot of comfort in the fact that in such moments my creativity is off the charts. I hope it is a trend that continues. Just a few quick notes:

Academically I have been working toward the goal of being completely finished with all course work this semester, so I can just do my internship while looking for a better job. Unfortunately, I think it is very possible that I might come up short by one class because my bugaboo of GIS is probably going to get me. For me it is like learning a foreign language I can’t seem to grasp on top of a psychological trigger of past failure with the subject. I don’t know if this means I won’t be able to walk but in any case, it might be more than an internship I need to do next semester. I guess we will see because everything else I will probably do well in. If I do have to take courses next semester they will have to be all online so I can job search and keep our household costs down.
It’s official that my gym will be closing and probably sooner than I wished with everything else going on. I may have to just take a week off from the gym, focus on academics and then look for a new one during finals week.
My other uncertainty is my own confidence level waxes and wains a lot. Some moments I feel like I can take on the world and others I feel pretty helpless to the situation. I get angry still at certain things that happened and my heart still seeps soul-blood from time to time from past hurts and my own guilt. I probably need some professional counsel on this but I don’t have the money for it. One person who knows me via internet offered but I feel I need the personal touch on this one. If only I had the time or money right now.

I had someone ask me for prayer yesterday. I haven’t felt praying has done a lot of good for me or anyone else when I pray for them. I just am not sure how valuable my prayers are seeing that I have very little faith in a god who might be out there or not and quite frankly if he/she/they are what their response to me might be to me specifically seeing I have massive doubts. Christianity was my philosophical underpinning and foundation for a long time. I really am trying build a new one because that one has too many cracks in it for me now. I know too much to believe it anymore. The process of building a foundational philosophy is a long one however and this means a time of uncertainty. Out of that I hope will come something better – something more true.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

Odin’s Eye – Why I Am a Humanist

November 29, 2018November 29, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day

Introduction:

These days I am looking at being nothing but a human being – hopefully a decent one. As a deist I can acknowledge the possibility of a god, gods or divine force but because of ignorance I don’t really know what they or it is. I just don’t know and I cannot assume that they have done anything more than create the perimeters in which I live and nothing more. I have faced and will continue to face problems in this world, so who do I rely on to help me with those difficulties?

This is where I become a humanist and basically say it is time for the human race to grow up and realize that the only solution to human problems is humanity itself. That if I am going to look to solve my problems, I need to look to me to solve them and if I can join together with other humans to solve mutual problems that may be the only way to solve them. I need to have ‘faith’ in humanity to do this because in truth, as far as we know, our only salvation for our problems is our own abilities to over come them.

Faith:

I know people might watch the news and wonder how one can have faith in humanity. I do because in truth the news focuses on a small minority of people with either a problem or are the cause of a problem. The news always focuses on the small minority of bad things that happened while ignoring the normal good things that happen every day that are far more numerous. It is the classic case of focus on the negative but ignoring that the positive that far outweighs the negative. “Problem X has gone up two percentage points in the last year.” What they don’t tell you is this is only an increase from 2% to 4% and 96% of people don’t have that problem or are not engaged in that negative behavior. As Penn Gillette rightly observed there are two things about people which are true: 1) Things are usually getting better all the time and 2) People always believe they are getting worse.

I believe most of us humans are like myself. I am just trying to make my way in this world the best I can, make the best life for myself. I just doing the best I can with the cards I have been dealt and trying to get new cards if I can. I would never intentionally hurt someone and I mind my own business unless I see someone in trouble and then I try to help as best I can. I don’t do this for any other reason other than it’s the right thing to do. Because it is the human thing to do.

Religion:

This is a far cry from most religions which try to tell you that humanity is all sinful, or deficient or selfish. Religion as a general rule uses guilt and remorse for past mistakes to motivate people to action. It also creates this false sense of achievement that allows some of that religion to arrive at a higher spiritual plane and thus judge the rest of us a righteous or unrighteous. Thus they can motivate us to serve them as a way to ease their burden while adding to our own.

I am not very religious anymore. Mythology of all types is more of a hobby and area of knowledge of mine but in truth I approach the world trying to be spiritual but not religious. My motivation comes from my own humanity which I no longer consider sinful or deficient. There is good in me and probably more than most religious systems would acknowledge or want me to acknowledge.

Theology:

As a deist and humanist, my theology of humanity has changed quite considerably. I no longer see human beings as anything but what they are – human. Not sinners in the hands of an angry God, not morally deficient because they have desires that are basic to survival and living and not some drifting concept or phantom shadow. Just real genuine humanity.

This means I can hope a lot of things for my fellow humans. I can see them as fully capable of handling their own problems. I can also see that if I join with them I might be able to overcome greater problems. I don’t look at humanity as the problem, but the only real thing I can see and know that can solve those problems.

There is a respect for the individual human that follows from this as well. Not just a respect for the whole of humanity, but that each human being has this capacity to be more and better than what they are. Because of this I feel and have always felt that humans should be as free as possible to pursue their own interests to overcome their own problems as long as they do not bring harm to others. In the end I alone and they alone are responsible for their actions.

Spirituality:

As a humanist I know on thing for sure – I alone am morally responsible for what I do. No one else can have that responsibility. I also cannot be held morally responsible for anyone else’s choices. Nor should I be held accountable for them. If there is one axiom of religion that might be true, it’s the idea of being treated like I want to be treated. I want to be left alone to pursue what is best for me and as long as I don’t do that by harming or exploiting others, I should be allowed to do it. This is my basis for liberty and freedom for myself and all others. I am a libertarian in large part now becasue I am a humanist.

Conclusion:

It is in liberty and freedom where human beings are free to pursue solutions to their problems and associate with those they choose to associate with that such solutions will be found. No place else. This is something that religious people find it hard to grasp. They turn to a god, gods or whatever force they serve for the solutions and then wonder why problems still persist. This issue is turning to the one thing we know in the world that has the potential to actually solve the problems we face – ourselves.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

Of Wolves and Ravens: Lessons in Logic – Normative vs. Positive Economics

November 27, 2018November 27, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Introduction:

I am working on school work so it is helpful to review certain concepts. Most notably basics. Most people think economics is a dull subject but it probably is the one science that also deals rationally with the question of scarcity. That is what to do with resources as all resources have a limited availability? All resources are scarce, so how to distribute them is always the issue. Within this framework will be arguments and in economics arguments boil down to whether something is normative or positively stated.

A positive statement is factual dealing with the way things are and describes things factually. A normative statement is a statement of what should be and deals with recommendations for how things should be. In my old religious/theology classes positives statements are the issues of morals – the way things are and how people actually behave. Normative statements would be the issues of ethics – the way things ought to be.

When people ask me why I like economics so much it is because economics is a very human thing. Society and individuals do not live in a world of pure positive or normative reality. In truth things are constantly going back and forth between what is and what ought to be. To the wolves and ravens.

Needs (Geri):

It is a positive statement to say that human beings have needs. Things that must take place for people to survive. We need water, food, shelter from the elements and air. Without these things we would die. Most of these things are scarce, in truth all of them.

What is not always clear is how these needs should be met in the most effective and efficient manner. Economists will put out different models and will engage the subject with as much fact and evidence they can muster. However, some of this discussion in the area of needs dwells in the realm of the normative, because some economists might argue that this list of needs is too short. Education, Health Care, Defense, etc. all enter the picture here as the issues of well-being and security seem to be in that realm of tug of war between morals and ethics.

Wants (Freki):

People want things – that is probably a positive statement. The issue of how one goes about acquiring what one wants enters the realm of ethics and the normative very quickly. The whole discussion of rights, collectivism vs. individualism and many other discussions of which economics system is the best, enter the arena at this point. It could be said that the majority of the disagreements between economists involve wants vs. needs discussions.

Reason (Huginn):

One would think the moment we engage reason that the world of the normative drops out of the picture. It doesn’t though. Reason has to engage ideas of all kinds. In economics reason might spend a large part of the time engaging the laws of economics (there are at east thirty of them) but sometimes it is not clear because of the normative nature of the issue how those laws should be applied. This is the centrality of the issue of economics. I love this aspect of it.

Wisdom (Muninn):

Wisdom is learning to understand things and how to apply them. Economics, because of this normative/positive tug of war, has the added feature of trying to be applied to real life. Trying to come up with the best solution for the problems of needs and wants is the central core of economics and this practical aspect draws me to it like a moth to a flame. Sifting through all the normative and positive statements to find a true genuinely helpful philosophy of economics is a worthy goal and one I want to embrace. In addition economics has been around long enough that from Adam Smith onward we have a large number people to draw from as far as experiences and thought. It means the wisdom provided on these questions is extensive.

Conclusion:

If there is any lesson today it is for people to recognize that there are positive and normative statements in the world and to learn to distinguish between the two of them. This becomes the foundational skill of learning not only how to engage logical principles but to learn how to know when someone is stating a fact or an ethical opinion is something that every person should learn. For me economics stands as this great fusion between life and philosophy and learning how to navigate both.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

Of Wolves and Ravens – Religion and Leadership

November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Introduction:

If there has been one thing I have learned in the last few month’s it is that people for some reason trust a person who is more religious than one who is not. I am not sure what the congregation reacted the strongest to when I left my last church, the fact that I had an emotional affair, or that I left the faith. I think if had been just the first I might have gotten off with lesser consequences from them but the notion that I, a pastor, had a crisis of faith seemed to bother them more than the affair. At least for some.

There is a prevailing notion that a religious leader is more honest and truthful than one who is not. We see it in politics every year as one candidate or another with come out and declare their faith, quote from the Bible or declare how their faith in God has made them a better candidate than the other one.

I know for myself I have noted a change in how people perceive what I say. I even had one guy say my opinion was now more invalid because I no longer had faith. So much for basing assessment of validity on reason and the rules of logic. The truth is while we may gravitate to religious leaders, they my be even more damning as far as leadership direction and motivation than their non-religious counterparts.

Does being religious make a person a better leader or just a more devious one? One that uses the politics of religion to get votes and support. To the wolves and ravens:

Needs (Geri):

Does a good leader need to be religious? I am not sure high ethics and morality are found in being religious. I mean even in Christianity, the ethics of Christians can get inconsistent and even diabolical. The Calvinist doctrine of election is most certainly something that led to the American notion of manifest destiny that probably single-handed was the most responsible philosophy that lead to the western expansion of the United States and the wiping out of the ‘non-elect’ Native Americans. Not exactly a positive high ethical moment when you use faith to justify genocide and theft. I don’t think there is any need for a leader to be religious at all because their religion being a force for good or bad really can depend on the religion and its worldview.

Wants (Freki):

Do we then still want a leader to be religious? I guess that would depend on who you are. Christians want Christian leaders; Muslims want Islamic leader, etc. Why? Because then those groups know their values have a better chance of being respected. The problem is this same issue becomes a way of excluding other faiths and systems of understanding the world. It should also be noted that religion more often than not causes people to believe things about reality that are not true and for that to affect public policy is dangerous. People want religious leaders because they want to push that particular faith’s agenda, not because being religious makes a leader a better or more sound one.

Reason (Huginn):

My problem with bringing reason into this discussion is that leadership and following one often has much more to do emotion. Very few honestly assess a leader for their leadership qualities. Reason actually tells us that people are stupid and follow people because those people share the same associations with them. Even of that person’s character is suspect, they will still follow them because they are ‘one of us’.

Donald Trump and evangelical Christians are a classic case in point. During the primaries Ben Carson supporters were basing Trump as immoral due to his past associations with Democrats and the fact he was divorced a remarried several times. There was also the fact that he had affairs while he was married. As an example of Christian moral character, Donald Trump was and is not the best, Yet, the moment it was clear he was the candidate of choice, they flipped and started saying what a godly Christian man he was. Yeah, evangelicals being hypocrites once again is not new, but this was the most blatant flip-flop I had ever seen and I was still a minister at the time.

From a reason standpoint being religious is the reasonable thing to do if you want religious people to blindly follow you, so Trump immediately made a show of getting prayed for and quoting the Bible. He was elected with a majority of Evangelical support. So it gets you elected but it’s obvious that being religious also gets people to leave their ethical standards to vote for you.

Wisdom (Muninn):

Wisdom when it looks at history cannot support the notion that a leader being a zealous religious devotee is a good idea. Religion has been used to justify more wars, genocides, rapes and other things no rational caring person would consider good. It takes religion to make otherwise good people do evil things. Give such a person power and you have magnified the evil that he can make good people do. Power in the wrong hands is already dangerous, religious zealots in leadership magnify this a hundred fold.

Conclusion:

I want to make it clear here, I am not really saying you can’t be in leadership and be religious. I am saying that probably given that we don’t need a leader to be religious to be effective, nor is it always wanted. Reason and wisdom say that it actually might not be good idea for a leader to be a zealot religiously in order to be fair to people of all faiths or those who lack faith at all.

I want to make it also clear Trump’s morality is not the issue here with me. I really don’t care as long as a leader is effective what his bedroom habits are. This issue for me is the danger of those who are religious who follow him, like the Evangelicals in how simply because a man quotes the Bible and bows his head in prayer, he must be godly. Therefore those same Evangelicals will follow him to damnation with the country and liberty as collateral damage. It might actually be more damning to freedom and liberty for a leader to be religious in truth.

Personally, I have found it interesting that people challenge the truth of what I say these days far more. Now if this was purely about lies told in the past, i could understand it to an extent. But it seems to be more than that. I am not ‘one of us’ with a lot of people anymore and so the tribalism of life comes in more fully. The real funny part is I have actually gotten more honest in the last few months than I have been in a long time. So much so, some people don’t like it.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

Odin’s Eye – Why I am a Deist

November 8, 2018November 8, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / 1 Comment

Happy Thor’s Day

Introduction:

I said for a long time that if I wasn’t a Christian I would be a Deist, because it is the most rational position because of the ignorance of mankind. We don’t know a lot of things, so to maintain that there might be a Divine power out there is simply a rational statement. It’s possible and even atheists admit this. Most atheists aren’t screaming into the microphone that people who believe in the divine are stupid, they just maintain that they don’t believe in a divine power themselves. They also like Laurence Krauss above admit that we are ignorant, so we can’t dismiss the possibility. Epistemologically, we are all in a sense agnostics except the religious who apparently think they have it all figured out.

I know a lot of my friends are worried because I am not a Christian anymore. I even had my counselor ask if I had renounced Christ. I almost laughed because if my salvation or damnation depends on my saying or not saying words, then I am sure that’s more pivotal rather than living your life with virtue in mind? Your actions can be totally evil, but as long as you don’t renounce Christ, you are good to go to heaven? I am sure someone will eventually say to me “I love you and I just don’t want to see you in hell.” Did you ever ask yourself the question: Why should he or I go to hell in the first place and is that justice? More on that later in Odin’s Eye in weeks to come.

Faith:

As a deist I can have faith in a creator, in the divine. I can’t really say what that divine power is however. What this means is I also don’t know what the divine’s actual expectations are. What I am left with is to engage a lot of reason with my faith and that my friends is a far more powerful combination than religion and faith.

Religion:

As far as I can tell all religions are man-made and their holy books are written by men. I cannot completely dismiss that those men might have been honest and genuine in their intentions. I also cannot deny for sure that they may not have encountered the divine power that actually exists. What I might say is that they all interpreted those things in the light of their preconceived religious world view. Casting those experiences in something they already understood and then adding their own opinions and spin to it.

As a deist, I really am no longer religious. I am however still spiritual in some regards. I take however as the deist axiom that ‘God gave us reason not religion’.

Theology:

I can still reason about the divine. I just don’t have to deal with the mucky muck of trying to figure out special revelation or revealed religion. I am left with creation to tell me through engaging it with my reason, what the divine might be like. I could make mistakes in judgment, but the one thing I am no longer doing in my theology is accepting as final arbiter someone else’s opinion about God like it is fact that cannot be questioned. That includes Paul, Moses and Muhammad.

Spirituality:

I think religions tap into spirituality and that is why they exist, but also it is why they all will work in this regard. You can also be spiritual without them. Meditation for instance has been rationally explored and the reason it works is that it is basically a human being learning to calm down, think and be at peace. It’s why even as a deist I can be spiritual but it is far more me trying to find my way in this world, than understanding the divine.

Conclusion:

I have heard deism is the a logical progress which ends in atheism. I am not sure that is true and the whole logical progression/evolution of religion thing has never appealed to me as genuine or always true. I really don’t find atheism to be rational at this point given the colossal ignorance of mankind. At the same time I get it. I don’t bear the atheist any ill will because I do understand why someone would follow that path.

For me the path is deism for while I think. I can have a faith that is rational taking into account my own ignorance. I don’t have to be religious to be spiritual in truth. Theology is a little more difficult but still possible. I guess I just need to see where the path ultimately takes me.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Business Virtues – The State of My Mind

November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin) Day

Journal:

My Mind – Not something people want to know unless you are part sarcasm, part dark humor and with a little asshole thrown in. There is also The Grey to consider here, I debated whether depression is a mental thing or a heart thing but I would say it is a mental battle you fight to protect your heart. The Grey is kind of the feeling I get during this battle. Sometimes it affects my heart, sometimes not.

This summer I found myself engaged in a lot larger dark thoughts than normal. I was conflicted in a lot of ways. On the good side there was an intense relief not to be in the pulpit anymore. An honest attitude and thought process began about my non-faith and more reasonable approach to life began this summer. If it hadn’t been for my heart being drawn to something that ultimately hurt me, I might have been OK. Hurt however makes it very hard to think until it wakes you up like a cold shower in the morning.

That led to the dark side of thoughts. I can’t say I am proud of what I was thinking at the time. Mostly it was my desires driving my thoughts; which is why after I came out of this fog, I initiated my Wolves listening to the Ravens policy motto.

Right now, I am trying to get things back into focus. It is not easy because I still want what I wanted, but I have to be very real in how it is going to be achieved. In the case of mind the Business Virtues fit because it is about getting down to the business of life and thinking through how things need to be and what steps need to be taken.

Self-Reliance:

“Self Reliance is the spirit of independence, which is achieved not only for the individual, but also for the family, clan, tribe and nation.”

Principle: Work to be self-reliant in all things.

In being self-reliant there is an underlying philosophy of minimalism that I follow. I am not an extreme minimalist but I do have two criteria for keeping things I own. 1) Is it useful to me and have I used it in the last year. 2) Does it give me joy. If I look at something and I cannot answer yes to either question, it disappears.

The reasoning behind this is that things can slow you down, weigh you down and cause you to make decisions that are not the best or to your advantage. It’s also why I don’t have pets at this time anyway. I just don’t have the proper time or energy to give to a dog (don’t like cats) or say a raven. As I get older time is a most precious commodity, so I don’t want to spend it taking care of stuff that is not useful or enjoyable. This means it takes less to be self-reliant as well.

Industriousness:

“Industriousness is the willingness to work hard, always striving for efficiency, as a joyous activity in itself”

Principle: Work with enjoyment of work itself.

Being efficient is an economics thing and I love economics. I also love to create things and one of the things I am learning is the creativity of all work. There is something you are creating even in stocking shelves and that is opportunity for the product to meet the customer. It makes all work enjoyable when you can see the creative part of it. Creativity isn’t just a product of heart but also the mind.

Hospitality:

“Hospitality is the willingness to share what one has with one’s fellows, especially when they are far from home.”

Principle: Be ready to be hospitable to those who truly need it.

The reason I would say hospitality is more of a mental thing than a heart thing is that to do it right you have to plan for it. It takes real preparation for you to always be ready to help. To be in a position of abundance so that you can help others in need takes a long-term strategy and so that is what I am employing.

In part also is the need perhaps to host a support group of some sort maybe a year from now. I am not sure for what but I know that I started to slip mentally and emotionally when this left my life so I need it back. The reason I say a year from now is I need to heal and rebuild some things first.

Daily Routine:

Communication / Cuddle Time
Blogging
Reading – 1 hour per day.
Study / Homework – 1 hour per day or until all necessary work is completed.
Empty In Box
Financial Transaction Input

Pretty Good here. Can’t complain too much anyway. If there is any weak spot its the homework and reading. School is hard because the only interesting class to me this semester is Health Economics but only for the Economics part, not the Health part. I am getting better though now that I look at each assignment in each class as a chance to be creative.

Goals:

Strengthen Marriage
Finish my Political Science Degree
Advance Career
Monitor and Control Finances
Write for my Blog – 1 post per day average.
Exercise
Follow a Solid Diet Plan
Create and work a Bucket List.

I am closest to the goal of finishing my degree. The rest of these goals have a continual aspect to them and I am OK with that but it does call into question how do I measure them other than in terms of streaks of how long I have gone with each one. I figure I can add a couple because like my bucket list I can have 8-10 things on it. I may also edit this list in the coming week so the goals are a little more measurable.

Budgeting:

Basic Emergency Fund – $1000
Debt Snowball
Fully funded Emergency fund
Invest 15% of income into retirement
Pay off Home Early
Build Wealth and Give

Still stage 1 but I feel that things can move forward although it is very slow. Once I have a better paying job, I think I can actually work the first three parts fairly quickly.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

The Rabyd Skald – The Midterms – How I Am Voting. (Hint – Libertarian)

November 6, 2018November 6, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day – It’s also Election Day here in the United States.

It would normally be the day for Wolves and Ravens, but there is so much to cover as a political scientist as far as elections right now, and not all of it fits a philosophical analysis; so this will be a Rabyd Skald and I am going to tell you how I am voting.

I spoke last week on Voting and told you that the truth is there is a higher chance of any of us going to the election and being killed on the way in a car accident, than that our vote would matter. For all you thrill seekers, here is my guide to how to vote here in the great state of Michigan.

Governor / Senate / House and State Legislature – You can keep voting for the same two parties and get the same results over and over again or Vote outside that line – me I am voting Libertarian Party. The Libertarians last election gained a lot in Michigan by passing a certain mark. It means they got their own primary ballots and for that to continue need to keep that percentage. I am pretty much voting libertarian straight ticket on this one. No names required because any libertarian candidate will be truly smaller government and less government red tape and involvement is my hope and dream.

Michigan The Ballot Proposals

Proposal 1 – Marijuana Legalization

Yes. I am going to be blunt here. Get it Blunt? While smoking weed is on my bucket list, it is not something I have actually done. The real reason I am doing this is the current approach to drugs as in fighting a drug war is actually quite ineffective. This drug in particular is less harmful in all respects than alcohol and only stereotyping keeps people’s opinions of it negative. The only people who really benefit from the drug war are the police (who us it as justification for bigger budgets and more power), the prison industry (who needs prisoners preferably ones that are docile like MJ users), the pharmaceutical industry and alcohol industries (these later two don’t like competition). This is why you will see all these groups lobbying so hard against legalization. Yes vote here please. Time to end the stupidity.

Proposal 2 – Redistricting Committee

In its most simplistic terms, this basically creates a citizens committee in charge creating the voting districts instead of leaving it to Legislature. I am not really sure about this one but I know both the Republicans and Democrats don’t like it. That means it might actually be a good thing. Yes on this one too, simply because I like pissing the major parties off.

Proposal 3 – Automatic Voter Registration and Earlier Voting Measures.

This means when you get your driver’s license or state ID you are automatically registered to vote. There is also a provision for getting an absentee ballot without having to give a reason and being able to use it to vote up to two weeks early. I don’t really see any negatives here. It’s any body’s guess as to if it will actually improve voter turnout. Yes.

National Politics:

On the national stage of course the Senate is going to be a long haul for the Democrats. They not only have to fight to keep a lot of seats, if they want to gain ground they have to upset Republicans. they have to win 28 races to gain the senate.. The Republicans simply have to win seven races and they keep the senate. In the house well, it’s an every two-year thing, we will see how it goes. I predicting the elephants will continue to hold the senate and the house but will lose a little ground.

As a political scientist, I am just enjoying the show. Pass the popcorn. Although I will probably enjoy seeing Bohemian Rhapsody with my daughter more than these election results to analyze.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues – The State of My Heart

November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Moon’s Day

Journal Entry:

The last two weeks have been a lot of wrestling with myself. This week journal entries will be dealing with the state of different parts of me as I see them and what I can do to improve them. I will talk in this one of the state of my heart. My Wednesday entry I will talk about the state of my Mind and on Friday the state of my Body.

My view of heart is more than just the state of emotions; it’s also the state of my soul. The thing is I view this as my core being and that which gives me personal value, motivation and a sense of myself. It resonates with my foundational virtues the most. A good heart, is honorable, courageous and rejoices in the truth.

It is also the most fragile part of me as an introverted empathic romantic sap. I don’t give my friendship or love easily; truth be told, so when someone rejects my love or abuses my friendship, I get devastated. I fully acknowledge the fact that one of the persons who hasn’t treated my heart that well is myself.

I would say the state of my heart is wounded, bruised and sometimes bleeding. It is also held together by stitches, staples and even a rope wrapped around it. I am surprised it survived the summer. To be honest, I teetered on the edge there for a bit of becoming a heartless bastard. I got hurt a lot, some of it self-inflicted. True, I kind of did some hurting there in the beginning myself, but it’s the hurts I received from people who, when I was down, decided to hit me again that really bothered me.

I don’t speak of this much anymore but I also did get my heart broken by someone I loved very deeply this summer. (I don’t speak of this often because its something that is hurtful to my family, but it doesn’t change the fact that it hurt and I still deal with that hurt. I have to thus deal with it myself.) There is a deep gash in my heart because of it. I also realized how deeply I hurt someone else; who I have renewed my love for, but that also has been a painful guilt ridden process. Self inflicted wounds there. I am trying not to become heartless through all this, but I have truly become suspicious of anyone who calls me their friend or says they love me unless they have demonstrated both at a high level first. Emotionally, I watch my six a lot more because I can’t afford right now to take any more hits. I still try to be true to my better nature. A friend/relative posted this a couple of days ago. It really spoke to me.

The one person right now who has proven her love for me is my wife. If there is any demonstration of genuine Christian forgiveness and mercy I can look at right now; it is her. She is also been my chief source of healing. I long to cuddle with her, make love to her and talk about things with her. It’s a good feeling and my heart seems to be mending because of it. If I can get closure in a few more things, I might make some real healing progress. I do want to get a wounded heart tattoo at some point as it is part of my journey.

Honor:

“Honor is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being, and the desire to show respect for this quality when it is found in the world”

Principle – Be positive about my future

Honor is still a real struggle for me. I feel the real struggle of my natures at times. Oh, for me this is no longer about sin and righteousness. For me the issue is more about the Wolves and Ravens. Making sure the wolves of Need and Want listen to the ravens of Reason and Wisdom. Honor is returning but it is a slow and painful process.

Thing is school will be ending soon and with that graduation. I even have a lead on an internship to finish things off this Spring. I am really hoping that fully closing this latest chapter in my life and looking forward to the future will restore some honor.

Courage:

“Courage is the bravery to do what is right always.”

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

I am coming up to a time when courage might be called for. Graduation now looms and looking for a new career starts probably this next week. I need to be decisive and courageous in this. The time is getting closer to act.

I want whatever career path I choose to be right. It needs to fit me. When I see it, I want to grasp it with both hands.

Truth:

“Truth is the willingness to be honest and to say what one knows to be true and right. It is often better to not say anything at all if one cannot be honest.”

Principle – Pursue knowledge, wisdom and truth at all times.

I miss the old Microphone. I was absolutely honest with the way I saw things and the truth was more important to me than anything. Now, I can’t recommend this in the end though, as it can be painful to face the truth about one’s self and situations. It is often better not to say anything, if one cannot be honest.

This blog takes a different tack. It is honest when it speaks but when it is silent, that’s when you know I am taking the route of being silent is better when you can’t be honest.

Morning Routine:

Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV) and Principles
Review Goals
Review Bucket List
Full Body Stretch
Meditate on One of the Virtues
Breakfast
Supplements and Medicines
Shower and Personal Hygiene
Get Dressed for the Day

I would say this is becoming more automatic and it is become habit. To really make sure of that, I need to keep doing it for several more months. The real thing though is the peace of mind and focus this gives me early in the day. It keeps me focused on why I live quite frankly. I do feel a sense of purpose again and it is in large part due to the morning routine, in particular the meditation on the NNV and reviewing my goals and principles.

Bucket List:

Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation.
Get My Tattoos.
Actually Get Drunk.
Smoke a Joint.
Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Write My Novel.
Learn Latin.
Learn Hungarian.
Weightlifting – Bench 225 lbs, Squat 315 lbs, and Deadlift 405 lbs.
Start my own business

I did a Rabyd Skald post recently about tattooing my closure. I suppose when people look at the bucket list they might see get my tattoos, they wonder what specifically I am talking about. Here is my list:

Valknut Tattoo with wolves, ravens and a rune circle. Right forearm.
Broken Celtic Cross – Center Back right under my neck
Two Wolves – Left shoulder “It’s OK to Feed the Wolves…” in writing under them.
Two Ravens – Right shoulder – “but Listen to the Ravens First”
Wounded Heart Tattoo – Left Pectoral

#1 is about my new philosophy of life where I can always see it and remind myself of it. #2 – Old Faith – Still I must admit it has an effect on my thinking but I don’t have faith so it is broken. #3-4 – My philosophical statement clearly stated. #5 – Given this post, I think this one is self-explanatory.

Weightlifting:

If there is any concern right now it is that my current gym might close. It’s having a hard time now that Planet Fitness is in town. The owner is pretty distraught with a lot of personal issues as well. I hate this because this was my gym – my home gym. I love the place and always have. I hope they find a way to keep going.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

The Rabyd Skald – The Grey and The Wayfarer #2 – Tattooing My Closure

November 3, 2018November 3, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Saturn’s Day

I know probably all of you are expecting another installment of The Grey Wayfarer Fantasy Serial, but I have been backlogged with a lot of homework for school. I want that series to be high in quality, so I could either skip it this week and make sure it is good stuff next week or I could rush it and it not be as good. I chose the former.

I also am considering another serial of a different nature for variety so Saturdays might be one or the other of these series or both. I really like to write fiction, so it’s really not a problem.

I will not leave you post less however so I feel a personal update is in order.

My wife and I are doing well. Moving out on our own is probably the best thing we could have done for ourselves and probably should have done it a lot sooner than we did. Perhaps if we had done so, a lot of things would not have happened as they did.

I have been struggling with The Grey (Depression). One day I will be fine, the next angry, the next sad and then depressed the fourth day and then back up and at it the next. I have spoken about how I think this is caused by a lack of closure. There is a cycle to it and I am thinking that if I could get some closure on things or healing could be sped up in some way that cycle would be broken or minimized. I am just not sure how.

A thought struck me this week that my tattoo plans might be the answer. I view this not so much as acts of rebellion or a mid life crisis (Sweet Baby Jesus, this has been long mid-life crisis; if it is one) but as statements about milestones in my life, a new philosophy or statements about the past. It is this last aspect that I think I might be able to use as a markers on my journey through life. Because of this there is now a real desire to get that first tattoo again. I could see it as a line where I pass from one thing to the next. The past behind and the future before me. Symbolized by tattoos. There is also the fact that such a transition would come with pain – some how that seems appropriate. It’s at least an idea.

On a more personal note – I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me. Who has not let my bad decisions and bad frame of mind deter you from being my friends or reading my blogs over the last several months. Your concern is appreciated and I don’t know if I thank my genuine friends enough for sticking by me.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

Of Wolves and Ravens – Voting or Playing the Lotto

October 30, 2018October 30, 2018 / Ed Raby Sr / 1 Comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Introduction:

I am on campus a lot as a student and have been over this last three and a half years and at every election time the message by the school is clear, get out there and vote. “It’s your civic responsibility”. “You can make a difference.” The problem with being an Economics Minor is when you start doing an analysis of voting using economic law and principles, you discover to your horror as a Political Science Major that your individual vote matters little.

It was humorous this last week as the Power Ball Lotto reached 1.6 Billion and I saw people lining up around the country for their almost statistical zero chance of winning it. Many of same people will adamantly tell me I am wasting my vote by voting for Libertarian candidates because they won’t win. The irony is a little thick there because voting is very much like playing the lotto. You are doing an action that might have the very small statistical chance of actually affecting the outcome of an election.

On to the Wolves and Ravens:

Needs (Geri):

I am doing a little bit of switch here because as I already indicated I am a libertarian and so the first thing I am going to talk about is whether government is legitimate. I think it in most cases is not even necessary. Like I said on Sunday in the Pagan Pulpit on Havamal 47 – people in general are decent people. There are always bad apples and some people want protection against those apples, so humans start out with the idea of government as a means to do that. If I take a Classical Liberal position you have government needed for a way of settling deputes and to provide protection of human rights, this would involve a need for courts, internal security (fire and police) and defense. Other than that most other things could be handles by voluntary associations and the free market.

Wants (Freki):

So if we need this minimal government and we want it, how do we get it? Democracy is the notion that the majority rules by voting and that the majority gets the action that they voted for. There are several problems with this. 1) I don’t want this decision to affect myself or others negatively but when the majority rules the effect is felt on those that want the action and those that don’t. 2) I am forcing the other side to my will if my side wins. If I am a decent human being, forcing another to do something they don’t want to do or affects them negatively, should be distasteful to me. I don’t want that. I don’t want to be part of something that is about the tyranny of the majority. What we have in voting and democracy most of the time is mob rule, and the person who can rally the biggest mob around them wins.

Reason (Huginn):

OK. Time to look at voting rationally. Two things: 1) The power of the individual vote is insignificant and 2) There are only a few times where your vote can actually matter.

The first is the simply point that the value of a single vote in any election is 1 over N. N being the number of votes actually cast in that particular election. This means the larger and election, the more statistically insignificant your vote is. You actually probably have more of a chance of affecting the outcome of smaller local elections than anything else. The most power if have had personally in this regard is when I sat on two school boards and had a one seventh of a chance of actually casting a deciding vote.

The other part is knowing that the only time you actually to cast a significant vote is when you either break or cause a tie. Otherwise you are just part of the mob. In truth what you are doing is playing the political lotto hoping that you are part of the mob that wins. Also, if you are part of the mob that loses then your vote was wasted and if the election is won, every winning vote beyond what was need to win is a wasted vote. There are a lot of insignificant and wasted votes every election and the most of them are actually cast for the two major parties.

This is why people don’t get informed because I think they instinctively know this. There is little point in spending a lot of time on something that you know won’t have much effect; if any, on the outcome. So people vote their feelings or party line because it doesn’t require much thought.

Wisdom (Muninn):

So what, then? Where does wisdom fit in? I can only say that it might have little to do with voting or government in general. If we were wise we would give government little power and maintain that individuals have strong rights the government can’t take away by voting. Oh, yeah that’s what the founders gave us but we keep going down the path to less individual rights and more government. A course that is not wise, but the desire for security over freedom keeps leading us to despise “The Blessings of Liberty”. . Perhaps people should reconsider that maybe our founders here in the United States were in a sense political geniuses and we should respect their intelligence of individual rights over government power.

Conclusion:

Yeah, I vote. But don’t tell me my vote matters or its my civic duty. For me it is more like other people playing the lotto. It’s that slim chance I might make a difference, that I might be in the winning mob. I do it for the thrill of marking my choices and hoping like the power ball player gets his number and dreams. I do it for the thrill of knowing that there is a statistically better chance that I will be involved in a fatal car crash on my way to the polls, than my vote will make a difference – it’s kind of like sky diving for a political scientist.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

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The Grey Wayfarer

A Blog of Ed Raby, Sr. – The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher

Philosophy

The Rabyd Skald – The Future Uncertainty

Odin’s Eye – Why I Am a Humanist

Of Wolves and Ravens: Lessons in Logic – Normative vs. Positive Economics

Of Wolves and Ravens – Religion and Leadership

Odin’s Eye – Why I am a Deist

A Skald’s Life – Business Virtues – The State of My Mind

The Rabyd Skald – The Midterms – How I Am Voting. (Hint – Libertarian)

A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues – The State of My Heart

The Rabyd Skald – The Grey and The Wayfarer #2 – Tattooing My Closure

Of Wolves and Ravens – Voting or Playing the Lotto