Desires

“Asatru and Industriousness” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Industriousness

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

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

Principle: Work with the enjoyment of work itself.

The followers of Asatru’s Nine Noble Virtues (NNV) have a deep realization of the necessity that virtues cannot e idle.  There is nothing more useless that people who claim certain ideals and qualities but then do not display them.  In truth this virtue in particular cuts against the notion of being hypocritical. If something needs to change or needs doing there is no waiting for the gods or goddesses to do it or if I am deficient in some quality there is no waiting for the powers that be to change me,  I work and do that myself.

For me, I have found that I am very willing to work hard.  Even more so than before I followed Asatru.  Hard work is its own reward at times. I strive to be efficient looking for new and better ways to do things. I look at the situation and try to see the most effective way to order things to do them so that they are done well and as quickly as possible so more can be done in less time.

My struggle is working at all times with the enjoyment of work in and of itself.  I also strive to find a job and a career that suits me the best.  I can work hard at any job you give me. I also want to know the job is challenging to me on all levels because that is what gives me the most joy in my work.   It is what allows me to take the most pride in a job well done.

Website: Ravenbok – The particular page is: The Values of Asatru

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

There is the mentality of the thief that seeks to take from others.  There is the counter mentality which is to smith your own life from what you are given.  The first is dishonorable and cowardly. The other is honorable and courageous.  The need to work hard with joy is obvious to me.

Wants (Freki):

I want to work hard because there is satisfaction in doing that gives a lot of honor to my soul.  In addition, I have goals that require hard work so if I want to achieve them I need to get off my ass and go get them. If you want a good life, the first thing to realize is no one is going to give that to you.  You have to go earn it.

Reason (Huginn):

Reason tells me also that hard work leads to a lot of benefits with others.  being the one that people look to and can’t do without, is an advantage in any employment situation. Rationally hard work makes you more valuable to other people than someone who is lazy.  It should also be noted that if you are a boss, those workers under you respect hardworking bosses more than ones who are lazy. Respect of this sort is more valuable than gold.

Wisdom (Muninn):

But more than that, living life to its fullest requires the wisdom of industriousness.  The old adage of working hard and playing hard comes from industriousness.  There is great wisdom in doing all things with effort and striving for efficiency so more gets done in your life in less time.  More is built and enjoyed.

Conclusion:

Hard efficient work in all areas is valuable. Industriousness reminds us that no matter what we are doing to do it with the highest amount of effort and efficiency.  It doesn’t matter if it is devotion to the spiritual, vocational or recreational part of life.  All need good solid effort to make the most of every situation. It is one of the virtues I have learned to enjoy the most.

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

Skaal!!!

“Asatru and Self-Reliance” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Self-Reliance

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

“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: To achieve and maintain personal independence and advocate for independence in my family, state and nation.

This virtue is much more complicated than it first appears.  We also need to remember that as we move from the Foundational Virtues to the Business Virtues that this is my distinction but in other views, this virtue is handled in a different place.  What all of us acknowledge is that the Nine Noble Virtues weave together to form different concepts and at Self-Reliance, we see a lot of that.

Mostly though there is one word that guides my thinking on this virtue – ‘independence”.  It is that line ‘the spirit of independence’.  I would say that one cannot be dependent on others and self-reliant and as such one is not truly free if one is dependent on others.  Your dependence means that the people you are dependent on can take it away and thus can dictate terms in some way in other areas with the threat of taking what they give you away.

This idea of self-reliance meshes well with the libertarian concept of the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP) as to be self-reliant it can be seen that attempts to force or defraud others are not self-reliant but rather the actions of the thief and extortionist. No thief or extortionist is self-reliant.

In Asatru, the person who is valued is the one who goes and, using industriousness, makes their own life.  The person who finds ways to leach on the lifeblood of the industriousness of others is not. Hospitality is the guard against those who find themselves in trouble due to no fault of their own as in Hospitality (which we will discuss in a couple weeks) you find each person having the requirement in that virtue of helping those in need if it is in their power to do so.

Website: Ravenbok – The particular page is: The Values of Asatru

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

The need for self-reliance is obvious for personal development.  No one grows stronger or better by being in a dependent state in relationship to others.  It is liberty and independence that have as their responsible core the need to grow and be better to live a better life. We need self-reliance to maintain our freedom by working for it. As much as I believe it is true that liberty requires a sacrifice of blood from those who would try to take from time to time.  The constant maintenance of liberty is done by people working hard every day to maintain their self-reliance.

Wants (Freki):

We want self-reliance as well.  I suppose in Asatru this is best reflected in how the Norse people looked at the gods.  They certainly didn’t look to them for help all the time.  The gods were mostly invoked; if at all, through a good relationship where a person maintained a friendship with the gods but never presumed too much on it.  They only turned to the gods for help when needed like a friend would with a friend.  This creates respect that is both wanted and needed when carried over to human relationships as well.

Reason (Huginn):

Rationally this guards us against two things.  One the one hand we seek to be prosperous enough so that no one can control us.  Having prosperity allows one to look an employer in the eye and remind them you can live without them or have enough to live through hard times. On the other hand, the followers of Asatru recognize the dangers of materialism as not all one acquires leads to the utility of being valuable practically.  Simple prosperity is more desirable that opulent displays of wealth because opulence is a drain on one’s prosperity and actually threatens self-reliance and thus freedom.

Wisdom (Muninn):

Wisdom plays its part and I will let my source document speak on this issue because I can’t think of a way to put it better:

Being self-reliant also means taking responsibility for one’s life. It’s not just about refusing a welfare check or not lobbying for a tax exemption, but also refusing to blame one’s failures on religious intolerance, the patriarchy, or an unfair system. The system may, in fact, be unfair, but it’s our own responsibility to deal with it.

– The Values of Asatru

Wise words. My ultimate advocacy for self-reliance is reflected in my own success, despite the obstacles, to be self-reliant.

Conclusion:

I would say people become much too reliant on others and it robs them of what they could have.  They look too much to others, like the government, and thus borrow from the future of prosperity of others to feed their own in the now.  The national debt of the United States is one great symptom that shows the harmful results of this overreliance on others. This is not to say you can’t when truly needed, get help from others, but we often do so to the point it is harmful to others and this robs both them and us.  Life would indeed be better for all if people found as many solutions to their own problems on their own first; only relying on others when absolutely necessary.

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

Skaal!!!

“Asatru and Truth” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Truth

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

“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 – To Be Honest, and Speak Truth to Myself and Others.  To Be Silent in the presence of Fools.

Truth is one of those Virtues that must always be present.  No moral code would have any value without it. It is difficult to be truthful at times especially when it is you that have made a mistake and someone asks what happened.  The temptation to lie becomes very real in those moments but the better path is honesty.  Plain simple honesty.

This honesty isn’t simply a matter of word, but of how you live your life.  Make no mistake there is no ridged moral code here if a lie preserves someone’s life then it is Ok to do so. It is also Ok to engage in deception in war or when someone is known to be treacherous then you can lie to them as a way of combating them.  But those are special circumstances.  In more normal circumstances, the virtues of truth and honor go together.  The advice here is if you wouldn’t want someone to know you are doing it – don’t.

Paganism also has this idea of each person walking in their ‘truth’ with a small ‘t’ but that has not dismissed the notion of finding The Truth with a capital ‘T’.  You might say as we walk each one of us in our truth we are on the quest to find The Truth.

In my case with this virtue, I have also added the notion of being silent in the presence of fools. A fool is someone who can no longer learn or be taught anything. Words and truth are wasted on such people who are proud of their ignorance.

Website: Ravenbok – The particular page is: The Values of Asatru

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

For myself, I find the pursuit of the virtue of Truth to be a challenge but desperately needed.  Lies told to one’s self are the most dangerous as they can be the most damaging. Truth is needed to clear the fog away from your path so you can see clearly.  The needs here is to be honest and say what one knows to be right and true not just to others but in the end the most important person to be truthful with is yourself. Something I hope to learn in a little more easier fashion than often is the case.

Wants (Freki):

I want the truth as a part of my life.  Lies and deception are very damaging and should only be present in times of conflict when you are dealing with someone who is trying to hurt you with lies of their own.  Otherwise to get to the point of progress requires truth to see the path clearly.   Lies and deceptions, particularly the ones you tell yourself, are the most deadly things in trying to achieve your goals and enjoy your life.

Reason (Huginn):

Reason and truth go hand in hand.  Reason simply does not function in the presence of lies. Leaving my faith was a direct response to the lies I found in the doctrines of it.  It was embracing the truth about something that was falsely claiming to be the truth.  Reason looks at truth with joy and so I do as well.

Wisdom (Muninn):

I have found the great wisdom in all this is silence. One should never be too bold in presenting truth because the truth is always a work in progress and what one thinks is the truth today can be found to be false tomorrow when the truth is fully revealed.  Arrogance is not becoming or valuable in the pursuit of either truth whether small ‘t’ or capital ‘T’.

Conclusion:

All that said, Courage kicks in when the truth is known and it needs to be said. This can be very revealing when those that are living lies get angry, defensive or just plain don’t say anything thus acknowledging their deception. Courage and Truth are a deadly combination to the lies and deceptions that surround us.  Never underestimate their power working together.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Asatru and Honor” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Honor

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

“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 – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

As I start the cycle of going through each of the nine noble virtues I am using a little help and I am also looking back at the last time I did this.

The help I am referring to is this website page which I have looked at often to make sure I was thinking about the Nine Noble Virtues in the understanding of some of those that follow Asatru. It has been a good resource for me and I want to share it.  For these discussions, I am engaging the ideas found here as I write, so it is a good backdrop.

Website: Ravenbok – The particular page is: The Values of Asatru

Last time I looked at Honor was January 8, 2019, and I described it as the most difficult virtue: Honor: The Most Difficult Virtue.  I would probably stand by that idea still as it is still the most difficult virtue to grasp because it is so personal.

Without honor we are nothing.  Honor is the central element of Asatru as far as its central moral imperative. If Norse mythology teaches anything that is truly valuable, then it is that honor matters. People with honor are valued and respected long after death, people without it are despised. Those trying to embrace the Asatru ideal of Honor should strive to be the former. To guide myself into a better understanding of it, I look to my wolves and ravens.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

When I left my faith in Christianity, the need for a new moral compass was very real.  I was struggling with a lot of questions of self-worth,  What was my value if I wasn’t a Christian minister? The main question though was a question of the value of self. The need for honor was overwhelming in the light of the fact I really had nothing outside of my faith before.  My marriage at the time was bad.  My career as a minister was over.  What was central to myself was a big question.  I needed answers and I found the first and most significant answer in Asatru and its Nine Noble Virtues.  In particular, Honor became the foremost virtue in my mind in addressing these questions.

Wants (Freki):

Once I knew the need for honor was present, I wanted it.  It began to stabilize my life quite a bit.  I had a lot of questions but my conversion from Christianity to being a Deistic Humanist Pagan needed focus and some way to make it consistent. Honor became a particular challenge for me.  I was following my heart but it had no guidance or wisdom and Honor came in as I not only needed it, I wanted it so I could find a path back to being respectable without all the nonsense fo faith in the Chrisitan creed. I wanted to know that I was on a path where my inner value of myself would lead to an outward reputation that was respected or at least – feared.

Reason (Huginn):

Honor is knowing what is true about yourself.  This takes a hard look at yourself to see what is true and then change accordingly.  Meditation and thought about who you are is essential and I have found this road requires a lot of thinking things through to find the paths that need to be taken that are both reasonable and wise. This is the start of finding the honorable path. Asatru helps with this in that it gives me other virtues that are tools for finding honor – Truth and Fidelity being the most notable, but all the other virtues in a sense combine into honor. This path I am on is a rational one because of this.

Wisdom (Muninn):

I find that when it comes to honor, wisdom says that honor leads to a good path that is well chosen not just because it is of the most advantage to one’s self, but because it also benefits others. Honor leads to respect and respect is a benefit to anyone who has it.  It leads to a lot of benefits when you have a society where people are honorable and respected for it.  There is no coercion or fraud in such a society and everyone benefits.  This is the wise path made possible by being each person being honored as each person pursues Honor.

Conclusion:

I still struggle with honor mostly because I know I am capable of greater things than I am doing.  I just feel the need to catch my breath with all that is happened this past year. The taking stock of where I need to go and then move forward. What matters to me is Honor – my own feeling that I have value.  To know what is true about myself and work to make it better. I cannot walk the path as a follower of the virtues of Asatru or as The Grey Wayfarer without it. So it remains the most difficult but most essential virtue.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Refusing to Accept Society’s Chains” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Libertarianism

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

We are born free. For libertarians like myself, this is a simple and true statement. It is after the moment of birth that people begin to try to place shackles on us.  They do this with a lot of good intentions, but the best of intentions cause a great amount of harm the majority of the time and one of the casualties of these chains is our freedom.  To be ‘woke’ in the libertarian sense is to recognize the chains that are imposed on us by others and then break them.  Whether those chains come from religion, society or government.

The distinction is understanding that voluntary consent is the great difference maker in relationships.  It is what makes sex not rape; a job not slavery; and a transaction of value not robbery. If there is NOT consent in these things they become rape, slavery, and robbery. When you are forced to do something against your wishes, that is being chained. It’s coercion and it is wrong.

This is why most libertarians find most of what the government does to be illegitimate. Some of us see government in the way the Founding Fathers of the United States saw it – ‘a necessary evil’ and others see it as completely illegitimate. The one thing we all agree on is much of what the government does is force compliances to its wishes with force, the threat of force (coercion) or fraud.  Because none of this involves consent; they are no better than kidnappers, extortionists, and thieves for the most part, except what they do has been deemed legal by society.

As a classical liberal, I accept that some government is necessary, but not because I think society wouldn’t do well without it.  I rather accept the fact that most people will not accept the idea of anarchy.  No matter how much you educate people on this, they want some central authority to appeal to if things go to shit.

So I accept that the government might be a necessary evil but I want it to have very specific and limited uses. 1) Protect my rights – make sure I am accorded my life, liberty, property, and ability to pursue my own happiness. As long as I am not harming anyone else’s rights, I should be allowed to exercise my own and the government should protect that. 2) Provide a court system to settle disputes but also don’t forbid or regulate private arbitration. This court system should also provide just punishment for those who violate other people’s rights including when agents of the government do it. 3) Provide a means of education for the purpose of people learning their rights, but also have no say in private education that wishes to exist.  I see a government that should be involved in defense, public safety, justice, and education.  Everything else, they should butt out as it is not really their business.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

Needs (Geri):

The one thing that is hard for people to accept because they have gotten so used to their chains is a simple fact that society advances far better when people are free and voluntarily doing the things they love to do.  I have never found self-fulfillment in complying with the wishes of others and I would say that it creates a mental state that doesn’t help anyone around me either. WE NEED LIBERTY to be better people and thus have a better society of people who work together freely.

Wants (Freki):

I find myself these days attracted to those who are deemed criminals.  Mostly because I don’t see a crime unless there is a victim.  If you can’t show me a victim to the crime where they were forced, coerced or fraudulently treated then I say there is no crime.  So when the government passes laws where there is no victim but something is declared a criminal activity, I applaud the criminal element for taking that nonsense on.  They are real patriots at that point in my book. I want to live in a society free from these moralistic chains that criminalize people who have victimized no one.

Reason (Huginn):

That said I am no fool.  I kick in The Book of Rabyd 2:2 at this point.  I also engage in the 11th commandment – ‘Don’t Get Caught” and part of not getting caught is tolerating the law, even when it is stupid, to avoid incarceration.  To work to change the law and get rid of laws that create crimes out of the air that have no victims.  At the same time, the government has the real potential to go too far. Revolution and disobedience are options for me.  I refuse to accept any of society’s chains on me.  I tolerate the annoying, but I will gladly revolt against the tyrannical.

Wisdom (Muninn):

Mostly I simply work to live as freely as possible. To avoid the nonsense and yet at the same time pursue freedom and liberty, because it is those things that allow me to improve myself and my situation. Wisdom says I need the liberty to pursue a better life for myself, but society will also try to put its chains on me and I need to know what to do to avoid that as well.

Conclusion:

If my paganism keeps me free from the chains of religion in regards to spirituality, my libertarianism does the same when it comes to the forces of society and government. Shackles are impositions, we are not born with them and we should do everything in our power to maintain our birthright of being free.

You are born free; learn to stay free.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Self Virtues – Life’s Blacksmith

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Frigg and Freya’s Day

Journal Entry:

It seems this proverb has a lot of origin stories but I can imagine every blacksmith probably drew this conclusion that each and every person smiths his own life. Life being raw iron that needs to be smithed in order to turn it into something that you want it to be. Who you are and what your life will become results from taking the raw materials of both and forging them into what you want. Being a smith is no easy task and having the life you want is not easy either.

Life tends to be like iron in this regard.  Very little of it can be changed without discipline, perseverance, and fidelity.   Particularly fidelity to one’s self. These are the tools that one forges one’s life from.  This concept dominates my thinking at times as I try to build the life I want and these virtues along with the other six are tools that make this possible.

Discipline:

“Discipline is the willingness to be hard on oneself first and then if needed help with the development with others, so that greater purposes may be achieved.”

Principle: Apply discipline to every aspect of life that it can be applied.

Goal: To follow A FULL Paleo Diet Plan from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.

Bucket List: Do a rebellious act on April Fools Day, April 1st, 2020.

To make a good sword, steel has to be folded over and over again.  There is a repetition to most things in smithing that is about making something stronger, better or so it can be done by habit. This requires you to be hard on yourself first and then others around you second when appropriate.  Right now I look at what I am trying to achieve both as far as goals and my bucket list and discipline myself through routines so that relentlessly I am working toward achieving them.

Perseverance:

“Perseverance is the ability to stand up and return from defeat and failure”

Principle: Keep getting up after every defeat or failure.

Goal: To engage in an exercise program that involves weightlifting, hiking/walking, and stretching/ yoga an average of three days a week from April 1st, 2019 to March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: To get at least one tattoo by March 18th, 2020.

Every Smith screws up at some point.  They have to go back and fix something or start over or keep doing something that is tedious to get where you want to be. Failure is never looked at as final defeat but rather a lesson learned and an opportunity to change and grow.  That is the heart of perseverance.

Fidelity: 

“Fidelity is the will to be loyal to one’s Gods and Goddesses, to one’s Folk, to one’s self, and loyalty to one’s friends was as valued as highly as loyalty to one’s family.”

Principle: Be loyal to those who have been loyal to me.

Goal: Celebrate my wife and I’s 30th anniversary (June 10th, 2019) with a mini-vacation

Bucket List: Discover all the countries of origin from my genetics and visit them all by March 18th, 2029.

I am struggling with this part – being loyal to myself.  There are things I want in life yet and I need to make the commitment not to compromise on them. I tend to try to make others happy at times and at the expense of myself.  Old habits I guess. These days though, I need to build myself again and recast myself in a different form. To do that I need to stay true to the vision I have for myself.

Higher Virtue – Wisdom: 

Experience can breed wisdom or regret.  The choice is yours. I choose to learn and grow and look for something better. Wisdom is a big help in this and I am learning it every day.

Weekly Routine: 

  1. Weightlifting/Stretching – Minimum 3 days per week.
  2. Walking – Minimum 3 days a week
  3. Job Search – Minimum 3 days a week
  4. Cleaning – 3 days a week.
  5. Writing – 3 times a week
  6. Latin – 3 times per week
  7. Cheat Meal Count: 3 per week.

School is winding down and I will refocus my attention on a shorter list of things. One of those things is getting all my routines to start to forge my life better. This one, in particular, is very key to doing that.

Goals and Bucket List Items Achieved (Since Summer 2018):

Goals Achieved: 1  Graduated College with a BS in Political Science and minors in Economics and International Business – December 2018.

Bucket List Items Achieved: 0

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

Of Wolves and Ravens – The Practical Application of Political Science

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

In literally less than a week I will have finished my last requirement for the political science degree I have been working on for four years.  I walked in Fall but my internship will be done before the week is out. I happy about this as it represents something I started and finished and that is a good thing.

The problem is most people have a really poor understanding of what political science is about and so they don’t have a really good knowledge of what a person who has a political science degree can do.  In truth I picked it because of its versatility as you can do a lot of different things with a political science degree, you just have to broaden the scope of your understanding of what politics is.

Political science is a social science discipline that deals with systems of government and the analysis of political activity and political behavior. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics which is commonly thought of as the determining of the distribution of power and resources.

I suppose this definition is as good as any.  What I would like to focus on is the idea of the distribution of resources and power because that is what makes this degree so flexible.  Because the distribution of power and resources is universal and common to every organization. Every company and group has a power structure and way of distributing resources that involves human decision and implementation processes and that is what political science is about.  If your company or organization has a policy manual and an organizational flow chart, I can look at it and do the following things:

  1. I can understand how you theoretically want your organization to run.
  2. Give me enough time to analyze your company and I can tell the reality of how your organization actually runs and how resources are really distributed.
  3. I can work to help you optimize your organization or company by offering suggestions on how you can change one or the other of the above.

In this political science simply acknowledges that where two or three are gathered together there is a power structure and thus politics.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

Needs (Geri):

For me personally, I needed a degree choice that was versatile and could offer me a good chance of employment. Political science is broad in that regard.  I have had courses in psychology, accounting, statistics, organizational structure, research, management, leadership, business, etc. I have a lot of different things I have learned for this degree and I see how things connect together because of it. If you’re looking for someone to keep an eye on the big picture of your organization, I have enough knowledge of the different areas to do that.

Wants (Freki):

What I would want is a job that involves this practical understanding of political science and incorporates that versatility.  It is why human resources as a busienss career appeals to me so much as it fits my knowledge, experience, and personality. Human resources and political science are two sides f the same coin to me.  One is more focused on the public and the other is focused on the private sector but seeing both of those intersect a lot they really deal with a lot of the same issues.

Reason (Huginn):

I get to use my reason as a political scientist. In the world of politics, emotional appeal is used because people are not motivated by logical argument but by what they need and want.  People are rarely if ever motivated by actual logic. That means if you want efficiency you need to plan logically but you must figure out how to appeal to what people need and want to motivate them to follow it.  If you don’t figure out the motivation part you will have a nice plan, but it will never be followed by those you lead.

Wisdom (Muninn):

.It is this combination of coming up with good solid policy but understanding that human beings both as individuals and groups are not motivated by reason so much as they are what they need and want that is the heart of the art of political science. Ethics is key in wisdom because you could use this knowledge to manipulate. Being truly benevolent is the heart of wisdom and part of that is respecting human freedom.  It’s a large part of it to me.

Conclusion:

For me, this is the practical side of Of Wolves and Ravens coupled with my knowledge of political science.  For me politics centers on needs, wants, reason and wisdom so there all the characteristics of the wolves and ravens are present and not treated as evil but normal and good. This is my practical and working understanding of political science as well as my own personal philosophy of living. Hopefully, I will be putting it to practical use very soon.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues – The Scholarly Warrior

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Moon’s Day. 

Journal Entry:

My foundational image of myself remains the warrior scholar or the scholarly warrior.  I don’t fight actual physical battles but I understand the connection between courage and fighting for one’s ideals.  To be honorable, courageous and truthful requires a mindset of war and intelligence.

These virtues along with Love the Higher Virtue provide the core of my being of which the other virtues endeavor to express in other ways,  This role of being the man who fights for what he believes in has never really left me despite my inner struggles and personal failures.

The real question these days is approaching the subject of what to fight for as my mindset and world view has changed quite a bit.  It is something I still search for and hopefully, the answers will be forthcoming very soon.  In the meantime, I am the searching wandering warrior looking for truth.

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 – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

Goal: Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).

Bucket List: Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The blog streak will be 218 straight days with this post.  I also know with this being the last day of school I might get back to writing more fiction as I look for a better job. My hiking will also start in earnest pretty soon,  All preparation for the future with my Hike in the north.

Courage:

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

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

Goal: Cross one thing off bucket list every year. Deadline March 31st

Bucket List: Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation.

Every payday and my tattoo gets closer to being a reality.  If that happens bucket list item achieved. It does not mean I won’t continue to work toward more bucket list items, it is just a goal that will be set and then reset. Budapest still is on my mind.

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 – To Be Honest, and Speak Truth to Myself and Others.  To Be Silent in the presence of Fools.

Goal: To Write a Non-Fiction Book by March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: Learn Latin by March 31st, 2020 to the point I can take a test and show my self proficient.

I have my subject and working title for my non-fiction book.  I am just waiting for school to end to really get started. The same goes for Latin as I have the tools and the need is more to set up a lesson plan for myself and start working it.

Higher Virtue: Love:

It comes down to what I love and am passionate about.  That said sometimes you have to do the hard work of love and keep at it despite a lack of feelings. Discipline is as much a part of love as Courage.

Morning Routine:

  1. Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), Principles, Goals and Bucket List
  2. Meditation – 3 min.
  3. Check Communications and Email.
  4. Paper Journal: Create Daily Log and To Do List.
  5. Breakfast, Medications, and Supplements.
  6. Shower and Personal Hygiene
  7. Get Dressed for the Day

Getting better.  I am just going to be glad when the internship and school are fully done so I can concentrate on getting fully on track.

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

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Business Virtues – Forks in The Road (Part 2)

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Wooden’s (Odin’s) Day

Journal Entry:

The majority of my decision involving forks in the road are in my Business Virtues area. I am not just looking for a new job, but a new career path.  I have some options that will run together. But the major options require a concentration of effort and I can’t do two at once.

I don’t think writing will ever leave my life.  The more I look at my personality type and read about it the one thing becomes crystal clear – I can express my feelings far better in written form than speaking them.  I actually have a hard time expressing my feelings by speaking about them.  I can write about them with an ease that is often shocking even to me.  Writing as a career path will thus always be there if I write something worth publishing.

Business fits me as it is a very broad area to have a career.  Given my experience, and education Human Resources seems to be the best fit and that is the direction I have been going. Business simply provides the extra money I am going to need in the short amount of years I have left to achieve some of my goals.

I could always ‘retire’ later on to be a teacher in a college at the end of things as I am pretty sure I will continue my education at some point. I just don’t see myself doing nothing.  At the very least, if the writing takes off, I will continue to do that right up until they burn me and scatter my ashes.

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: To achieve and maintain personal independence and advocate for independence in my family, state and nation.

Goal:  Find a new, better paying job by the end of June 2019 or before.

Bucket List: To own and run my own successful business or company.

This fork is coming up very quickly and it is not so much a matter of direction as it is a location.  I am torn on a more emotional level about where to live these days than what career direction I need to have. From the standpoint of self-reliance, I need more emotional support.

I know that sounds backward, but my list of friends has gotten really short. I need to build a new group of friends and relationships and I don’t want to do that until I know what job I am doing long term and where I am going to live. Where to live is the big question, but one thing I know for sure, it can’t be where I am now.  There is too much pain associated with this place now for me to stay here.  I really undercut my confidence at times and confidence is key in self-reliance.

Industriousness:

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

Principle: Work with the enjoyment of work itself.

Goal: Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019

Bucket List: Write A Novel and Get it Published.

This is about vocation, not a job to me.  I think being a writer is a vocation to me, I just need to make it pay. I think business will be a good vocation for me as at the end of the day I can shut it off and go home. Much better than the old career I had. I want something I can enjoy and is part of my life, not my whole existence. I can always work hard if there is a life aim that I am shooting for and the job doesn’t become the life aim.

Hospitality:

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

Principle: To share out of my abundance to help people where I can with their life’s journey.

Goal: By March 31st of 2020, to be the leader of a support group of some kind.

Bucket List: To own my own home by March 2024.

I want to still help people through their problems. I also don’t want their problems to drag me down.  Hospitality is about compassion and helping not self-abandonment.

Higher Virtue – Justice:

I just wrote about justice yesterday so you can go back and see that.  Today I will just say that writing about it cleared my head quite a bit and I feel much better where I stand.

 Daily Routine:

  1. Wife: Communication / Cuddle Time
  2. Blogging – Organize, revise, write a new post for the next day, 15 min. work on fiction.
  3. Reading – half-hour. Priority order: work, school, pleasure
  4. Study / Homework / Research: half hour per day minimum or until all necessary work is completed.
  5. Personal Business: record financial transactions, savings plan actions, budgeting, appointments, other.
  6. Check Communications and Email after 2 pm but before 4 pm.
  7. Weekly Routine Items
  8. Nutrition: Daily Carb Count – 2

I like this one, I just need to be more consistent.  I think I have just reached a point of weariness with the semester and want it over.

Still walking,

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

Skaal!!!

Of Wolves and Ravens – A Living Definition of Justice

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

Defining justice is not easy especially when you have realized a couple things. 1) That there is no such thing as fair. 2) There may not be an afterlife or a supreme being to balance the scales after this life is over.

The first means that justice is not based on fairness so much as equitable treatment of each person as much as possible.  No matter what might seem fair, it isn’t always going to happen. Something you can either accept which will give you a lot more peace, or fight which will lead to personal strife.  Hopefully, the price of that strife is worth it, so the peace that follows more than makes up for it.

The second notion is a little harder to accept and one of the reasons I think belief in the afterlife with a supreme being that balances all the scales of justice is a common concept among many religions.  It might just be wishful thinking to a childish hope.  It might well be that you may be the victim of a crime or an injustice and there will never be any resolution to it in this life or the next.  What do you do about that?

For me, I have decided that it is more important to act justly than receive recompense as my personal definition of justice.  I may never see justice done to certain people that I think deserve it, but I can treat people with just dealings that fit a certain definition of justice.  I can behave justly, so perhaps this definition works best:

Justice: Just behavior or treatment of others, a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

Needs (Geri):

I need this sense of justice in my life as I deal with others. I don’t always like the people that I deal with, but there is still a need to be respectful of others’ humanity regardless of personal feelings.  Being respectful has its own rewards. People also know when that respect is genuine or not. That means there is a need for this definition to be more than lip service but a genuine lifestyle.

Wants (Freki):

If you want to be treated justly, you need to treat others with justice.  Even though you may not receive it at times, you will never receive justice if you are a person who never gives it.  If you play favorites, don’t be surprised if people do the same back. If you do treat people equally, then you have a better chance of receiving the same in return. Personally, this is why my definition of continues to be about respect for everyone’s humanity.

Reason (Huginn):

Reason address the subject of mercy verses rightness.  I have pretty much abandoned the notion that forgiveness should just be given.  I find a whole lot of injustice goes on and it basically white-washed in the name of forgiveness.  A lot of injustice takes place and is glossed over in the name of ‘God will fix it later’ or ‘it’s better for you to forgive’.  Reason tells me that those two statements might not be true.  Sometimes when you receive justice in this world for wrongs, that’s when you find peace. It is also more responsible to act like we are the only instruments of justice and not believe blindly that others will do it for you later, even a supreme being.

Wisdom (Muninn):

The wisdom issue is when to forgive and when to demand justice. I forgive a lot as most things are just not worth crying or expending the emotional energy to achieve in regards to justice.  Life isn’t fair, so many things are just a reflection of that and you can spend your life bitter if you don’t let a lot of them go.  There are a few things and they center around I know that I won’t be at peace until I see the scales balance.  It is identifying these issues and how to approach them knowing that I might never receive justice. Patience again is key but also knowing the fine line between vengeance and justice.

Conclusion:

I have about three things in my life right now that I struggle with concerning justice, the rest is just noise and things I forgive most of the time. These things haunt my dreams and thoughts almost every day.

1) I struggle to still respect the humanity of certain people, it is hard being equitable at times when you see douchebags get away with shit in how they treat others.

2) I still struggle with how people perceive me as more responsible for my affair than the young woman with whom I was involved.  The only thing I hold against her is that she really hasn’t or I haven’t heard of her doing much to correct this notion. I would give it as much thought as the rest of the issues in our relationship – chalk it up to love lost and ‘that’s the way some relationships go’  except for this one thing.  Hurts, but I can live with most of it. I wish her well for the most part.  The favoritism toward her, which is unmerited in my opinion, and she doesn’t seem to have ever done anything to correct herself that bothers me.

3) The man who handled things ‘for me’ in front of the church claiming to be my friend. Yeah, my hope would be to see poetic justice done where his lifestyle of lies is revealed for what it is. He is as phony as a three dollar bill, but some people think he is a good man.  I know better now.  He dumps anyone who is no longer of use to him, as evidenced by the people he has broken faith with who are in a long line of broken relationships behind him. When they no longer serve his purpose or are an advantage to him, he dumps them often deceiving them in the process.  It is a pretty clear pattern going back quite a way.  If I saw poetic justice done to him, I would clap. If I had the chance to be a part of it – yep, no hesitation to pull that trigger.  I just patiently wait to see if it will ever happen or I will be given the opportunity, as I know it would give me a great deal of peace to see it or help it along.

See the source image

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!