(no subject)
I went to Brian's wedding on Saturday. It was really nice, but a bit weird that someone I've known since we were both seven is now married. I guess the new Mr. and Mrs. Dutremble are now mine and Kris's "married friends".
I've been thinking about virtues and which are most important to me. Turns out that they are...
Courage
Courage is something that I sadly find missing from far too many people in this modern age. We often let fear control what we do. But this is not the way of the courageous person. A courageous person realizes their fears, but does not let the fear stop them. Below I will quote the “Litany Against Fear” from Frank Herbert’s Dune.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
I feel that this affirmation is a great display of the way someone with courage should approach life. Fear should not be a factor in making decisions for the Warrior. To quote another science fiction hit, Star Wars:
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.
That is not to say that you will not fear something now and again. Indeed, if you didn’t ever fear anything, you are in serious need of psychological help. On that same note, being afraid of everything is equally unhealthy. Fear, in the right amount, is a healthy thing, but the point I want to make is that we must realize our fear and not allow it to hinder us.
and
Integrity
Integrity is a very important virtue to me, and anyone who holds warrior traditions and values to be important. Often referred to as Honor, it is the cornerstone to many value systems of the old world.
Honor and loyalty should play a big role in the lives of modern pagans. Generally, I haven’t noticed much of a problem amongst our community with these traits, except sometimes with the teenage wannabes. But their problems are far too many for me to address here. In general, I find that the actions of most pagans I meet are, for the most part, quite honorable and I seldom hear of them being disloyal to friends and family. Knowing this delights me, although it would be great if the rest of the world would try to embody these traits a little more.
So what is honor? Well, there are some varying answers to this, so you’ll have to work out the specifics of it yourself. An honorable person is generally thought to be honest, always keeping their word. Honor is something that will most likely need to be worked at, and you will most likely develop a sense of what is the most honorable way to deal with things. The main idea that I am sure that everyone will agree upon is that an honorable person will always strive to do what they think is best for their friends and family.
I also think that self-responsibility is an important part of integrity. The hardest trait to embody is that of self-responsibility. All too often we are prone to making excuses for what happens. We often attribute everything to outside factors. A person with integrity, however, realizes that they do not need to sit around and let their destiny be decided for them. Such a person is strong and in control, and takes problems into their own hands. They also readily take the blame when something goes wrong, realizing that it was their own action that has caused the mistake.
I read two books today at work, including Stuart Piggot's The Druids. That is pretty much it for my weekend.
I've been thinking about virtues and which are most important to me. Turns out that they are...
Courage
Courage is something that I sadly find missing from far too many people in this modern age. We often let fear control what we do. But this is not the way of the courageous person. A courageous person realizes their fears, but does not let the fear stop them. Below I will quote the “Litany Against Fear” from Frank Herbert’s Dune.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
I feel that this affirmation is a great display of the way someone with courage should approach life. Fear should not be a factor in making decisions for the Warrior. To quote another science fiction hit, Star Wars:
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.
That is not to say that you will not fear something now and again. Indeed, if you didn’t ever fear anything, you are in serious need of psychological help. On that same note, being afraid of everything is equally unhealthy. Fear, in the right amount, is a healthy thing, but the point I want to make is that we must realize our fear and not allow it to hinder us.
and
Integrity
Integrity is a very important virtue to me, and anyone who holds warrior traditions and values to be important. Often referred to as Honor, it is the cornerstone to many value systems of the old world.
Honor and loyalty should play a big role in the lives of modern pagans. Generally, I haven’t noticed much of a problem amongst our community with these traits, except sometimes with the teenage wannabes. But their problems are far too many for me to address here. In general, I find that the actions of most pagans I meet are, for the most part, quite honorable and I seldom hear of them being disloyal to friends and family. Knowing this delights me, although it would be great if the rest of the world would try to embody these traits a little more.
So what is honor? Well, there are some varying answers to this, so you’ll have to work out the specifics of it yourself. An honorable person is generally thought to be honest, always keeping their word. Honor is something that will most likely need to be worked at, and you will most likely develop a sense of what is the most honorable way to deal with things. The main idea that I am sure that everyone will agree upon is that an honorable person will always strive to do what they think is best for their friends and family.
I also think that self-responsibility is an important part of integrity. The hardest trait to embody is that of self-responsibility. All too often we are prone to making excuses for what happens. We often attribute everything to outside factors. A person with integrity, however, realizes that they do not need to sit around and let their destiny be decided for them. Such a person is strong and in control, and takes problems into their own hands. They also readily take the blame when something goes wrong, realizing that it was their own action that has caused the mistake.
I read two books today at work, including Stuart Piggot's The Druids. That is pretty much it for my weekend.