Whacking the Monk

August 25, 2011 by Steven Abell

Continued from Page 1

The thing to let go of is any specific adherence to enemies from long ago. I wasn't involved in the bad choices of my forebears, and if you try to tell me I'm responsible for what they did, I'll only laugh. Such laughter might not help anything, but it is one of the better responses to such utter defiance of reason. Nor will I hold you responsible for the bad choices of your forebears, whoever they might be. I'll only hold you responsible for your own. If we continue to be obnoxious to each other, we shouldn't be surprised to have to settle our differences in the present. Better that we learn to not be obnoxious without giving up who we are.

The thing to never forget is that real wrongs have happened in the past. To remember them rightly, and to learn from them adequately, we need to recall who and what and when and where and why and how as accurately as we can. Sometimes the result may get dressed up in a little bit of cultural theater, as seen in Whack the Monk. You might indulge such theater. Or, like my friend, you might not.

It can be challenging to explain Heathenry adequately to non-Heathens. Yes, we enjoy remembering the Viking raiders, even while recognizing that such thievery in a modern context is correctly called criminal. And yes, we do have a pantheon practically overflowing with war gods. That doesn't make us warmongers. It does create one part of a Heathen outlook that I'll happily hope, and even expect, to find in you as well, if you care to pick up the whole thing:

We are the best friends you could wish for, and the worst enemies you could possibly imagine.

This is the birthright of individuals, and of civilizations.

Hail Tyr!

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8/25/2011 4:00:00 AM

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About Steven Abell

Steven Thor Abell is a storyteller and the author of Days in Midgard: A Thousand Years On, a collection of original modern stories based on Heathen myths. As of 2013, he is also Steersman of the High Rede of The Troth.

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