John is a good man. He has a nice house that his wife has made into a home for John and their two children. He has an above average job that more than pays the bills and puts food on the table. The casual observer would believe that John is a happy guy; he is not. Unfortunately, he listens and takes to heart other people's opinions. These people have no real stake in John's life nor he in theirs. As becomes the fate of many, John, within the deep of his mind, elevated these people to being greater in life than he. Sadly, John's sense of self-worth is in the toilet. He, and he alone gave them power over his self-esteem, his feeling of worth and value. Fortunately, that power can be easily broken. The Havamal, ancient wisdom from the northern lands states that:
Verse 22 - A paltry man / and poor of mind, *
At all things ever mocks (italics mine);
For never he knows / what he ought to know,
That he is not free from faults (italics mine).
Nobody is perfect. And, many of us are or have been "John" at one point in our lives. When we step back and take a hard look at these "friends," we find them living in glass houses supported by toothpicks; don't take these people seriously - they will suck the life force right out of you. And know that they love to feast on your distress. From time to time, all of us need to take stock of what we already have and what we are capable of doing. The Havamal says:
Verse 68 - Fire for men / is the fairest gift, *
And power to see the sun;
Health as well / if a man may have it,
And a life not stained with sin.
Verse 69 - All wretched is no man / though never so sick; *
Some from their sons have joy,
Some win it from kinsmen / and some from their wealth,
And some from worthy works.
Verse 70 - It is better to live / than lie a corpse, *
The live man catches the cow;
I saw flames rise / for the rich man's pyre,
And before his door he lay dead.
We all have self-worth and sometimes simple reflection helps us find it. Other times, reading some of the verses from The Havamal can be a big help. Do not let the blood sucking nay- sayers steal your worth. Since they are probably not paying your bills, tell them, to bugger off.
* The Havamal, from The Poetic Edda, Henry Adams Bellows translation, 1936
Copyright @2014 Terry Unger
