A Heathen Question of Worth
By Mark Stinson
Who decides if a man has worth? What if a man has done good things and bad things in his life?
The question of Worth is an important one, as we'll explore a little bit below.
First, the important thing to remember...is that the past is the past. It has already happened...and cannot be changed or erased. It is alreadly "in the well," or already "part of the tapestry." And this is called Orlog.
It seems oversimplified to have to point out that the past is the past...but its an important point, because the Germanic mindset is to focus on the now. What are you now? What are you doing now with your life? What is your Worth right now? Your past (Orlog) plays a role in determining your Worth, but when a man has addressed past deficiencies and ill-deeds...and has changed his life for the better, this becomes important in measuring his Worth.
For instance, a man leads a bad life for years. He uses drugs, abandons his family, commits crimes, hurts people needlessly, spends time in prison, etc. This man is of little worth. He is a complete mess, and his Orlog is a tangled ugly thing. The man can't change that past. But let's say 10 years ago, the man gets out of prison, and decides to change. He joins a support group or gets counseling for his drug abuse. He gets a job. He works hard to form stable relationships. He rebuilds his family. For 10 years, he has been clean, crime-free, working hard, and building a life for his family. Well, let's look at this "changed" man from a heathen perspective.
When he was a criminal drug-addict, his deeds showed him to have little, or no worth.
When he was just getting out of prison and had decided to get clean and turn his life around, he still had little, or no worth. Even though his intentions are good...he has not put it into action yet.
When he was about 2 months into his new life, he was starting to build worth...but who in their right mind would bet that it would last? Its too recent...and there is too much damaged Orlog for 2 worthy months to wipe clean.
But 3 years, 5 years, 10 years into his new life, we can see the life he has built and maintained...and the man clearly has worth.
You can't change the past, but you can change the present. You can fix the things you have broken. You can make right the things you have done wrong. You can avoid making those same mistakes again. Everyone has a chance to start over, and build a better life starting right now. But it takes a lot of work to fix damaged Orlog.
The past does not go away because you ask forgiveness. The past does not go away because you turn to the Jewish-zombie on a stick. The past does not go way because of newly-made promises, good intentions, or wishful thinking. It takes work...it takes sometimes years of right action, and deeds of worth. That is how one repairs ones Orlog, and becomes a man of Worth.
Now, who decides Worth? Heathenry is very community oriented. We do not get to decide our own individual worth. Those around us, watch us, know us, and decide our worth. Based on our deeds, they judge our worth.
The people we interact with at work...they measure our worth at work. They know if they can count on us. They know if we are dependable...whether we will be there for the long haul...whether we fix problems or cause problems.
At home, our families measure our worth. Are we providing for the family, emotionally and financially? Our families know if we are a rock...if we are nurturing...if we are dependable.
Our friends measure our worth. Do we keep our word? Are we there for them when they need us? Do we have their backs, or not?
And, within larger communities this is true as well. Over time, as one becomes a known quantity in the greater heathen community, or regionally...other heathens see one's deeds, and decide our Worth.
And that brings us to Gefrain. One's reputation. As more and more people measure a man's worth...and learn of his deeds, his Gefrain grows. Gefrain is essentially how many people know of you...and how worthy they judge you to be. Having good Gefrain can affect one's Wyrd, Luck, and other aspects of your life.
Christianity is a very Guilt based culture. Heathenry is a Shame based culture. If one's deeds do not measure up...and people know of this, they do not want to mingle Wyrd with you. They see you as an example of "what not to be," and do not want to associate with you.
So, how does this all work within a heathen kindred or tribe?
Let's say a new person approaches the kindred. We get to know them. If, for example, they have a job and work hard at it. They have a family, and care about them greatly, and provide well for them. They read about heathenry, learn, and become knowledgable. They come to kindred events, and when they commit to something...they always follow through. They are good to be around, and act with Right Good Will. They gift their friends, and show hospitality as a host....and know how to be a good guest. They have a stable life, and are working to improve their family's lot in life.
If all these best-case-scenarios are in place...then over time, we come to see they have great Worth. They are a person we would want to closely mingle Wyrd with. Adding their Orlog and their Luck to the tribe's collective Orlog and Luck, would assist and grow the tribe. This is the best-case-scenario person to oath into the kindred.
But, let's take a different new person approaching our kindred. if over the time we are getting to know a person, they can't seem to keep a job, have constant drama in their life they can't seem to get a handle on, won't read the Lore and expect to be spoon-fed. Their attendance at kindred events is spotty or infrequent, and often they fall short on their commitments. They are a problematic to be around, and seem very political and divisive. They are selfish and fail to show hospitality, and are an example of a bad guest. Their life is chaos, and they seem to almost wallow in it. This is the worst-case scenario...and over time, we would conclude this person has very little Worth. They are a person we would not want to mingle Wyrd with at all, and we would push them away. Adding their Orlog and their Luck to the tribe's collective Orlog and Luck, would hurt and burden the tribe. This is the last person on earth we would oath into the kindred.
And in-between the best-case-scenario and the worst-case-scenario person, is where all other's fall. To some degree its a calculation. No one is perfect. But our tribe needs to be strong...not big in numbers. We protect our Orlog and Luck, and do not want to see it damaged or lessened. So, we carefully weigh things when we are getting to know new people. Sometimes, we conclude that someone makes a good friend...but would not be a very good oathed member of our kindred. Sometimes we tell people, come to open events...get to know us better...work on your problems, get your life together, and we'll talk about this in the future.
I bring this up, because our modern mainstream culture pushes us to accept everyone, faults and all. Often apologies are allowed to wipe clean years of misdeeds. Good intentions are judged more important than the actual consequences of our deeds. But that is a modern culture that is upside down from our Germanic heritage.
Growing heathen kindreds and tribes must look for people of Worth to add to their ranks. They will be stronger for it. They will endure better. They will get more done. Quality over Quantity. Just one person of little worth allowed into the inner circle (Innangarth) of a kindred, can cause great damage to their collective Orlog and Luck, and stifle their growth and distract them from their goals.
Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Kansas City Area
http://heathengods.com