Not seeing beauty for fear.

Brian W

Conscientious Christian
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On my walk today I was thinking about why we remember Vikings as nasty scary people, worse than Anglo-Saxons, and we think of Celts in terms of their art and music even though the times required that all cultures valued the ability to fight because of how rough they were. Vikings were warriors, but hey were also champion traders and created some of the most beautiful and elegant art in history.

viking+church+carving-2478482_960_720.jpg


In those days, if a longship were seen arriving it would probably driven terror into the hearts of many. Nobody could afford to stop and think about art and beauty when danger was a more immediate concern. Today, a lot of the things that scare us aren't very dangerous at all but still blind us to the beauty they hold. Spiders, rats, a change of lifestyle, the possibility that a higher moral authority might exist that would threaten our existing beliefs and chosen lifestyle. The weather might put us off going outside, when going outside in such weather might prove a blessing if we were to approach it with the right mindset. Learn to love atmospheres and even rain becomes potentially pleasurable. How far can we go in overturning our fears in order to uncover the beauty behind them?
 
Is that the Fenris wolf biting off Tyr's arm in the sculpture, by any chance? BTW, I prefer to use the term 'Norsemen' rather than 'Vikings' to describe the Scandinavian peoples of the iron ages. More accurate and it carries less baggage :) (They were only Vikings when they went raiding / pirating.)
/ end of off-topic comments

Completely agree with you about walking in rain. I will struggle to see the beauty in spiders, but I'll try ....!
 
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