Courage
Truth
Honor
Fidelity
Discipline
Hospitality
Industriousness
Self-Reliance
Perseverance
These can be found in various places about the interwebs with their descriptions and applications to the faith of Heathenry in general. Of course our ancestors never codified any of this stuff so these are modern inventions gleaned from the Lore. Still, they are good tenants to live by and the mainstream of Heathenry likes to tout them so there you go.
Being that this blog is about the world of EMS as seen through the Heathen worldview, I am more concerned with Industriousness, Self-Reliance, and Perseverance. They are the big 3 that I see thrown to the wind in my job. I am quite aware that I cannot hold people who are not of my faith to my own standards. That being said, I feel that these virtues are hardly religious in any light and more often represent what it means to be a useful human being. Forget the Gods and Ancestors. Forget the grand cosmic scheme of things. I cannot see how people can wallow in their own self pity and refuse to do things for themselves.
I was raised that if something needed doing you rolled up your sleeves and got it done. Nothing overtly religious about that at all. According to my father there are really only two options for people: 1) lay down and quit/die OR 2) Do what needs to be done and don't whine about it. In my mind this epitomizes the concepts of the 3 previously listed virtues quite succinctly. Also, it just makes a whole lot of damn sense.
Being that this blog is about the world of EMS as seen through the Heathen worldview, I am more concerned with Industriousness, Self-Reliance, and Perseverance. They are the big 3 that I see thrown to the wind in my job. I am quite aware that I cannot hold people who are not of my faith to my own standards. That being said, I feel that these virtues are hardly religious in any light and more often represent what it means to be a useful human being. Forget the Gods and Ancestors. Forget the grand cosmic scheme of things. I cannot see how people can wallow in their own self pity and refuse to do things for themselves.
I was raised that if something needed doing you rolled up your sleeves and got it done. Nothing overtly religious about that at all. According to my father there are really only two options for people: 1) lay down and quit/die OR 2) Do what needs to be done and don't whine about it. In my mind this epitomizes the concepts of the 3 previously listed virtues quite succinctly. Also, it just makes a whole lot of damn sense.
In this job I see people who instead of dusting themselves off and rising to the occasion, give in to their own despair and rot in it. They cannot take responsibility for themselves. There may be 5 cars in the driveway and 10 people to drive them but they need an ambulance at 3am to literally give them a ride to the hospital for a stubbed toe or a little vomiting. Whatever happened to toughing it out or if things got rough having family there to take care of you? Have we truly become a nation of such laziness and weakness?
Some of my Christian coworkers feel that mercy and sympathy are the traits that are called for in these situations. In most cases all I can see are people who refuse to rise up, people with no pride, small minded people with no desire to change their lot for themselves or their children. I cannot feel sympathy for them because in most cases they have chosen this for themselves. This is not meant to be seen as an effort to be hard or tough. It is simple logic based on the virtues that I hold to be true. If you make your bed, then sleep in it. I am neither judge nor jury but one cannot expect other people to extend sympathy and help if they refuse to attempt to right their situation.
Some of my Christian coworkers feel that mercy and sympathy are the traits that are called for in these situations. In most cases all I can see are people who refuse to rise up, people with no pride, small minded people with no desire to change their lot for themselves or their children. I cannot feel sympathy for them because in most cases they have chosen this for themselves. This is not meant to be seen as an effort to be hard or tough. It is simple logic based on the virtues that I hold to be true. If you make your bed, then sleep in it. I am neither judge nor jury but one cannot expect other people to extend sympathy and help if they refuse to attempt to right their situation.
My duty is to be there and help if I can, and I do so to the best of my abilities whenever they call. Feeling for their plight, however, is a whole different story when it is self-inflicted. If things are bad for you DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
In the future of this blog I hope to tackle such topics as palliative/end of life care, suicide, advanced directives, and other issues we see in EMS. Dunno what the frequency will be but there ya go.
Sisu!
In the future of this blog I hope to tackle such topics as palliative/end of life care, suicide, advanced directives, and other issues we see in EMS. Dunno what the frequency will be but there ya go.
Sisu!
No comments:
Post a Comment