I’d never heard about the Eight Wiccan Virtues, and I think that’s an interesting concept (and not only because 8 is my favorite number!). I like the concept of a balanced pair, too.

I would think, if your written article is in such an old format, that it’s time to re-write it and share :-)

The Eight Wiccan Virtues (which seem to be little known outside Wicca) are in balanced pairs: Honour and Humility; Mirth and Reverence; Strength and Beauty; Power and Compassion. I wrote an article about them years ago, but it’s in such an old format I can’t do anything with it :(

Something in your second sentence struck a chord with me – you’re absolutely right, we aren’t as controlled by disease as we once were, nor do we fear natural predators as much as we once did; yet these victories we’ve had seem to have made many of us a bit reckless … and if we aren’t careful, it’s this recklessness that will wind up controlling us. If we give in to recklessness, to an undisciplined state, we give up control of ourselves. This is why what Sojourner brought up about balance really appealed to me: in a balanced state, we can let loose, have our fun, and still remain disciplined because we are choosing to do so, rather than just throwing our reins in the air and allowing them to blow wherever the winds take them.

“Seems to me that getting the best use of something requires knowing just where its usefulness leaves off.”

Angiportus, these are extremely wise words, in my opinion :-)

I hadn’t really thought about the difference between moderation and balance that way before – thank you for bringing that up!

As for my (self-admittedly) utopian perspective on self-regulation en masse, it’s something that I like to believe we are capable of, even if the likelihood of it happening is only slight. Still, with enough people actually encouraging discipline, rather than celebrating the lack thereof, we might someday stand a stronger chance of realizing a greater social potential (in my opinion).

Bernulf said: By self-regulating, we also lessen the need for an overburdened (and oversized) government to regulate for us.

I think that this will continue to be a problem. People don’t want to deal with the discipline of self-regulation so they continue to lobby for laws and regulations that dictate people’s conduct. It gets to a point where if there isn’t a law, people think it’s okay to do something until the next round of laws and regulations come about. Because of this people don’t think they have to worry about their conduct.

Also, with big government comes big societies. I had friends talk about how they could never live in smaller towns because everybody knows everybody’s business. They said that they would hate to have the pressure of constantly being watched and having to pay closer attention to what they do, say and how they act. In other words, people like the fact that they don’t have to worry so much about their conduct within modern society. This is just sad.

I think our ancestors had a balanced approach to discipline. One of the things I forgot to mention in this article is that, like all other virtues, discipline can be taken to extremes, and is in such cases equally unhealthy. Letting loose – knocking back a horn of mead, enjoying a rowdy telling of Thrymskvitha while trying to best someone at arm wrestling – I’m sure these were activities looked forward to by our ancestors; but even while letting loose, I suspect some measure of order and discipline was maintained, as there are also warnings in Hávamál about the sadness of guests quarreling with one another. So balance is the key – but even maintaining balance requires discipline.

As such, I think to look to Heathenry as a means to justify a lack of discipline is to confuse it with Hedonism, and do a disservice to both.

This is important not only at home and in everyday life, but also in the workplace. As time management experts constantly stress, it is not a matter of not having time to do things, it is a matter of making time to do them. I would never have gotten through college without focusing to my utmost on discipline. I had to govern myself, deny myself immediate rewards and gratification (on any number of levels) in order to make the most out of my opportunity for a degree.

This is one of the reasons I find Viking Heathenry distressing. I am sure our ancestors understood the value of a good round of toasting and drinking. After all, the feast is part of religion for us. But too many Heathens these days, I think, see Heathenism as an excuse to drink, as justification for poor behavior and what amounts to a complete lack of discipline.

Again, excellent article. Really made me think back to examples from my own life and from those of others I have known.