Lisa Gerasimova, Period 8, 12/17/21

Lisa Gerasimova

Period 8

12/17/21

        We are currently learning about Norse mythology in class, and reading Neil Gaiman’s description of Nordic myths. I love the Nordic myths more than any others we’ve studied this year, not only because they are fairly close in style to the myths from my heritage, but because they are so different from the rest. They push the ethical boundaries we are so familiar with today more than the Greeks ever did, and they make us think more about the context behind their ideas. They have cool swords and a fascination with battle. They didn’t care about who you were or what you were, so long as you had the bravery to die fighting. 

I learned in class about the values that Nordic people had. In a way, they may be more progressive than we strive to be today, because they had one goal and individual differences didn’t matter, all that mattered was the goal. Our perfect vision for this country is of one that fights for freedom without regard to gender, race, or sexual orientation. The vikings had that, except instead of freedom they aimed for bravery. Who are we to judge their ethics when on some level, they outdo us at what we have struggled to achieve for centuries? It makes me think more and more about how what we would call a ‘barbaric’ civilization by some of our standards may be more ideal than our own civilization. It is critical that we learn from history, a lesson people tend to forget more often as history expands. Looking deeper into the foundations and core beliefs of historic peoples could give valuable insight into our shortcomings, so long as we look at those beliefs with sincerity and acceptance rather than impulsive denial.

I think this lesson can be applied in the world heavily. We are quick to form an opinion based on one piece of information, or based on the biases that have blinded us for years. It takes an open-minded way of thinking to allow for mental and personal growth. So many of our conflicts would seem less polarizing and extreme if we could really think about the justifications for both arguments, as often every side has merit. I think that the conscious forcing of ourselves to look at viking ethics from the context of their survival and way of life is an important practice for doing so in our own lives. In history class it is easy to label Genghis Khan as an awful person (and by no means am I saying that he was pleasant), but looking into the context of his rule, we see that he was an incredible and unrivaled leader at the time. Better judgments can be made when we are not focused on being offended, but open to the other side. That is something crucial that I think this class is forcing people to realize. There is always a way to justify something, and once you can understand the opposition, not only is it easier to accept others’ views, but it may even become easier to oppose. Understanding is one of the most powerful tools a person has, and I hope that more and more people begin to realize this and appreciate the more subtle life lessons this class has to give.