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Hávamál, The Saying of Odin, Stanza 16
Hail and welcome! This is Huginn's Heathen Hof, with your Daily Hávamál.
Original-
Ósnjallr maðr
hyggsk munu ey lifa
ef hann við víg varask
en elli gefr
honum engi frið
þótt honum geirar gefi
Translation-
The cowardly man
thinks he will live forever
if he just avoids conflict
but old age gives him no peace
though spears have spared him
-Hávamál: Stanza 16
Much like the preceding stanza (15), this verse gives us a glimpse into ancient Germanic philosophy. In fifteen, Odin told us that we should be both cheerful and generous until death finds us. We can't really live if we're constantly looking over our shoulder, afraid of what might happen if we step outside our comfort zone. Now here in sixteen, we see what happens to those who don't heed Odin's warning. Those who refuse to face their fears will never learn to conquer them. They may survive to a ripe old age, but can it really be called "living" if you spend your last days hiding from the world?
Everyone has fears. Work is to stressful, there are to many bills, how am I going to feed the kids tonight? Trust me, we've all had those days where we just can't deal with it anymore. There's no shame in that, it's part of the human experience. We can take a step back and catch our breath, but what the Hávamál tells us, is that we can't just surrender to those fears. We have to keep LIVING.
