As we all know frith was built around community. It meant the peace and proseprity felt by the community as well as the safety and refugee of it. The anceints relied on each other for surivival. It was the family and tribe that struggled to live, not the individual. But what does this mean for modern Heathens? We are as individuals self suficent without the real need of a community are we not? Or are we? Acording to the teachings of Maslow, modern ideas on self sufficency would seem a myth. In order for humans to survive, or create happiness for themselves, certain needs have to be met. First, one must have basic physical needs; shelter, food, water. Second one must have security, safety form fear, and a stable environment. Third one needs to belong to a family or circle of friends. Fourth one needs respect from others in order to have self respect. Finally, "what a person can be, they must be." Each set of needs must be met before the next can be. Without food and shelter, one cannot expect to try to meet the need to be free from fear. If one cannot feel free from fear, a circle of friends will do them little good.
Maslow's ideas fit well with Heathen thought, esp. "what a person can be, they must be." You are your deeds! However, one must recieve respect from others to achieve the self respect to make this happen. Too often as Heathens we do not see this. We ignore the deeds of folk because we do not place importance on their dedication, we are too busy to notice, or we look away when we see the harship they may be going thru. Yet by failing to give the respect they are due, by failing to pay heed to their needs, we are failing to maintian the frith, the peace and prosperity of the Heathen community. Afterall, if they cannot acheive self respect, they will never achieve self esteem, and without the high self esteem of every member of its community, frith in the form of prosperity cannot be maintained for long.
A more basic need than respect however is the need to be a part of a circle of friends or family. Here is the real role of Heathenry. Its purpose is not to exclude, but to include, to fulfill that need of belonging to something bigger and greater than one's self. Humans are social animals, we all need some human interaction. The other more basic needs are even more important, and no doubt, our Heathen communities can provide a sense of security, and in emergencies (such as the destruction of one's home) meet the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and water
And what if these needs are not met? Then the individual cannot reasonablly be expected to be what they can be. Forget all the slogans about "help yourself," and "the gods only do for those that do for themsselves." It is the fault of the community if one of its members cannot self actualize due to a lack of respect from others or exclusion from the community. It makes no difference whether this is deliberate or accidental. Frith is the mainteance of the peace, security, and refuge of the community. If one of its members does not feel safe, does not feel respected, then true frith does not exist.
To achieve this a Heathen comunity must be active. The holytides must
be celebrated as they create and maintain a sense of community. Members
must be encouraged to do deeds for the community, and in return recieve
the praise of the community for their works in the form of respect, and
all must be made to feel as tho they belong. None of this is easy. But
for Heathenry to surivive it must do so with folk that are having all their
needs met.
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