Large Fierce Mammal

Mind ye now the river’s flowing,
Sift ye out what’s wished from knowing,
Master thee thy come and going,
Trim thy sails, the wind is blowing.

So here’s the lesson you must learn,
To prep thy vessel, stem to stern.
You choose alone what bridges burn,
Then steer her hence, there’s no return.

~ Commitment ~

The swearing of oaths has become so entangled with the affairs of men as to be valueless, afloat as they are in a morass of end user agreements, credit card and loan applications, and court proceedings where swearing to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth is just noise, even to officers of the court and law enforcement.

I have written much over the years about Truth, Honour, Loyalty, and Commitment, and what it means when I use a word with its first letter capitalized. If you come here regularly you will know this, but for those who don’t but should, here are a couple of samples that should help clear up any confusion before we go forward.

First,

“For the children of Nature, once you’ve been given Life, the race is on to keep that upper case “L” in front of it before time runs out ….” ~ Of Cycles and Rhythms

And,

“A Gentleman is not a saint, nor should he aspire to be, and for those among you who would like to believe such an animal no longer exists, if it ever did, please note the upper case “G”. It’s significant, although less so I suppose for those who can be counted among the mean and miserable maggotry that infests the Earth.” ~ An Intervention

Put quite simply then as some last ditch guidance for those who still find the matter clouded in mystery, “… I only capitalize the name of a thing when the reference is to the thing in its entirety ….”, much in the way First Nations peoples use the word “Medicine“:

“In its truest form, the term “medicine” far transcends the very limiting definition of common usage. As employed by the Mi’kmaq, it refers to all the physical and spiritual properties inherent in a thing ….” ~ Medicine Man

Now that we’re all on the same page, let us move on further down it together.

I have also written of the vital importance of bringing the Best of Yourself to every endeavour, thereby being Worthy of each gift received and every day that’s won.

As I practice it, I do not seek to be good enough, nor even the better man in any moment. I strive to be the Best of Men, knowing as I do that the Greatest Master is a perpetual Student, and internalizing this is the foundation of Mastery. In this way, whatever perfection and expression of Mastery may be found in me is as a result of my competition with the one person I have dedicated myself to being better than — me a second ago.

Saying this, I make no claim to being the Best of Men, only that I strive every moment to be Worthy of the epithet, and to illustrate let me pause here for an anecdote in the form of a joke older than I am.

A contest was held at a university between the star students of both the Mathematics and Engineering faculties. The venue was the school football field, at one end of which were placed the worthy contestants behind the starting line, at the other a young woman of such passing pulchritude as to make the angels sing, reclining suggestively upon a chaise lounge.

The rules were read — that upon the firing of the starting gun, both contestants would race to a point exactly halfway to their goal. There they would wait for the sounding of the first whistle whereupon they would repeat the performance, only this time to a point exactly halfway between this new starting point and their goal. The process would then repeat until one man reached the prize.

Upon hearing the rules, the Mathematician flew into a rage, declaring the entire enterprise to be utter nonsense. Asked by an Official as to what reasoning brought him to such a mind, his reply was thus:

“It matters little which one of us is the fleetest of foot! Under these rules I will never actually reach the prize!”

With a nod of his head, the Official replied, “Very well,” and turning to the Engineer asked, “And you sir, how will you proceed?”

Smiling gamely, the Engineer replied, “I will most definitely proceed sir! While it is true that with these rules I will never actually reach the prize, I will come close enough for all practical purposes!”

Whether times be good or ill, one does not swear an oath in the spirit of frivolous commitment. Such oaths are really not oaths at all, only meagre and perishable promises that sow the seeds of disappointment and resentment should the words spoken at their birth ever be called to deed.

Of such childish things are born inscriptions in high school yearbooks, drunken barroom embraces to the tune of, “I love you man!”, and bad marriages.

Many bridges are burned and much water passed beneath others on the treacherous and bruising ride to even knowing what a True Oath is, let alone what it takes to make one.

An Oath, then, is not any mere promise to be made in the heat of the moment nor is it a marker to be called in as payment on a debt. It is not an investment nor is it an alliance, for those are business deals, similar to an Oath only in that the value of each rests solely on whatever personal interpretations of  Honour and Loyalty may be held by their signatories. And in that similarity lies an even greater divergence.

An investment or alliance requires nothing more than honour and loyalty — note the case of each — to the agreement that formed it, and often comes with a date of reckoning, renegotiation, or dissolution.

A True Oath draws its power from absolute Loyalty to the personal Honour of he who swears it, and the Commitment, for Now and Always, to bring the Best of himself, whatever that may mean in the time of trial on the shifting continuum of Life that lies between the greatest of vigour and utmost depletion.

Now and Always.

The swearing of a True Oath is not a promissory note for some day. It is commitment to a path. A road taken, and not taken lightly, for this road is a controlled access highway that, once entered onto, is travelled sans exit or lane change. This is no highway of tears although its pavements will be slick with them on occasion, but for the most part its vistas and rest stops are soul saving.

A well lived Life has room for only a very few True Oaths, and when this is understood it will become clear that an Oath is a bind of Honour to one’s self before it is spoken to another, and is an absolute Commitment that the Best of him will be there when needed.

Not when called.

When needed.

Now and Always.

Born of Honour, a True Oath is no highway to Hell, unless Hell is where one is needed. Binding, it is not bondage. Unbreakable, it can still be broken, but only at the express desire of that One to whom it was sworn.

A True Oath cannot be broken by the Death of he who swore it, for that one will know his own mortality and have taken measures ere he feels the final touch upon his shoulder to ensure his immortality.

A True Oath cannot be broken by the Death of its recipient, for that one is the unbreakable nexus of its perpetuation.

Sworn by a Man to his Mate, she will know that she has the Best of him.

Now and Always.

Sworn by a Man to the Mother of his children, she will know her own immortality.

Now and Always.