Hephaestus

Hephaestus lifts his gavel high,
Pronouncing verdict with iron’s cry,
Forging fates in steel and stone,
Probing deeper than mortal bone.
Heft and heart in sync shape,
Hewing future into current’s nape,
To craft a vision buried in his soul
That will spark more than fiery coal.
Hammer falls, and falls again,
Flattening, fixing, form to plane,
As if mystic substance solidifies
Upon his anvil with swift, deft ties.
Hephaestus measures out his plan
For both divine and mortal man,
A clever trap, a subtle feat,
His workmanship can’t be beat.
Warily watch and learn, o son,
The end is made ‘ere he’s begun–
So, the heavens will the earth,
And craft in us our eternal worth.

Memento Mori

You will die.

People dread the reality of this statement, whether in their conscious thoughts or the unconscious recesses of their minds. Yet, surprisingly, this is a truth that has the most potential to free our thoughts from fear. Did you ever wonder how daring ninja stalked through fortified castles, soldiers braved enemy-occupied beaches, or the old man peacefully embraced his last moment? What drives them to act in these dire moments without becoming petrified by fear? The answer is contained in the latin phrase, Memento Mori (“Remember death.”)

Hidden in the annals of Shinobi lore, the Japanese primers on ninjutsu (ninja martial arts), a section exists called “The Correct Mind.” This portion is the primary foundation of who and what a ninja is. Within this passage, the writer spends great detail illuminating one point: Only by accepting death can you succeed in being a ninja. Listen to the writer’s sage advice to his pupils:

“‘If you do not throw away concern about yourself, your mind will do harm to you in the end.’…To worry about yourself will do harm to yourself. This is because it offends heavenly principles.”

“To live and die is decided by heaven at the moment when you come into being, inside your mother’s womb…Therefore, if you keep moving forward without fear of death, you may not die, while if you like to live too much and hate to die and run away through fear of your life, you may not survive. Thus, whether to advance or retreat does not matter as you will survive according to heaven’s discretion, so why would you not take the chance to live by advancing, than trying to survive by running away?” -Fujibayashi

In the Confucian-style dialogues between sage and pupil, the writer presents that we should orient life according to the end, which in his view has been prescribed from the beginning. Similarly, we can accept death as a springboard for courageous living, whether entering the battlefield or another day at work. The emphasis is on taking self-preservation out of the center of our thoughts, and offering our lives instead to a greater purpose which will outlast ourselves. The character such living-from-death promotes is that of selflessness, honor, and the pursuit of the unseen rewards life on this earth offers.

The literary world offers great examples of memento mori through sacrificial characters, as well as characters who live honest lives. A favorite of mine resides in JRR Tolkien’s Silmarillion. While this collection of tales is more mythical history than adventure, the book contains a passage about the death of the first human friend of the elves. His passing leaves a great impact for the relationship between Men and Elves, and I believe has a line that will later challenge the character’s heirs and the reader.

“And when [Bëor] lay dead, of no wound or grief, but stricken by age, the Eldar saw for the first time the swift waning of the life of Men, and the death of weariness which they knew not in themselves; and they grieved greatly for the loss of their friends. But Bëor at the last had relinquished his life willingly and passed in peace; and the Eldar wondered much at the strange fate of Men, for in all their lore there was no account of it, and its end was hidden from them.” –Silmarillion

You can see the kernel of memento mori in the line, “But Bëor at last relinquished his life willingly and passed in peace.” (emphasis mine) Bëor welcomed death and went in peace. Similarly to the shinobi above, Bëor braved the unknown fates of the world, leading his people across the empty wastes of primal Middle Earth toward the uncharted West. He then makes the difficult decision of leading his people to dwell among a new race, a people both powerful and strange. In the end, he also discerns the limits of this new friendship, and gives the secret knowledge of his people’s heritage to a few descendants. Bëor’s life exemplifies the lesson of memento mori. Remembering death, he aligned his purpose to best serve his people long after he had passed. Because of this, his children and their children would bear his name as an honorary title.

Now, your family may not coin themselves after your given name or start calling themselves Clan [Dad’s-First-Name-Here], but they will remember you long after you are dead. Death makes life more dear, and in living with death in mind, you can learn to treasure the moments of life. Men who sought to understand the scope of life penned this song,

“The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger,
    and your wrath according to the fear of you?

So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.” -Psalm 90

Instead of obsessing over life, accept existence for what it is: A transient gift. The end comes too soon for most, and rarely is each particular conclusion expected. Remember death, and perhaps it will aid you in living bold, honorable lives. Why retreat when you can advance? As a two-time Medal of Honor recipient, Marine Sergeant Major Dan Daly, cried in the infamous Battle of Belleau Wood, “For Christ’s sake, do you want to live forever?”

Because you won’t in this life. So live boldly.

Fair Falls the Leaves in Lothlorien

Fair falls the leaves in Lothlorien.
Winter frost has nipped her buds, bit her blossoms.
Still lies the remnants of golden summer days…
O Lorien the Lovely, your years are young
Compared to your sire across the sea.

Fair falls the leaves in Lothlorien,
The silver boughs quiver as winds howl,
A darkening day even as the sun climbs
The ramparts of the naked sky.
Where will now the songs of joy arise?

Fair falls the leaves in Lothlorien,
The fabled halls of elven kings of old,
Which call mortal men to deeper thoughts,
To a land far beyond the seas, West of West.
Who can bring feeble gaze to Valinor’s abode?

Fair falls the leaves in Lothlorien,
Still the world will seem without her mirth,
Yet the gleaming stars on Varda’s brow show
The Song of Begetting persists and stirs,
Spring may yet return to the halls of Lorien.