To teach a youngster (Νεωτερον διδασκε)

I'm currently going through a somewhat tiring time in my life. There is so much happening in my life right now, so much going on that I have to deal with, that I'm running around all day, trying to get everything done in time. None of it is bad, but all of it is draining. I have blown through my reserve of blog posts in the last few days, and I have to scramble to get something--anything--together these last few days. This is not a big deal, life happens, and when it does, you deal with it. I write shorter posts, I grasp for inspiration, I muddle though, and after a while (read: the twenty-first) it'll pass. This is not a sympathy post. I wouldn't even have said anything if it didn't serve to make a point.

You see, I have made a commitment to the Theoi. When I finally transitioned into Hellenismos, I put my hands up at the altar of the Gods I keep in my home, and I vowed to worship the Gods with everything I am, I vowed to study Them, Their myths, and Their culture. And then, I swore to uphold one of the most important Delphic Maxims there are: to teach a youngster (Νεωτερον διδασκε).

Being a youngster, I feel, has nothing to do with age, or even knowledge. It has to do with being a student. Everyone can be a student; I'm a student every day. There are people who have experienced so much more than I have, who know so much more than I do, whose relationship with the Theoi, or one specific Theos or Theia are humbling to me. These people teach me--every single day--to be a better worshipper, writer, or simply a better human being. Some of them are aware they teach me (and others like me), others do not.

Like some of my teachers, I am aware--or, more accurately, I am made aware--that I, too, teach, and I take that responsibility very seriously. I take pride in my work here on Baring the Aegis, and making a commitment to post something every single day is one of the biggest religious commitments I have ever made. From June second, 2012, on, I have taken readers with me on my search for knowledge. Much of what I write, I was unaware of until I wrote it down. It's been my privilege.

A while back, there was an internet thing I'm too tired to link to about the focus on worship dropping in the face of tough times in life. As I sit here, exhausted, with a to-do list that makes me feel like Atlas, I know that whatever happens, I will have a post for you in the morning, and the morning after, and the morning after. It might not be long, it might not be profound, it might be just an insight into my life, but it is a post. It is something with which I honor the Theoi. Perhaps, it helps me teach. Whatever it is, it will be there, because that is the promise I made in the presence of my Gods.

So no matter what, I hope to continue to teach, and I hope you all will bear with me until the twenty-second, when I will have passed my deadlines. I have said it before, and I will say it again, you guys make writing worth while. Your kind words, your comments, your likes, your views; you allow me to fulfill my vow to the Theoi, and for that, I will always be grateful.