Battling Time: Courage and the Illusion of Eternal Safety
by Donavon L Riley
“The foolish man thinks he will live forever if he keeps away from fighting; but old age won’t grant him a truce, even if the spears do.” — The Poetic Edda
Ósnjallr maðr
hyggsk munu ey lifa,
ef hann við víg varask;
en elli gefr
hánum engi frið,
þótt hánum geirar gefi.
The Poetic Edda, which offers practical advice and deep insights as to what it means to be human and live in this world, is another ancient source of wisdom that’s often neglected by modern readers, even though it conveys useful precepts, such as: “The foolish man thinks he will live forever if he keeps away from fighting; but old age won’t grant him a truce, even if the spears do.”
In these words, we find an exploration of courage and cowardice, of the choices one makes in the face of life’s battles. The fool, motivated by fear or a misguided sense of self-preservation, believes that by avoiding conflict, he can secure an eternal existence. Yet, the Edda asserts that such a retreat does not grant immunity from the machinations of other men or the relentless march of time.
Therefore, consider the metaphor of “fighting” more broadly, as not only physical conflict but also the struggles, challenges, and confrontations that life invariably presents. The fool, seeking refuge in avoidance, fails to recognize that time itself is a formidable adversary. The quote thus illuminates the futility of evading life’s battles in the misguided pursuit of perpetual safety.
Courage, then, emerges not merely as a willingness to face external threats but as an acknowledgment of life’s inherent struggles. The courageous soul accepts the inevitability of conflict, understanding that growth, resilience, and wisdom often emerge from adversity. In contrast, the coward, deceived by the illusion of perpetual safety, denies himself the life-changing experience learned in facing life’s spears.
The Norse perspective, embedded in the quote, challenges the modern notion that courage solely resides in acts of military valor. It invites us to recognize the battles waged at home and in our communities too, which sometimes require greater self-sacrifice than in the battle space. Therefore, the fool, avoiding one kind of skirmish, may escape immediate wounds, but time, portrayed as an implacable foe, marches on, indifferent to his sheltered existence. So whether in combat with a foreign foe or wrestling to make a home for himself, every man will be challenged to fight for what he wants to achieve, whether he wants to fight or not.
This is why the Edda still has something to teach us today. The Edda’s insights transcend cultural and temporal boundaries, speaking to the universal human experience. It invites introspection on our choices in engaging or avoiding life’s challenges. Are we, like the fool, retreating from the inevitable battles, hoping to cheat time’s relentless advance? Or do we embrace courage, acknowledging that within life’s conflicts lies the purpose of our existence?
The dichotomy between the fool and the courageous one also prompts us to reconsider our perceptions of security and bravery. Courage is not the absence of fear but the audacity to confront it, to face the spears that life thrusts at us. It is the understanding that safety is an illusion, and that true vitality lies in engaging with life’s complexities.
The Edda’s wisdom challenges the notion that avoiding conflict guarantees an enduring existence. Instead, it alerts us, focusing our attention on life, to see it as a series of battles, each offering an opportunity for maturation in wisdom, the nurturing of a resilient will, and the benefits of self-sacrifice. The courageous soul embraces this truth, recognizing that even if the spear thrusts momentarily pause, old age marches forward, indifferent to his futile attempts to escape its grasp.
Thus, in contemplating the Poetic Edda’s perspective, we are compelled to reassess our relationship with fear and the choices we make in weathering life’s tumult. The fool’s belief in eternal safety through avoidance is exposed as a misguided illusion, a fleeting respite that is ultimately ground down to dust and ashes under the relentless march of time.
So the Poetic Edda invites us to examine our lives and question whether we are living courageously or retreating into the false comfort of safety. It reminds us that, in facing life’s battles head-on, we discover the richness of our humanity, and in embracing the inevitability of old age, we find a truce not with time but with the very purpose and goal of our lives.
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