“I shall stay at home now and give up serving kings.”

“I shall stay at home now and give up serving kings.” EGIL’S SAGA, CH. 5

This sage decision is uttered by Egil’s grandfather, Kveldulf.

Egil has asked his grandfather to join in the struggle to support King Harald Fair-hair.

With that gorgeous line, Kveldulf declines the invitation to serve yet another king.

He declines not because he is weary with old age, but because he has reached one of the peaks of wisdom where serving others and their ends whether nefarious or well-intentioned aims are seldom if ever the aims and needs of the self.

Much of our participation in “battles” for kings and occupying ourselves with partisan bickering for “feudal princes” is nothing more than effort expended for the good or ill of others.

Seldom do such “battles” have anything to do with us on the individual level.

Can you recall the last bit of political “news” that actually led to a tangible good in your daily life in the here and now?

Discount the feelings of schadenfreude when someone from the “other side” “gets his or hers.”

Honestly assess how any “kingly” or “princely” news has made your jog around the block better, improved your relations with your family, made mowing the yard all the easier.

Can you name any “battle/bickering/debate” about a kingly cause that led to improvement to your life and relationships?

Can you point to any distant “kingly” battle where your participatory bickering tilted the balance one way or the other?

Again, discount the hormonal surge of “victory” for having one-upped another human. Candidly assess, did “winning points” for a distant cause make you a better husband, wife, father, son, daughter, neighbor, human behind the counter?

Does participation in any distant battle get you closer to your own here and now personal goals?

Does energy expended in battling for distant causes and kings funnel energy from our own causes?

Do we allow the distractions of “kings” and “princes” to capture our attention, attention that might best be used in doing what needs to be done today?

Does fealty to any distant king or prince who does not personally know your name, let alone know you the individual—does this fealty truly gain you one iota of peace or compassion or success in day to day life?

Would any of the “kings” or “princes” we fight for on the personal level, come to your home and fight for you on the personal level?

Kveldulf says “I shall stay at home now and give up serving kings.”

And in declaring this he is also stating that the only King he shall serve is the King that can do something that does indeed impact his life. He shall serve himself. He shall serve his family. He shall serve his friends.

"Vertu konungur eigin lífi þínu. Ekki beygja hné eða losa vör til að þjóna öðrum. "

 “Be the King of your own life. Do not bend knee or loosen lip to serve any other.”