Declaration of Purpose VII
- Sara Ault
- Jul 17
- 2 min read
VII. The use of science and technology for the well-being of our people, while protecting and working in harmony with the natural environment in which we live
Technology and science are part of our intellectual inheritance, and we can use them to make life better for ourselves and our children. We must use our abilities wisely, however, maintaining the balance of the natural world from which we sprang. We modern Ásatrúar do not repudiate the scientific and technological progress of our Folk for the last thousand years. Even the Vikings themselves were technologically adept for their time. We do acknowledge man’s ability today to change the world around us – for better or worse. Our knowledge must be applied in a way that is not harmful to the environment in which we live, for the Earth is our mother and – while we retain free will and individuality – we are a part of the web of life.
Technology is a double-edged sword. We are part of a race that has been largely responsible for advancements in nearly all areas of life as we know it, maybe except for inventing peanut butter. If our ancestors weren’t as innovative and intelligent as they were, we would have never ventured from our geographical origins. We’d be stuck where we started still living with a primitive mindset preventing us from becoming more than we were the day before. Because of our innovative and exploring nature we have conquered nearly all areas of the world religion aside. We embrace new profound ideas and ways of doing things that still align with our traditional beliefs and values. So, we’ve built skyscrapers, been to the moon, explored the bottom of the oceans, created healthier ways of living, and all relatively quickly. The responsibility of an advanced race is to measure out the benefits and detriments of the scientific breakthroughs so as not to alienate Mother Earth. Mistakes have been made along the way as would be expected since the wisdom gained from acknowledging and correcting them is what enables us to keep pushing beyond perceived boundaries and to striver to be as the Æsir are, a never-ending endeavor that we as a race welcome. We are not meant to be still running around in furs and swinging axes and anyone that says otherwise is a fool and will get left behind in the abyss of mediocrity with a primitive mindset. It is all about balance, taking strides forward with a responsibility to our male and female children and to our Mother Earth.
