The Guild: A Code of Ethics

See the brief movie below

"Look for the log in your own eye - not the splinter in your brothers"

Well, it has now been exactly a year of writing here on the blog.  I have managed to spill my guts over 26 deeply thought out writings, many of them part of a very personal journey.  Writing is therapeutic for me.  As I state in the ever-present quote by Hunter S. Thompson at the top of this page,

"One of the few ways I can almost be certain I'll understand something is by sitting down and writing about it. Because by forcing yourself to write about it and putting it down in words, you can't avoid having to come to grips with it. You might be wrong, but you have to think about it very intensely to write about it. So I use writing as a learning tool. " 

I have learned many things about myself over the last year of thoughtfully writing. If writing is one's way, it can deeply change one's path.  It has helped me, healed me, changed me.  I have shared my heart on love, loss, yearning, healing as well as inspiration, challenging things, difficult times, of learning to be a warrior in a garden, to being a teacher and a student. I have written of my youth, of preparations for staring death in the eye, of fighting, of lessons learned and of many failures. I have shared my thoughts on comparing ones life of lessons and pain to the Japanese art of Kintsugi and reminisced over brotherhood. I even attempted to find a way try to convince the reader to adopt the way of the tortoise. It has been a thought-filled year, a year of insight and growth. 

I am always curious, and looking, looking for inspiration guiding more change.  I am constantly reading, searching for the right words, words or stories that define a path that makes sense to me.  Recently I stumbled across this video, and it certainly fits the bill, for me anyways.  Such noble and inspiring words. Such powerful words, difficult ones to live up to but a worthy pursuit, a place to start or better put, to continue from. Could there be stronger more perfect words to live by?  A stronger code to follow? Haunting, beautiful.  And especially relevant to me having spent many periods of my youth canoeing and fishing through the deep north woods of Algonquin National Part in the remote Canadian wilderness, a place I am still drawn towards in my dreams. A cabin in the middle of nowhere, solitude, living off the land, utter bliss.

I will get there again, I must. After all, the problem is, we only think we have time.

- Shawn

Love what you do
Do what you love
Begin where you are
Use what you have
Do what you can
Honor the elders
Teach the young
Protect and love your family
Keep your craft and your skills strong
Learn from your own mistakes, not only from others
Look for the log in your own eye - not the splinter in your brothers
Be loyal to your friends
Voice your opinion
Stand your ground
Trust your brothers
Work hard, stay humble
Focus on the detail
Be brave
Be calm
Be patient
Wake up early
Temper your body
Live in nature
Walk in the woods
Climb the mountains
Find time to be alone
Hunt when you need food
Rest when you can
Work when you must
Always leave your mark
Take charge when others show weakness
Have more, spend less
More time, less convenience
Craft, not business
Value, not price
Quality, not quantity
To create, not to produce
Hands, not machines

Voice by Eric Hollenbeck from Blue Ox Millworks