The cattle are like their master

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Each Thursday I select a Viking quote, sometimes randomly but ofttimes based upon relevance or meaning to my life at that point in time. Despite these phrases being over a thousand years old I believe most can still offer value in modern society and I find it interesting to ponder, weigh and measure them. _{original im src}

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This week's Viking quote

The cattle are like their master - Víga-Glúms saga

There's many different types of people in the world however for the purpose of this post I'm going to designate them into two categories: Leaders and followers.

Over the years there's been many extremely influential people who have shaped the world around them and, subsequently, the world they left behind for those who came later...that means us folks.

Let me think of a few names off the top of my head: Napoleon, William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Adolf Hitler, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Henry VIII of England, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Julius Caesar, Martin Luther, Albert Einstein, Christopher Columbus, Isaac Newton, Nicolaus Copernicus, Michelangelo, Cicero, Captain Cook, Osama Bin Laden, Idi Amin, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill...I could go on of course, but I think you get the idea.

All of those above, and others like them, have influenced thought, attitude and action of many millions of people and the actions undertaken by those people have had amazingly positive outcomes and the extreme opposite.

Much joy and deep woe and despair has been created by people who were influenced by others, and it continues to this day of course.

These days the word, influencers, is typically associated with social media influencers who are generally cosmetically-enhanced twenty-something girls wearing clothing that barely covers their nipples and vaginas.

These influencers offer their "sage and wise" advice gained from their vast experience of life, you know, holding up products in images and videos on Instagram and Chinese spy-media Tik Toc, and promoting their OnlyFans accounts where you can actually see their nipples and vaginas without the string bikini and lingerie being in the way...for a price of course.

But, in truth, influencers are everywhere, and many have much more value to offer the world than their perfectly formed cosmetically created boobs and expertly Photo-Shopped images. (Never fear folks, I have nothing against boobs; in fact I love them dearly. I just like the real ones, not the bags of saline or silicone solution that seem so popular these days.)

So...Back to leaders and followers and how that relates to the Viking quote above.

I'm a leader. I know this because my whole life has been spent leading people and being the person others are willing to follow, or be influenced by.

This comes through being experienced, having a winning attitude, the ability to learn quickly, ability to adapt and overcome, to genuinely care about others, to teach people, evaluate, act decisively and the fact I set high standards for myself and reach for them encouraging others to do the same. I lead by example and whether it's doing so by being polite, courteous, generous, humble and kind, or undertaking difficult tasks that require effort, fortitude, courage and persistence, people respond...They feel confidence in me and they follow, and mostly emulate my behaviours themselves.

This doesn't mean I don't take the time to listen to others, to learn, develop and grow - All good leaders do this. It just means that at some point I take it and run with it, take action and get things done, and empower others to do the same. Being leader isn't just about ordering people around like in the military. It's about providing support without removing responsibility, helping people reach for and attain their best, to continually improve and permitting them to take the accolades when due.

It's about influencing other people to have the thoughts and attitudes then taking the actions that will bring them to the success, or outcomes they desire.

You see, influential people generate followers, a fact easily seen at every level of society, and on Hive as well. The thing is, that influencers can, as I said earlier, *influence for better or worse; good or bad.

I'll be honest and say I believe I'm a positive influence on most people around me today, and in the past. I feel good about helping others succeed and feeling good helps me succeed also, try harder, feel more content.

This doesn't mean I've always been that though; I've influenced people negatively also, much to my shame. I guess, for me, the important thing is to know what effect I'm having on those around me and, if negative, adjust to swing it back to positive...or simply eliminate myself from the situation so those people can move forward more positively.

Cattle are like their master.

There's always going to be leaders and followers and I believe a person can be a mix of both. There's no right or wrong to either, but either have the ability to do right or wrong. I think a glimpse around the world today will demonstrate that quite clearly. We have the choice of course, as individuals. The choice might be unpleasant or difficult for sure, but there's always the choice. Right?

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That's it for this week, a thousand year-old Viking quote that suggests that it is better to be a leader who creates positive change in the world, or a follower who follows one such person's example.

In the comments below, please feel free to disagree with my interpretation and add your own if you like, tell a story around this quote or general topic or simply react to it and let me know what you think, how you see it, how it relates to you or someone you know.

Skol.