A man may seem wise
if he pokes fun at another
when the other man is away.
But the man who talks
behind another man’s back
is a fool, even if his listeners laugh.

— Stanza 31 from the Havamal

In this current age of social media, these words seem to have extra meaning.As talking about someone on social media is akin to speaking to them when their back is turned, and the speaker’s face cannot be seen. Hiding behind a keyboard allows some people to feel powerful, speaking words they would never say directly to the person … and that’s wrong. If it is something you want to say about a person, you should be able to say it TO that person. Hiding behind a keyboard or whispering to one’s friends when the subject is not around, is akin to bullying which is a HUGE problem in today’s society. It is something that needs to change. And if we catch ourselves doing this, we need to hit the pause button and reconsider. It can be an easy trap to fall into. So be aware. And if you catch someone doing this, ask yourself what Tyr would do as he is about justice … walking the right path, doing the right thing. Standing up for what is right. But when you stand up to this, make sure you yourself are doing it for the right reasons, in the right manner, and not just perpetuating the problem. And in an age with such division and politics, it can be a VERY easy trap to fall into as I admit I’ve fallen into it myself a few times. The question is … What will we do going forward?