The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1955, Blaðsíða 20

18
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Spring 1955
dence of spirit and thought that would
prompt us to cry out, “A plague on
both your houses!” Yet, actually we
have become the prize for which these
very forces compete! The Icelandic
spirit of independence could do much
to restore sanity and balance to this
battle of ideologies and systems.
There is a third gift of our heritage
that is not so easily recognized, but
nevertheless, is the most important of
all. I am one of those who profess a
great admiration for what we have
come to know as the “pioneering
spirit” of our fathers. The bulwark of
that pioneering spirit was singleness
of purpose. I choose to call it life
commitment. Even when you recognize
the economic problems that made the
migration of Icelanders to this coun-
try necessary, still those problems do
not account for the determination
and tenacity with which these valiant
people met the difficulties of settling
in a strange and often unfriendly land.
These people had committed their
lives in a venture that often demand-
ed everything from them and returned
little or nothing. If there has been
any victory in this venture it is be-
cause they were willing to stake their
lives on the outcome.
The machine worship of our age
and the almost universal requirement
of conformity to prescribed thoughts,
standards, and attitudes have com-
bined to bring about the disintegra-
tion of the personality. Psychology’s
key-word yesterday was “frustration”,
today it is “anxiety”. The bookstores
are filled with books intended either to
distract us or teach us how to live at
peace with ourselves and attain hap-
piness and success. In many respects
we are a “Peer Gynt” civilization. We
have been asking, “What is the way?”
and have not found it. We have been
asking, “Who am I?”, and have heard
no answer. We have tried our hands
at any number of different intriguing-
tasks and have not found fulfillment.
The symbol of Peer Gynt is the
onion. Remember that scene in the
5th act of the drama? He is looking
back over his life. He says, “This is
one standpoint. Where is the next?
One should try all things and choose
the best. I have done that; I’ve been
Caesar, and now I’m behaving like
Nebuchadnezzar . . . You absurd old
humbug! You’re an onion! Now, my
dear Peer, I’m going to peel you, how-
ever little you may enjoy it!” Then
he proceeds to peel the onion, and
layer after layer comes off . . each one
symbolic of some attempt that failed
or dream that was lost. Finally there
is nothing left. Peer is amazed to find
that there is no kernel of the onion,
there are only layers.
Most of us are like Peer Gynt, or
the onion. We have no kernel or
purpose or commitment as the uni-
fying principle of our lives. Nor are
we abnormal in the world of our time.
And how unlike our forbears! They
lived committed lives. Their singleness
of purpose provided them with a
reason for seeking the truth. It became
for them the very treasure that the
spirit of independence was intended to
protect. It was the unifying purpose
of their lives.
Now, I have tried to bring to your
attention some of the elements of our
Icelandic heritage that are dearest to
me. I do not claim that we Icelanders
can change the world by adhering to
them. Nor do I claim that they are
automatically ours because we are Ice-
landers, for Goethe said—a heritage
must be earned. P»ut I do say this: We
must make these exceedingly worthy
and precious gifts of our fathers come