Vigeda, the Way of Perfection

Vigeda, Way of Perfection

by Verminlord Skrol

Greatness cannot come from looking outwards, only from within. Those who seek perfection are doomed to failure if they cannot see their own flaws and work to correct them. The Way of Perfection is a guide to enlightenment for individuals, communities, even nations. These words are born from the experiences gained from the life of a single individual, his clan, and his nation.

Core Tenets of the Way:

-Do not take half-measures, no matter what your trade, seek perfection as the end result.

-Know that you will never achieve perfection, be at peace with that fact.

-A promise made is a promise kept.

-It is the duty of those who follow to support their leaders.

-It is the duty of those who lead to support their followers.

Leading a Good Life:

The search for perfection is an absolute requirement for leading a good and fulfilling life. Settling for less is a pathway to taking half-measures, giving up, and failure. Whatever your trade, you should never stop striving to improve the skills you learn. Seek out equals and rivals to compete against to further improve your own abilities. A blade is only as useful as its edge and the sharpest blades are forged with the greatest heat.

A promise made is a promise that must be kept. This goes for the penniless squatter as much as the mightiest king and greatest empire. Those who fail to keep their promises should not be trusted.

Economics:

A strong economy is core to any community’s success, be it the smallest village of squatters or the vastest of empires. For a time, a nation may have had a thousand citizens that claimed to be a part of it, but if only ten of those worked its fields and mines, then they are truly lesser than the town with a score of dedicated workers. However, with the recent advancements of industry, this has changed to a degree. Now, a single worker with the proper infrastructure may do the work of ten who work by hand. As such, a nation must also develop its industry and infrastructure to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Some may think that a state is more important than the worker, that all wealth should flow into the state. While every state requires funds to function, the worker should not be forgotten. Some may think that the worker is more important than the state, but this is an equally flawed belief. Without the state’s guidance, the workers are aimless and in conflict. Without the workers, the state cannot function. Know that many will twist these words to align with their own beliefs.

The Importance of Community and Culture:

Many people believe that a nation is the land within the lines on a map. They are wrong. A nation is a people, one bound together by their beliefs and convictions. Together, they support each other and themselves. The land they inhabit is simply that, the land. A people cannot be broken by taking their land, just as they cannot be broken by taking them from their land.

Those who create empires do not understand this. They expand their borders, conquering nations of varied peoples and forcing them to become a single whole, not realizing they are carving away at their own foundations. There are two possibilities when such empires form, both spelling its doom. First, the empire may integrate its conquests, taking in their varied cultures and communities, forming an amalgamation of them. As a result, with time and more conquests, the empire changes so much that it no longer resembles the original nation that had founded it. Second, the empire may choose to ignore integration, allowing many peoples to live under its rule, freely or oppressed. As a result, the empire lacks cohesiveness and a central identity other than military rule. In either result, the empire will eventually meet a nation that refuses to stay down and will rise up in revolt even after being conquered. When one rises up, others will gain their courage as well, and the empire crumbles.

It is for these reasons that empires fail. They lack unity. A single nation with a single culture, a single community, is unlikely to split apart. Such nations can survive any hardship so long as the conviction of their people and their leader is not found wanting. As such, a nation must encourage its people to form their own culture and community, whether through sculptures, architecture, writing, or sport. Great works are the hallmark of a great society.

In Times of War:

In war, as in one’s own life, half-measures cannot be taken. Battles are fought and won by the conviction of the forces who engage in them. It does not matter if you have a hundred warriors if they do not fight. If only five of your warriors show up to battle, your army numbers five, and no more. When war comes, all else must fall to the side and everything and everyone must be committed to victory, regardless of how large or small you think your opponent to truly be. Further, wars are not won solely by the battles that are fought and won.

When war comes, the entire nation must be mobilized to utterly destroy your foe. No quarter should be given, no truce save in the case of complete victory. Even if your nation is destroyed, do not abandon your land, but raid and attack again and again until you have either reclaimed your home or have lost everything. Few nations are willing to engage in such brutal and expensive warfare, so you must force them to lose more than they gain in all ways until they concede to you.

Warriors should not be the sole focus of any war, though their importance cannot be understated. Workers are just as important, for it is they who supply the means to fuel battle, construct arms and armor, and build the fortifications and traps that may mean the difference between utter victory and absolute defeat. When war comes, it is unfortunate, but art and cultural work must be put down until victory has been acquired. All efforts must be poured into the war machine, else risk disaster.

In this age where mercenaries may be called upon to bolster one’s forces, information is key to victory. Although some may see it as dishonorable, there is truly no greater act of loyalty to your nation than to acquire the information of your enemy, even through unsavory means. In war, your opponent shall give you no advantages, you must take them for yourself.

In peacetime, do not put down your weapons, but compete among yourselves and others in gladiatorial sport to hone your skills and better ensure your preparedness for when peace ends, as it always does.

Politics:

In any group of considerable size, there are many leaders and many more followers. Many believe that the will of the many is always correct, that the majority should govern all. This, though tempting at first glance, is utterly false. Nations with democratic leadership are prone to dividing as some demand one leader and some demand another. In time, there is always someone willing to light the match and set off a civil war, destroying their own nation as a result. Even before such inevitable tragedies occur, democracy is prone to half-measures and slow to take action.

In the end, leadership under a single, intelligent ruler who is equipped to lead and supported by the people is always preferable to the messy results of democracy. The clear voice of one that reigns supreme over the cacophony of a thousand.

Sometimes, leaders must make difficult choices for the good of the nation. Sometimes, these choices are opposed by individuals within their own nation, perhaps even friends or family. When such times come, clemency cannot be granted easily. Should one so high openly oppose the rule of the leader, their punishment should not be light, though nor should it be extreme.