142. Then began I to thrive, - and wisdom to get, I grew and well I was; Each word led me on - to another word, Each deed to another deed. Just exactly how should a man be expected to act? What kind of outcome will there be for a man who adopts this way of life we call Asatru? Stanza 142 tells me all I really need to know. Once I kill the ego or that bloated perception of self, new things will begin to appear in our lives. Positive things which had previously been out of reach. Starting at a place which brought me to a point where the very concept of our survival hinged upon the imperative of change. We might recognize our ego because it begins to negotiate. It suggests to us that there ought to be something very worthwhile if we give all this up. All of this ridiculous hardship we have brought upon ourselves with our best thinking. It suggests to us that if we embrace ever more radical positions to the left or to the right of politics or society in general, well then, that righteous indignation of believing how right we think we are is a suitable substitute for spiritual development. More often than not all we are doing is trying to apply a new coat of paint on a tired old ideology. But these are not the new words we ought to be focusing on. These old words only serve to build a victim mentality. No one engaged in those fringes of society thrives. Stanza 142 of the Havamal suggests I will thrive, that I will develop wisdom (earned the hard way for most of us), that I will grow and be well. In short, it tells me that after I have made a similar sacrifice as the one Odin has, things are going to get better. It also tells me what that effort looks like. Each word thought or idea leads to another one. Bold new horizons appear. And with each new horizon, a new adventure which will require great deeds. Some of them far beyond one's ability to even imagine. It starts with honesty, courage, and sacrifice. We find all three concepts vividly described in the lore. But it's going to take courage to achieve this success. It's going to require a change in the paradigm of one's thinking. Not half measures, platitudes, political ideas, or academic scorn. These efforts will require that we remain resolute in what we are focusing on. It will require that we harness a true nautical standard coupled with an august thought process. Then we will thrive and wisdom get. Like the Solsteini, the Nordurstjarna, and the Tungl, this book is yet another tool to assist you in developing an august thought process that results in a true nautical standard in life. All of it based on the wisdom of an oral tradition put down on paper over 1000 years ago. Today we call it Asatru