I come from a line of Norwegians on both my mom and dad's side of the family. Although I have always been aware of my ties to the Nordic region I haven't made a huge effort to connect with those Norwegian roots. I have attended celebrations on May 17 (Norwegian Constitution Day) enjoying the music and dancing and I can recall my dad speaking at one of those gatherings. I eat lefse and krum kake and will cheer for a Norwegian athlete if there's not a Canadian in the field but I haven't ever flown a flag or in any other way identified with any Norwegian ancestry. Yet, strangely enough, here I sit looking at the picture window in my dining room which is fully adorned with shamrocks and a Happy St. Patrick's Day banner.
I am not aware of any Irish blood anywhere in my family tree but I look up and there is the "Kiss Me I'm Irish" decal staring back at me. I am not entirely sure why we have these decorations but nonetheless there is a splash of green to be seen as we approach St. Patrick's Day.
Separating fact from fiction from folktale when it comes to St. Patrick is not the easiest thing to do. Countless stories have circulated about him and when something gets repeated often enough we begin to believe its authenticity. When it comes to history it can be tough to determine what is real and what is legend. St. Patrick did a lot of remarkable things, conversely he is credited for doing things he simply didn't do but such is the case with notable figures. He's not the only one. Some legends have become so ingrained in our minds they overshadow the actual facts of a historical figure's life.
Historians say there is little evidence to suggest Nero fiddled while Rome burned, it is unlikely Lady Godiva ever took that infamous ride on horseback through Coventry, and no, St. Patrick didn't drive snakes out of Ireland. Each of these individuals had an unmistakeable impact on history--and then the writers, poets and the powerful people of the day had their say in shaping how the events would be perceived. The descriptions are refined and moulded as they are passed down, and in the process some of the details may be lost as the storytelling takes over. In response to some of the inaccuracies contained within a big budget movie about an American president, one historian lamented that once errors are immortalized on the silver screen it is nearly impossible to correct them since that is the version people will most likely remember.
This isn't just a fact that exists with celebrated or noteworthy individuals in history, but also with the people we connect and interact with here and now. How many times have you been given information about someone that simply was not true? It wasn't that the individual sharing the news was in any way gossipy, it's just that the information they had was incorrect and they were unwittingly spreading something that was inaccurate. In some situations it may not be a huge deal but in other cases the misinformation can cause tremendous pain and heartache, or even damage to one's reputation.
A few years ago I was approached by a lady in the grocery store. I didn't know her very well so I was surprised by the question she posed about someone she knew I was friends with. The content of her question indicated she was working under some false perceptions. When I answered her query she responded with, "Oh, that's not at all the way I heard it."
We have no way of knowing how many misconceptions or outright untruths people have of the circumstances we are in. We don't know what may be said about us by others today, next week or 100 years from now. It is something over which we have no control, because kind or otherwise, history will have its say.
And since I don't expect to have folk ballads sung about me, or banners hung with my name in block letters, I need to focus today on living with character, integrity and in truth. Even more importantly I need to afford that to those around me. Sothat means not passing along what I don't know to be true. It means closing my lips when I am not fully informed. It means granting others the same dignity I wish to be granted.
Because perhaps the greatest way to honour someone is not to designate a day for them but simply to treat their name, their life and their reputation with the best of intentions and the greatest respect. That's my outlook.
