Given in January or February of 2017
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of Ateraan. I am Agrias Saestas, Brother of the Waylumi Clergy, and I thank you for your time and patience in allowing me to present to you this sermon upon the subject of Worldliness.
What is Worldliness, you may ask? To which, I offer the answer, it is your knowledge and acceptance of the World in which you live. Note that I do not say 'we', but 'you'. Worldliness is an experience that alters depending upon the
individual, and the knowledge and learning imparted therein.
For example, take two Acolytes, freshly graduated from the Serfhood to the Clergy. They have both gone to the same schools, both received the same training and development, but they are of differing races, one human, one
elven. Or one is male, and one is female. They will have differing perspectives, because their race affects how they see the world.
Worldliness is the sum of our experiences. What we see, what we do, what we learn, and how it has affected us, how it has shaded our perceptions, all of this is our Worldliness, and it is not, and cannot be the same, from individual to individual. While there are similarities, such as the experiences of two people who eat the same cookie, or two different people who battle the same foe one at a time, these experiences are, nonetheless, each different, and impart different lessons.
So why is Worldliness important? It is quite simple. Our Worldliness affects us all differently, but it affects us nonetheless, in teaching us how we deal with the world, or how we -should- deal with it. Say that I go and do battle with a mighty stag in the Eastern Forest, and I fall as a result. Whichever lesson I take from this, whether I should bring weaponry and equipment with me the next time I do battle with such a foe, or that I should bring more food, or even that I should stay far away from the stag in general, though this opinion is mine to own, this event has added to my Worldliness and affected how I shall act from here on.
It is thusly important to understand that your actions, and your words, shape the Worldliness of others in turn. A polite gesture, a gentle hand, and a caring smile will show others, and add that you are a polite, caring, and
reasonable individual to their Worldliness. If you teach a good man that doing good is good, his Worldliness will lead him to act as a good man. If you punish a good man for being good, his Worldliness will lead him to -avoid- good
actions.
Similarly, however, your addition to their Worldliness can have affects on their additions to -your- Worldliness. If you take a good man, and punish him, because of good actions, you are adding negatively to his Worldliness in
regards to you, and even perhaps your organization. He will then turn around, and, as his Worldliness tells him you are one who he should not be good to, he will not be good to you, and thus engender negative Worldliness in you.
Relating to others is an important aspect of Worldliness. This ability, to speak to others, connect to them, is perhaps the most important aspect of civilization as a whole. Without it, we would not be able to come together, to
form communities, to engender a common cause to work towards. Relating to others, impacting their Worldliness, and letting them impact your own, is the fabric, the very basis, of every community we have in this world.
So it is that Worldliness can impact one's own feeling of Belonging. If your Worldliness is impacted positively by your community, you feel as though you are home, and thus, your spirit rests daily, safe in the knowledge that it belongs. But for your community to impact your Wordliness positively, you must impact theirs, positively. So, in a very real sense, your feeling of Belonging is impacted by your own desire to share your Worldliness with your community.
Everything and anything you do impacts the Wordliness of your community. Even everything you own, as well. Material possessions, and the search for such, can have affects upon your Worldliness, and thus, the Worldliness of your community. Be mindful of that which you seek, and ask yourself, 'Do I truly need this?', reflect upon how this search or these possessions could impact your spirit, your Worldliness, and your community, before setting forth on your journeys.
Thus it is that I entreat you to act with care, as you engender the Worldliness of others and yourself. Learn from everything you do, and say, and what others say and do, and find your feet beneath you in this uncertain world. Act with Integrity, Accountability, a carefully-managed Attitude, and, when necessary, with Repentance, as you add to your own Worldliness, and you will go far in this world.
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