Then where does everyone who wants to run away from here... go?

"Far, far to the west, across the sea, there's a land called Vinland. It's warm and fertile. It's a faraway land, without slave traders and without war. What do you think? Come and live there with us someday. In Vinland"

Where does one go after one's life has been threatened, after one has lost everything? Maybe their home has been taken away from them or they just want to escape from the hard struggles of their lives, where do you go to escape from it all, what is Vinland?

For those who came here because of the hit series Vinland Saga, you will be disappointed to know that this is not an anime blog, but a blog about life. And for those who have no interest in anime, or even despise it, you may learn that there are anime out there with concepts so profound that they will shake you to your core. This is not really a blog about anime (although most of the discussion is about a single anime series), but a blog about how to achieve peace and freedom in one's own life, how to be a better person and why we should strive to be one. Vinland is the concept I want to introduce to everyone, to have a place of one's own where you can live and thrive without anyone imposing their will on you, to reject violence and show kindness.  

I want to talk about the moments that have affected me the most personally, how I relate to them in real life, and how I use what I have learned from this story to improve not only my life, but the lives of the people around me. These are the things I will talk about, I want to contribute to the betterment of society by talking about these topics and ideas present in it, so that maybe one day everyone will have a place where they belong. 

To those who read this blog, I ask you to give me a chance to show you that there is great strength in kindness and that sometimes the best thing we can do for our enemies and ourselves is to walk away. If this reaches at least one person, then my mission will be complete. I will write 1-2 times a month, talking about one of the many interesting and profound topics in Vinland Saga, comparing them and trying to implement them in everyday life. 

If you think you need to watch the show or be familiar with it, you don't, because I need to explain everything in order to discuss it in detail. So, big spoilers for the anime, duh....  Each blog post will focus on a particular theme, idea or character, and we will delve deep into them to explore  and discover many interesting aspects of the story. The length of the blog posts will vary as some topics require more context and discussion to unpack than others. So sit back and enjoy the ride, because it will be an exciting one.

 "If a place like that doesn't exist... then I'll make one. We'll build a peaceful land in Vinland."

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog post. I hope you'll join me on February 1st for the next post, where we'll explore the main story, themes, and conflicts of Vinland Saga as they were present in the very real historical context on which the show is based.  So let's discover the valuable lessons this story holds for our own lives together.