A little introduction to me.

Well, I'm finally doing it. I've jumping over that internet hurdle and starting a blog. I personally thought Facebook was enough, but with recent turns in my life, as well as a long-term voice telling me to, I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon that is blogging, with the hope that someone will spend a few minutes to read my thoughts. Being a relatively simple person, there won't be a great range of themes, but hopefully my musings will make you think a little.

So, a little about me to give you an introduction. I'm aware that some readers will know me, but there will hopefully be some who don't. I aim to be honest when writing on here, so I will be confrontational. I will be deep and dark and moody. And most importantly, this post will stand up for what I believe in. Again, not all my readers will approve of everything I write. However, I like that. I like to encourage questioning in friends, and if they disagree with me, that is fine.

Right, onto the real topic of this post. I'll stop getting distracted. I'm a twenty-two year old male from the United Kingdom. I have spent the entirety of my life in that country, and thus have gone through the British school system. I went to university in Cambridge, studying the weirdest shit, but also, in my opinion the most awesome. I studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. Look it up. It really isn't the most useful for me, but it was pretty brilliant. I certainly don't regret it.

So, let's cover the parts of my overly long-winded name. It was a decision reached by me and some friends at a music festival that it suited me as a nickname. It's hardly short or sweet, but it sums me up pretty damned well. Let's go from the least interesting parts to the most.

'Redneck' is pretty simple for me, despite my lack of Southern roots. And it's not because of how easily I sunburn, being a red-headed man. It comes from my habit of wearing sleeveless shirts, listening to Southern music (be it metal, country or blues), and the fact that I am a dab hand with an axe. I also own several throwing knives. Why not, right? So in a way, I suit that moniker. To add another little detail, I love music. I really don't know what I'd do without it in my life. Anything with a touch of the blues will get my love, as will highly charged and aggressive punk and heavy metal. If you want an idea of some of my ideal music, listen to Soulfly, Down and The White Buffalo.

So, how about 'Viking'? Again, easy. I'm a guy with a big red beard, who always wears Thor's Hammer around his neck, who has a Norse symbol as a tattoo on my left shoulder (don't worry, I'm not a Nazi. I'll probably cover this is in a later post). Oh yeah, and I spent three years at uni studying vikings. As well as having spent the past seven years as a viking re-enactor. It's hardly a wonder that I stumbled into this nickname, which is actually regularly used for me in life. I was even mentioned as 'Viking' on BBC Radio 2 recently, of all things... Like with the above paragraph, I'll quickly spin this into my love of history in general. The past fascinates me, because no author can tell stories which can quite live up to the real events of the past. I feel a little guilty, but I have a fascination with weapons and warfare, despite being a pacifist. The fact that war represents a combined zenith and nadir of human physical and technological innovation and ability simple draws me in.

So now for the most interesting part. The others are in a way fundamental to my heart, because I would not be comfortable without my look and my music. I wouldn't be me. But the most important part of what drives me in life is a love for humanity. I was raised to be a caring individual, but ever since getting disillusioned with the luxuries of British living at university, I have slipped firmly into the humanitarian category. I cannot stand, nor understand hatred of someone based on race, gender, sexuality. I will never condemn an entire group of people based on the actions of a few. I would call myself a realist, but I look for the best in every situation I find myself in. I am very much an idealist when it comes to my wishes for the future, but I have no qualms about being an idealist. In my opinion, without tolerance, compassion and forgiveness, this world we live in will keep sliding down the slope it's on.

A lot of the last paragraph will come out in later posts. I am currently sitting in East Jerusalem, here as part of a volunteering post in Palestine. If you want a place to come to see injustice, you cannot do much better than here. Most of my posts in the next nine weeks will relate to this incredible place. Hopefully I can help you understand a little more of the situation here, at the same time as giving you something to think about.

But anyway, that's me in a nutshell. Obviously you'd need a pretty big nutshell to fit everything to do with me into it, but I hope this gives you an idea. And I hope you will read what I have to say and at least think, even if you don't agree.