The Value of the Shaman

In almost any civilization in history, regardless of governmental structure or technological level, exists the shaman. The shaman is an important part of any society, and is revered for his own specialty. While a scientist may specialize his knowledge in operations and mechanics. Else while a librarian may specialize her knowledge in books and written word. A shaman is something similar, one who specializes knowledge in the unforseen and unlikely. It is in this specialty of knowledge that the shaman holds his value.

As any civilization grows, it establishes a stable point. This stable point then improves in a more or less random fashion, probing and trying different things, gaining and losing from them in turn. The shaman represents the most extreme differentiation from the current situation. The seer of radically different changes. A shaman is in essence revered as a master of insanity. One who has tamed the chaos of an unrestricted and unleashed mind and seen exotic possibility.

'As I learn, round every turn,

 My lucid ideals confirming.

 A view conveyed and paid in trade,

 Through one keyhole sojourning.

 On the view in yonder reflection,

 I view one who takes different direction,

 Branching out to view the world,

 without desire of inflection.'

A shaman is in essence exactly like a scientist. One who explores the world surrounding him or her and attempts to explain it. Where a scientist looks through a constrained view at a particular phenomena, the shaman seeks unrestrained view at unseen phenomena. Some might say "shaman are tribal" or some such. But there are shamans even in today's modern society. The hippies and trippies, dynamic and powerful minds seeking out a greatly expanded view of perceptions.

It is in knowledge of the unlikely that these new-age shaman are valuable. Just in the sense which we exemplify unlikely and extraordinarily good or bad situations, a shaman is the wiser to seek for knowledge of that situation. It is through understanding of the other side, understanding of chaos, which a shaman gains knowledge of the scope of the order. In essence knowing the expanses of all knowledge through understanding of the extent of disorder and experience.