What can we learn from the Duardin?

Stop.

Stop whatever you are doing right now and sit down for a moment. It is time to think. You can't say you're too busy to spend a couple of minutes all by yourself, reading this post. We always have a moment if we want to, no matter how busy we think we are.

You should pause to think every now and then, yet pause only to think. There's no taming a mule if all you do is sit on the fence.

Life is a silly and complicated thing that we all have found ourselves in. The inhabitants of the Mortal Realms are no different, albeit their lives and the worlds they live in are quite unlike ours. Yet there are enough similarities that we should take a look at what they can teach us about life.

What can we learn from the duardin?

First of all, what are the duardin exactly? Well, they're one of the mortal races across the Realms along with aelves, orruks, humans, grots and ogors, trying to make do in worlds that are being rebuilt after the Chaos invasions. Their appearance is distinctively human, yet they live much longer and can reach an age of several centuries if not slain in battle. They also posses a particular stamina and strength of both limb and mind, raising an average duardin far above an average human in almost every respect. Not in all respects though, as every race has a set of flaws unique to its nature.

Traditionally the duardin live underground, in the tunnels, halls and holds that honeycomb the mountains of the Realms. They're used to darkness and tight confines, and their physical build further enhances these traits; they're short and broad, and their eyesight remains sharp even in poorly lit spaces. This means that they are very hard to face and fight in their natural environment, on their "home turf", so to speak. Despite all their strengths underground, the duardin feel uncomfortable and vulnerable on open fields up on the surface, where their lack of speed and agility is apparent. But what does this all have to do with life? 
Every one of us houses a small duardin within our minds. Some show it more apparently than others, but we all have one. Who could deny that they feel more comfortable facing the difficulties and challenges of life in an environment they feel safe in? There are also many people who lock themselves in their holds, halls and tunnels to live a life familiar to them, guarded against any influences from the outer world, protected against anything that might contradict with their own view of the world. This is a dangerous thing to do, to shut out everything one simply doesn't like. Life's not supposed to be all happy and easy and pleasant, one has to come to terms with the fact that even the uglier, less pleasant and unwanted things are a part of the experience and help one grow as a person.

Don't be afraid to walk on the surface with your head up, enjoying the sunshine and keeping an open mind for everything you come across. Living your whole life in the confined tunnels leaves you stunted, both physically and mentally. Kick open the gates of your fortified hold and take a walk in the brisk mountain air, ventilate your head, hearth and home!

In duardin society, age is everything. The older you are, and the longer your beard is, the more respect you command. This is a wise thing to keep in mind even here on our world. Your elders most likely have more experience with life than you, so it might be worth your while to listen to what they have to say. Many a puzzle can be solved with the help of someone older than you, and many good advice can be pried from their stories and mumblings if one cares to listen. Whether you listen to your elders or not, you should nonetheless treat them with all the respect they have earned by having lived their lives up to this moment. It's a skill on its own, after all!

The duardin are also as perfectionist as perfectionism can get. Everything they make, from fortresses and cannons to torcs, jewels, handguns and suits of armour, they manufacture each item painstakingly over long periods of time. To them, everything has to be a masterpiece, from chamber-pots to weapons of war. This excessive love for things of beauty is a grave weakness when it goes too far, be it in the form of an obsession that blinds the victim to reason or a dangerous avarice that seeks to consume everything in sight.
It is possible to over-do things. It is also highly advised against doing so. Of course, it is good to try and get better at things you do, and it is okay to aim high and strive for something better. But perfection is not something that's achievable to us humans. You can always do better than you did, but you'll never reach the highest summit of them all. It is an important skill in life to be content with your creation at some point and to decide that it is ready. That's the only way you can ever get stuff done and to move on to new stuff.

Duardin are also known for their obsession of oaths and vows. Both concepts are crucial in the culture of the mountainfolk, for when a duardin gives his/her word on something they'll go out of their way to see the promise fulfilled. Failing to keep a vow or an oath is treated as a terrible misdeed that requires the oathbreaker to shave their heads except for a single defiant crest, dye their beards bright orange and to take the Oath of the Slayer that sends them on a quest to seek death through honourable combat by challenging the most dangerous monsters they can find. Taking one's own life is an inconceivable thing to a duardin, as is the concept of losing a fight on purpose. These Slayers roam the wilds in search of a foe they can pit their full skills against, either surviving the encounter to resume their search or perishing in compensation for their crimes.
The duardin never give up, and neither should you. No matter the odds, no matter the amount of shame, no matter their personal grief or hatred, a duardin keeps on going until he/she can go no more... and yet they still keep on going! There's a lot to learn from this: there will always be adversities in life, there will be moments when mere existence feels a bit hard, but all these are things you can survive by just picking yourself up, dusting off and starting again.
The duardin Slayers just tend to get one aspect of this fierce determination wrong; you don't have to do it all alone. There are people around you, people who care about you and who will help you. All you need to do is ask, and sometimes even that isn't necessary. Good friends will notice your peril at some point even if you don't specifically seek help, and other people are exactly what people need. Many things can be done alone, but almost everything can be achieved or overcome together. Keep your friends and family close, let them know how important they are to you. There's no way someone can get bored of hearing every now and then how much you appreciate them and their presence in your life.

Another point on the same aspect of this grim race's culture. The language of the duardin, khazalid, doesn't have a word for forgiveness. The duardin do not forgive, and this is one of their direst flaws. Even small slights and misunderstandings can escalate quickly without the involved parties asking and granting forgiveness, sometimes leading to fully-fledged wars that drain both sides pale, and for what? For the lack of one small, but ever so useful, word. The word itself might seem insignificant, but the power behind it is immense. Uttering this magical word, or any other word associated with it, delivers the message that you regret your doings and ask for understanding. You leave yourself exposed as a sign of remorse, and the other person then has to try and find it in him-/herself to accept your sincere apology so the feud can be brought to a non-messy end before any unwanted escalation can take place.

Avoid living too tightly in comfortable mental bubbles and safe havens, locked up with your own thoughts and ideologies, denying the frightening outer world. Ventilate your head and keep your mind open for all the spectrum of colours outside your favourite one. If you only search for one single thing, it'll be the only thing you ever find.

Respect experience and age, hear the stories of those who want to share them. They're not blabbering just to keep themselves warm, they actually have a message they're trying to get across so you can benefit from their hard-earned knowledge and perhaps avoid some mistakes they feel they've made in their own lives.

You can always do better, you should always strive for something better, but you should do it within the boundaries of moderation and reason. Whatever you're doing and however you're doing it, keep in mind that at some point you'll have to stop yourself from all the endless honing and fixing in search of perfection and decide that you're done, the work is finished. There's no other way anything can get finished, no other way to move on.

Never give up. Some things in life are bad and they can really make you mad. Other things just make you swear and curse. When chewing on live's gristle, don't crumble, give a whistle! This'll help things turn out for the best. Trust me, just keep your look on the bright side of life, pick yourself up, dust off and keep going. Hold on to people that are important to you. Tell them how important they are to you. Help them and let them help you. Appreciate them and be there for them.

Apologize and forgive. Life is hard enough by itself at times without all the extra weight laden upon it by withholding words that should be said. Be the one to say them out loud. Don't bear grudges for all eternity, instead take a moment to search yourself for the understanding and forgiveness the other person is asking for. Grief and hatred are all the duardin have ever gained from their painstaking grudge-keeping. Do not be a duardin in that way, embrace your humanity and all the flexibility that comes with it.

That, my friends, is what we can learn from the duardin.