How do you solve a problem like Maria?

This morning I was writing up a draft of my talk for an upcoming symposium on the use of the Vikings in history and museums here in Iceland. I am really grateful to the symposium organizers for putting this together, since it is a really interesting topic, and it is so nice to get a chance to really sift through one's own ideas on the subject, and try to formulate some sort of explanation for what has been a habit of mine for more than 10 years now, the way I use and understand the term "Viking."

The term is really tricky, just simply put, kind of like holding a moon beam in your hand. My biggest problem though is understanding whether or not I am taking, or whether or not I am supposed to take, some sort of leadership role in advancing my understanding of the term. Whether I should forcefully advocate my view, or just go quietly about using it the way I use it. 

Of course I am not a shy person generally speaking, but nor am I the type that feels everyone needs to agree with me or do what I say. And of course people generally speaking are very, very apt not to do what anyone else suggests they should do, and tend to want to do things their own way. They are, in other words, a lot like the shifty term Viking.

Here is the link to song from the Sound of Music.