Ah, nice weather; it's so good to get outside and breathe the fresh...smoke? (I suppose there's more than one reason they call this place the Big Smoke.) The parks are fantastic though, and it's so nice to see people pouring out into them. I'll say that for the scarcity principle - people really do value and take advantage of things, like sunshine, when they're rare. I certainly have been, to the slight detriment of my productivity. But how can you not want to live life to the full in spring?
On that note, I noticed a Marie Curie quote today: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." My immediate reaction to that statement was, 'what nonsense! Of course things are to be feared! Here, let me list some...' But then I took five seconds, and the wisdom appeared. For most of us, the natural state is to fear the unknown - be it a new experience, a strange person, or the nebulousness of the future. But through understanding, we fear less (and live more). That can mean understanding what drives our fear, or learning about the new/unknown until it is un-feared.* It doesn't mean we won't still worry and fret, but we can at least manage it. Fear should not hold us back, but there is a place for healthy precaution - say, around radiation, which killed Curie after she devoted her life to understanding it.
On that note, I noticed a Marie Curie quote today: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." My immediate reaction to that statement was, 'what nonsense! Of course things are to be feared! Here, let me list some...' But then I took five seconds, and the wisdom appeared. For most of us, the natural state is to fear the unknown - be it a new experience, a strange person, or the nebulousness of the future. But through understanding, we fear less (and live more). That can mean understanding what drives our fear, or learning about the new/unknown until it is un-feared.* It doesn't mean we won't still worry and fret, but we can at least manage it. Fear should not hold us back, but there is a place for healthy precaution - say, around radiation, which killed Curie after she devoted her life to understanding it.
Ok, on to a lighter topic - linguistics! At an(other) Irish poetry reading I learned that there is no Irish word for no. Or yes, for that matter. Instead you answer in the affirmative or negative form of the verb conjugation ("I will," "I do not"). I don't know why this fact stuck with me, but I love the idea that in order to respond you have to use the other person's language to form your own reply. It keeps you more connected, and eliminates the problem I always have in responding to negative phrases: "Oh, you aren't interested?" No! I mean, yes? They need a verb to clarify. The same is true for my habit of responding, 'yeah, no' or 'no, yeah.' The words should clearly cancel each other out, but manage to keep their meaning through intonation. At least, I hope they do...otherwise I've confused a lot of people. I'd much rather practice the simple poetry of positive (or negative) response. When was the last time I said "I will?" It sounds like a promise, because it is one - a 'yes' is just a reflection, not the substance of the thing.
Love,
Annie
*New hipster band name: The New Unknown. Also you would be correct in thinking that un-feared is not a word, but what is the opposite of fear?
Love,
Annie
*New hipster band name: The New Unknown. Also you would be correct in thinking that un-feared is not a word, but what is the opposite of fear?