HAP on the one hand; Ways we Talk about Hap on the other

Dear Colleagues:
                 
Back in “school” mode. Spring term: the best
of times, the worst of times: world turning itself
inside out apocalyptically, unfolding & revealing.

Years ago after 9/11 and severe concern on
campus, I spamed my colleagues and asked
So….What? 

An insensitive question, and I appropriately
received something close to hate mail for asking..
 
Still: it's the ultimate and fundamental  “academic”
question—in "school" mode, at  least, if not in
 “church” and “state” modes.  

So….What?  

Or  what’s a college for? Not to mention Liberal
Art? What's going on? What’s the meaning of all
this?   Stunning.

                           HAP
 
As an academic in “school” rather than in “church”
or  “state” modes, I am more interested in the  Ways
People Talk about what’s happening than HAP
happening which is mystery: always a matter of he-says
& she-says, lots of he-ing & she-ing, lots of hidden &
overt assumptions, monkey business jumping from
branch,  to limb, to twig  to foliage,facts & stats & data.
logical to analogical ratios all in the service of Proof &
Prejudice  & individual homeland security; follow any
extensive  thread off  your favorite blog or FB post,
talking head or commentator, Howard Cosel or Diane
Sawyer and  see what you can see about Ways We Talk.
as opposed to What’s Actually Happening. . .
   
People are dead and dying, agonizing, excruciating--
losing it and wondering why. Goes without saying.

Ways we talk about it: something else.  .

MY application of Heisenbergian  “indeterminacy “ is as
follows: a conversation can either cover ground, move
on down the road,  so to speak—(everyone feeling we’re
making progress going some where),  .
                               OR
it can turn back on itself, question its definitions, underlying
assumptions, controlling metaphors; in which case a massive
violation to velocity is incurred, sacrificed to the possibility
of location, position: the status of the conversation itself and
the talkers.

It is revealed: “going some where” with language is like
walking on water as  long as we keep moving..  As soon
as someone drops a monkey wrench into the converse action
and insists on definitions—round and round we go, down &
dwn we go, seeing that old black magic  we are weaviing
so well.