Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Language Lust


                          
Language Lust

LUST  initially meant mere pleasure, and carried
no sexy  stigma.  Holiday was originally a holy day,
not any day  officially free from work.  Silly meant 
happy during Shakespeare’s time;  and my favorite:

                                NICE

initially and originally meant IGNORANT  
(ne + scire: = “not knowing,” "no science”),
very nicely indeed and maybe the nicest
thing we take away from our studies and
 scholar ship:  how “nice” we are, how un-
knowing, how aware of our ignorance.  
Right there: stunned  stupid, the 
etymological root image for
                  
                     ST
UDY &  STUDENT:

our collective nice-ness—pre- requisite for  Liberal Art, yes?

I would rather be NICE than nasty and always school
makes me realize how NICE I am---a  fool with  words,
sentences, etymologies: loving  the play of language 
especially among players:  language users/abusers,
addicts: criminal discriminators & rip-off artists, sampling
&  specimenizing, always diminishing the WHOLE with 
our natural selections: reductionists,  injustice- doers—
overstating & understating, carrying ongoing guilt for our 
nice distinctions and discrete indiscretions.

Confession of NICE is redemptive— let it be known
how ignorant I am as my hero Socrates said (after
advising his buddies to  KNOW THY SELF)

                     I know that I do not know

but it doesn’t eliminate the NICE-ness. The Guilt
 is ongoing and makes  sense how could I not be NICE?


My linguistic TEXTBOOK illustrates what there is to
be  known about  language & it’s like trying to suck
the ocean  dry with a  straw. It doesn’t come close to 
what goes on when we sit in silence or break into
converse-action. It merely  describes (systematically,
I admit) parts of the  parts of the parts  of TALK.  
Nor does it do justice to Helen Keller. 

2 comments:

  1. According to The Gospel of Thomas, Jesus also encourages followers to "know thyself." Perhaps He and Socrates had a similar teacher or knew each other or of each other? I mean, I don't know, for crying out loud--way too nice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Somewhat kindred spirits: Jesus and Socrates. Neither published.
    .

    ReplyDelete