HEAD(hed), (n.) 1. the top part of the human body or the front part of an animal where the eyes, nose, east and mouth are. "Your brain is in your head." DIBS(dibz), (n.) 2. a thick, sweet syrup made in countries of the East, especially the Middle East, from grape juice or dates. [Arabic "debs"]--World Book Dictionary, 1976.
Yesterday my wife shared this video with me. She watched it in her Public Speaking course with a view toward understanding the power of words. We've watched it many times already. It's worth the time. There are golden nuggets in what this man has to say.
Words are powerful and why shouldn't they be? God created all things with a word (God said . . . and there was). Have you ever noticed that when God created, He named what He created--except for the animals. After God formed man with His hands, He said (in so many words), "You name them. Be creative with words." That's why words are powerful.
That's why they get stuck in your head, in your heart. Used properly or poorly, words are powerful. Silence is powerful, too, which is why a wise man takes time to choose his words before speaking. Or at least he should. One should value silence as much as the words he chooses.
The point I'd like to make, to include this in my blog series is this: be moved to do something different with your life.
"If you think you can or think you can't, you're right." (Henry Ford)
One probably wonders what I’m working on. As an Independent Scholar, as I am not attached to a University, I am writing a commentary on the first book of a personal journal written by a 2nd Century Roman Emperor. In that book he lists 16 names and describes what each person contributed to his life. That’s the short version. I’ve covered the first 8 so far and hit a wall. Now I’ve gone back and am editing Chapters 1-3 to keep my mojo going. Not sure when I’ll be done but hopefully by years’ end. I already have another project lined up.
I'm nearly finished reading Joan Didion's collection of essays, Slouching Towards Bethlehem. The book was discovered through another book I was reading, Jon Krakauer's Eiger Dreams . If Jon felt this book was good enough to pack along on a mountain climbing expedition, then I'm interested. Took me three tries, but I finally found my copy on Amazon. One of the best book buys I've made. Joan selected the title of this book from William Butler Yeats' classic poem, Second Coming . The book title is shared with one of her larger essays, a record of encounters with people in the 1960's drug culture. Didion's book is divided into three distinct parts: "Life Styles In The Golden Land," a collection of articles capturing the California experience of the 1960's; "Personals," a few of essays of the first-hand nature; and "Seven Places Of The Mind", some thoughts about those parts of California that are now long gone. One essay...