Pabulum

Have you ever encountered a word of which you could not begin to guess the meaning? Is the word for this week one such word for you? It was for me.

This is a very nice and not too old of a word - it was first used in 1733.

What does it mean? Food. Specifically, a suspension or solution of nutrients in a state suitable for absorption. It can also be intellectual sustenance. Or, it can be something (as writing or speech) that is insipid, simplistic, or bland.

Theses are the type of things I visualize about when I think about intellectual sustenance.

Books. Old books with yellowing paper are what I specifically think about. All that knowledge just sitting there waiting to be discovered. Delicious.

This week my Advanced Composition class has been discussing the future of these icons of knowledge. Will the book one day become a relic like scrolls? Will everything be digital? The knowledge is still the same, of course. However, the experience is different. There is something much less personal about my iPad than my 1865 edition of Longfellow poetry.

Beyond the structure, are the books being produced really intellectually nourishing? Nutritionists will tell you that you are made of what you eat - literally. So what about your thoughts? How much about what you think and who you are is effected by what you read? Are you what you read?

So are you nourishing your mind? Is the "food" good? What will you be like after the next "meal" you eat?

I hope this blog was pabulum (definition 2) and not pabulum (definition 3).

Gratitude

N. - thankful appreciation for favors or benefits received.

I know why I was thinking of gratitude this week; I mean that is what every American should be thinking of the week before Thanksgiving - right?

We get excited about seeing family members who we may have only heard about since last November. Our mouths water at the thought of the food that is served only on this day. We are thankful, but what are we grateful for? What are the favors and benefits that we have received over the year?

Many families include a time of reflecting on what each member is thankful for during the day's feast. But is thankfulness different than gratitude? They are synonyms, but I point out to my students that no two words mean exactly the same thing. I think it has to do with action.

We express thankfulness for things that just are, but gratitude is appreciation for a specific favor or benefit we have received. This is harder then it sounds. Just try saying something other than, "my family" when someone this week asks you what you are grateful for. Dig. Get specific. You will find that you have more to be grateful for than you first thought. Gratitude Journal

Stereotype

Everyone knows what a stereotype is, right? Or do we?
Stereotypes are always bad, right? Or are they?

Stereotype is a lovely word with parts. The first part, prefix, comes from the New Latin as is actually stere-. This is not the same as stereo in regard to hearing form two sources. This prefix means solid or solid body. Understanding this changes our view of stereotype slightly because now we see that its intended meaning was to be a solid type. So what is a type?

There are many definitions for type, but two of the more interesting ones relate to our word study. A type can be a person or thing believed to foreshadow another person or thing. This meaning often relates to various things in the Old Testament of the Bible as they related to various things in the New Testament of the Bible. The second definition is even closer to home: a typical and often superior specimen.

So a stereotype is a solid representation or a solid typical specimen or a solid example or a solid. This does not sound too bad. So why the negative connotation? These two word parts were not put together to explain people but to give a name to a new thing. The think was a metal plate cast (or made) form a printing surface. It was a solid example. It was unchangeable.

This is great for printing, but no so good for people. Becoming aware of our stereotypes and evaluating their effect on us is vital if we are going to make any kind of a significant impact on helping others.

Sites such as Cultural Savvy can help you learn how to identify your stereotypes.

Belay

Today was my first adventure at rock climbing. Now I must admit that I only climbed twice; this was actually a treat for a friend. I felt good climbing but was much more comfortable on the ground belaying. Not sure what belaying is? Yeah. It is what the person on the ground does that doesn't look all that important or hard.

To belay is first a verb which means to secure by turns around a pin, to make fast, to stop, to secure at the end of a rope, to secure to a person or object. It also means to be made fast, to stop or quit. The word can also be used as a noun. In this form it means the securing of a person or a safety rope to an anchor point or something to which a person or rope is anchored. (Definitions from Merriam-Webster dictionary.)

In the climbing that we were doing I was not just belaying, I was the belay. My friend was anchored to me! It was an interesting thought that I was her security. I suppose there is a machine that could do the job, but this is something that humans do for each other. That made me think of how important it is to have a belay, an anchor point, a person who helps to keep you grounded.

So being a belay is important, but it still does not look very hard. Well look at these hands. (This photo is from Earthworks Climbing School blog.)

Belaying is not easy. My hands don't look like this, but they are sore, as are my arms and my back. Yet as I think about the security that I provided for my friend, I realize that the aches and pains are worth it.

Now I think about the aches and pains we suffer as we belay for people in life. It you are someone's belay it will cost you a bit of discomfort, but isn't it worth it to help them climb to new heights. And remember, you trust in a belay to help you climb to new heights, too. An the view from the top - breath-taking.