Bertrand Russell - Reasons for Living

Big Frank is reading Bertrand Russell's autobiography. This is a great book in every sense of the word. A taste of the insight, compassion, and beauty of the writing is eminently clear in the prologue to the book. The prologue is entitled "What I Have Lived For". And here it is unabridged:

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and the unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.

I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy - ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness - that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what - at last - I have found.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.

Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hatred burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life would be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me."

WORDS - NEW ONES

Image taken from the New York Times article on which this post is based.

WORDS WORDS WORDS! What would we do without them? Well this blog certainly would be different - that's for sure. Our reservoir, our lexicon is constantly being emptied and refilled. Some words go unused (there are actually websites that allow people to adopt and promise to use words that are being neglected; Big Frank signed up on one, but forgot the word and so couldn't use it - for those or you interested in saving unused words - go here!) Well that the outflow of words; the inflow - the new ones, that is what this post is about. The image above, and the words, well most of them anyway, come from the New York Times article on the "Words of the Year". Go here for the full article.

Some of the famous new words are sweet: "retweet"; some are funny: "refudiate"; and some are befuddling: "quantitative easing". Some of Big Frank's favorites are: "porn scan" - the new air safety scanners, also called "strip-search scanners". Transportation was a rich area - how about "cuddle class" - we all know where on the airplane that is. And, of course, the "enhanced pat-down" - you know, when they slide their hands around on you looking for scary stuff. Then there is the "halfalogue" - that half of a conversation that you overhear when someone is on their cell phone. However, Big Frank's favorite is "mansplainer": "A man compelled to explain or give an opinion about everything — especially to a woman. He speaks, often condescendingly, even if he doesn’t know what he’s talking about or even if it’s none of his business. Old term: a boor."

However, there is one word that was left off this list, and Big Frank is going to put it on: "waa waa waamulance". As in: "You get to go out skiing and I have to toil away at work; not fair!" "Uh Oh: sombody better call the Waa Waa Wambulance".

Feel free to comment with your favorite words of the year. Big Frank would like to hear from you.

IT

The Chinese zen master put IT like this: "nothing is left to you at this moment but to have a good laugh!"

James Broughton put IT this way:

This is It
and I am It
and You are It
and so is That
and He is It
and She is It
and It is It
and That is That.

Big Frank puts It this way: What It Is!

Christmas with the eagles

Wolf Lodge Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene is the winter home for lots and lots of migrating bald eagles. When the lakes of northern Canada freeze up and their food supply dwindles they head south to Idaho. Their numbers vary, but generally run from 10 to over 150. They come to Wolf Lodge Bay to feast on the dying kokanee salmon that spawn and die during the winter - peaking around Christmas. Big Frank and Gina went eagle watching on Christmas. They saw about 20 eagles or so. It was a clear day with some lingering fog over the lake - beautiful backdrop for a Christmas day of eagle watching!

Peace on Earth Good Will Towards Men

Merry Christmas to everyone. Big Frank has been thinking about that well known Christmas phrase - you know: Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men. Big Frank is also aware of the bias in the phrase - but let's assume in those angels who first uttered those words meant it to encompass all humans - mankind, that kind of deal. So then what does the phrase mean? Well, Big Frank took to Wikianswers and it just got more confusing. Big Frank is going to post the whole discussion here because it seems to reveal the confusion of trying to nail anything down that is expressed in words. Perhaps that's the real answer - look to it in your heart not in a book, or a word, no matter what language. Good will to all of you!

Here's the extended discussion:
peace on earth= peace on earth,...as in, give peace a chance
good will to all men = be good to one another
The question is based on a secular miss-translation of the following bible scripture:
"Glory to God, and on earth peace, toward men of good will" (Luke 2:14). It could also be worded: "Glory to God, and on earth, peace among men who please God" or "among men with whom God is pleased"
Therefore the correct answer is:
Peace on earth = peace between men and God
Good will toward men = God's peace between himself and men who accept his Son

The above answer is based on this argument:

"Peace on earth, goodwill to men"? The Latin has it, `et in terra pax hominibus, bonae voluntatis". Note the Latin genitive case in the words `bonae voltuntatis'. The phrase properly rendered is, "PEACE ON EARTH TO MEN OF GOOD WILL". The angels' words are not universalist, if you get my drift. by elcid1970

Maybe not - Check this out - I am not literate in Greek or Latin but it's an interesting view:

But the text was not originally written in Latin, it was written in Greek. The Greek is 'Δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας. Epi ges: on earth eirene: peace en anthropois: to people (in the dative, for the preposition) eudokias: good will (accusative) The translation that makes the most sense is, in fact, "good will to men". If you had wanted to say "peace to men of good will", then "good will" would modify "men", and thus it would be in the dative to agree with anthropois. But it's not in the dative. It's in the accusative.

by solargecko

I know a little Greek and Latin so would add this:

Solargecko is right to say that Greek was the original language. However the word 'eudokias' (satisfaction, approval) is genitive not accusative, so has much the same force as the Latin (men of good will) giving us literally 'men of approval.'
I have also seen it said that the Greek word eudoxia(s) is a possible variant here, from 'eu' meaning 'good' and 'doxa' meaning 'sentiment'. This would give 'men of good sentiment'.

I would add that whereas the Latin says 'peace TO men of good will', the Greek literally says, 'peace IN/ AMONGST/ ON men of good will.' That gives us another shade of meaning.

by adibden

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_'Peace_on_Earth_Goodwill_Toward_Men'_mean#ixzz198gz5Nct

"Agog Christmas Eve"

[Photo: Big Frank Dickinson]

Some Thoughts on Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve? No, you can't really say that; just like you can't say: "Happy New Year's Eve!" Why not? There are only two Eves that we celebrate and there is no agreed upon way to greet people on those days. Merry and Happy don't really work, so let's try out some new ones. How about "Felicitous Christmas Eve to You"? Big Frank likes the alliteration, but 'felicitous' is kind of a high falootin word that might could put some people off, and it starts with a dangerous letter: 'F'. That could lead into such abominations as "F-ing Christmas Eve to you". So, scratch that. If we look a little closer at what the notion of Eve is all about that might help. It's a kind of waiting deal, a day of expectation. The big days (Christmas and New Year's Day) are coming, and you're all excited. In fact, for many the Eves are actually bigger days than either Christmas itself, or New Year's Day. Christmas is really all about presents. Yeah, Big Frank is aware of the Christian deal (peace on earth and good will to men and all), and the whole notion that we were all potentially saved from everlasting damnation when Jesus was born, well actually it all came to fruition when he died, but his birth was kind of like a Salvation Eve, but that's getting way too relgious. So back to the gifts and all . . . many families actually open those gifts on Christmas Eve! So how about something like "Good Openings to You"? Too commercial, it should be a bit more veiled, and should entail some excitement - you know about opening the presents and all. Here's Big Frank's suggestion "Agog Christmas Eve". This is good, because it rhymes with egg nog, and agog is kind of an oldish word, not much used - like merry. Finally it has all the right connotations - impatient, eager, and curious. So to all you blog readers out there "Agog Christmas Eve."