CONVERSATIONS with a HYPOXIC DOG (CwHD) is a weblog about words and language and other inanities. CwHD
began May 1, 2017. Besides thematic essays, the site provides a
vehicle for sharing my own words and language. In July, 2017, I
opened The Bookstore. This page provides an overview of my published
work. Print
and ebook copies are available through my publishing
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A glossary of archaic or uncommon words is added at the end of this essay.
The Folly Of Personal Pronouns
Leuthold's
Couloir does not belong to Joe Leuthold. The couloir is a gully
decidedly vertical rather than horizontal which splits the southwest
face of Mt Hood. Like other geological features throughout the known
universe, the couloir was named for the man (far less often are
places and things named for women) who first climbed the route, and
does not signify possession. The apostrophe 's' can, at times,
indicate ownership; but the construct is far more ambiguous than the
personal pronoun.
from
the base of Leuthold's Couloir, lookinng NNW
photo
by gv simoni
'My
dog' is more specific, and certainly indicates possession. Dogs are
usually rather affectionate creatures and not wont to complain. Some
dogs, however, are not the least bit impressed with that 'my', and
will blatantly disregard their master's wishes, making their escape,
jumping fences, tunneling, chewing through leads, doing whatever is
necessary to go gallivanting about the neighborhood. Inorganic
creatures, like pickup trucks, are more easily 'owned'; although
internal combustion engines are notoriously finicky, and perhaps this
is due, in part, to the tyranny of ownership.
Rarely
will someone claim ownership of, say, a doorknob. In the grand scheme
of things, doorknobs have little importance. The value of an object
seems to be proportional to the desire to own that object. Old boats,
more often than not made of glass reinforced plastic, are rarely
claimed. They languish in backyards and boat yards gathering dirt and
mold. A Weldcraft Cuddy King 300 with twin inboard diesels will make
hardhearted landlubbers salivate. That's my boat, they'll say.
Ain't she a beauty. 20 years of water under the bridge and that same
boat will likely be scrap, the victim of electrolysis and neglect.
The
folly of personal pronouns? Ownership is a dubious concept. Man's
tenure on planet earth is something less than a burp. If you build
it, nature will, sooner or later, reclaim it. Mountains, though
majestic and seemingly eternal, come and go like governments. So one
argument against this penchant for acquisitions surely must be life's
brief passing. Does one have time to spend foolishly trying to own
things? Like Hitler and other
megalomaniacs (saying you have the DTs takes on a whole new meaning
these days), is it the 1000 year Reich you are after?
Curiously,
folly has a second meaning. The word denotes an edifice that costs
far more to build than it is worth, one that has no practical
purpose, is merely ornamental, and is commonly found in the hidden
reaches of a garden. Many of our 'possessions' are much like follies.
They are expensive, impractical, and end up rusting in the yard or
gathering dust in the closet.
Possessiveness,
the desire to own more than we need, goes hand in glove with
domination. Greed seems a likely root cause of this wayward desire.
Advertising does nothing but feed these desires. The American
educational folly (in both sense of the word) does little to
ameliorate the problem. An argument can be made that public education
exacerbates the issue. Well educated, intelligent people are often
badly and sadly disconnected from reality. They want the American
Dream, however transmogrified that fleeting apparition has become.
Does happiness come with a six figure income? Not likely.
Emotions
are not easily controlled. Reason is often elusive. Homo sapiens are
not reasonable creatures. The ability to think clearly must be
acquired. Mathematics affords an excellent opportunity to hone this
skill. The answers are clear; the process is straightforward though
sometimes complex. Aerobic exercise, music and other arts, and
various crafts also work well to eliminate the extraneous and focus
one's mind on the specific. It is not coincidental that those whose
culture focuses their thoughts produce outstanding crafts.
Commonly,
knowledge is divided into two general types. Explicit
knowledge can be written
down, verbalized, and taught. For example, 2 + 2 = 4 is a bit of
explicit knowledge. Or: The capital of Oregon is Salem. Or: the
jointed rock in the Columbia River Gorge is columnar basalt Tacit
knowledge is implicit.
Largely subjective. Understanding comes intuitively. What one knows
implicitly cannot be verbalized or taught. Most arts and crafts are
imbued with tacit knowledge. One can learn the chords on a guitar and
even strum a song; but to play well involves mastering sounds emitted
from the vibration of strings which require precise plucking with
flesh, nails or plectrum, various pressures and positions, equally
precise fretting, and a host of other details which one cannot
express verbally. Sheet music is, at best, a skeletal outline of
the composers intentions. Interpretation, using all the tacit
knowledge at his or her command, is the responsibility of the artist.
Ownership
is explicit and binding. One becomes territorial. Defensive. And, in
turn, aggressively offensive. "I'll give you my gun when you pry
it from my cold, dead hands," is a slogan common among
aficionados of firearms. One so often becomes a prisoner of what one
possesses.
Wisdom
is tacit knowledge. One cannot purchase wisdom on the installment
plan. Freedom is tacit. People living through the Great Depression of
the 1930s, acquired tacit knowledge. "Necessity is the mother of
invention" is a proverb attributed to Plato 2300 years ago; and
is often rephrased in English as "having less, means knowing
more." Conversely, having more, it seems, often means knowing
less.
We
have too much. Some have far too much. The wealthiest 1% of the
world's population owns more than half of the world's wealth.1
10000 years of human greed has done the planet irreparable harm. And
the material objects from cars to shoes seem to be poorly made: all
sizzle and no steak. Often disposable. Gimcrack gimmicks.
Cultures
that eschew materialism have a curious knack for producing exquisite
crafts. The Navajo is one such. Their tradition maintains that one
only needs enough to take care of one's family. Hozho is the Navajo
belief system that delineates how one must stay in harmony and beauty
with the world. A simple tenet is to own less. Though Hozho is a
culturally specific aesthetic idea of the Navajo; many of its tenets
are held by indigenous people everywhere. Doing more with less, for
example. Respect for the natural world. A greater kinship with all
living creatures. The Navajo, of course, are renown for their crafts,
especially blankets, jewelry, and sand paintings
The
Amish rely on a pragmatic code (though the source for their belief
that separation from the modern world is essential to their salvation
does come from a literal interpretation of their Bible) that severely
restricts their behavior. The primary motive belief is akin to the
vow of poverty taken in many monasteries east and west. They are
farmers. They avoid contact with the outside world. The horse still
provides their transportation. Theirs is a communal existence.
Ownership, such as it is, is shared. And, of course, their skill at
woodworking and cookery is widely admired and copied.
A
simple means to achieve less is to recycle all the detritus in one's
life. Redistribute assets. Give it all away. Both minimalism and
living off the grid have their roots in a desire for shared
communalism and respect for the natural world. Minimalist are known
to be quite self-sufficient. Craftsmanship is part of the creed.
An
addendum to all of the above is that once past possessiveness,
personal pronouns can be useful. They often register a commitment.
'My dog' necessarily implies ownership; but the phrase can also
suggest a determination to provide and care for the dog, a kinship
quite apart from ownership.
GLOSSARY:
couloir,
a French word, with the meaning of a passage or corridor,
commonly used by climbers generally.
eschew,
deliberately avoid using, to abstain from
gimcrack,
flimsy or poorly made but deceptively attractive.
ilk,
archaic Scottish, meaning type of people or things already referred
to.
transmogrify,
to change or alter greatly often with grotesque or humorous effect.
wont,
in the habit of doing something, accustomed
1Credit
Suisse report on global wealth.
https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us/en/reports-research/global-wealth-report.html
