glib (adjective)
( glibber , glibbest )
fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, I want to apologize for the UNCERTAINTY I caused with my last post. I had to intended to psyche you out with wanting to talk about BATTLE STAR GALACTICA, and then dramatically switch to HARRY POTTER (ooh, Harry Potter, Harry Potter, that's me) and TWILIGHT. I also want to thank you for using the word uncertainty seeing as it is way easier to work into a sentence than Binomial Nomencalture or any other word that gives my grasp of the English language a sudden burst of uncertainty (Just that easy).
I would also like to point out that, yes, I know how much you like Harry Potter, that was the inspiration for the post. I thought I was fairly big Potter Phan but then I met you and I'm very uncertain. Anydangway, sorry for the confusion, I'll try to clarify my post of any uncertainties and make my transitions more "flowy".
On that note, I sure do love BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. I mean, really.
However, I think I can work it into my post this time. I say, "I think" because I have no idea what I'm really even talking about at this point, I'm just sort of typing what comes into my head and hoping it makes rational potato.
But seriously, I want to talk about the word glib not just because it make smile when I say it or any of its derivatives, but because I think connotes any issue that so many of us in the academic world struggle with every day.
For example, look at the last paragraph I just typed. Why on Earth did I use words like derivatives or connotes? How necessary was it to use those words when I could have just said that we all can be glib? (Heeheehee). I think that being fluent and incessant can be useful, especially for rhetorical purposes when presenting or using apologetics, but if we bring those skills and techniques into our everyday speech, trying to sound exquisite and erudite all the time, we tend to alienate our strangers and even our friends.
Like, there was this one time when I was working at Day Camp and I had to tell a parent that their kid was acting out. We believed that is was because the kid didn't have enough to eat in their lunch, so I asked the parent to maybe pack some more food. However, I phrased it with too many "proper" words and I had a parent yelling at me the next day because they thought I was talking down to them.
By trying to sound too educated or using too many "fancy" words, I had made myself look pompous and arrogant. While this is not technically a glibber (Teehee) action, I think the act of trying to make yourself sound overly academic and intelligent can involve glib speaking and using what I regret to admit can be too advanced diction.
I think this relates to a fact that many people in academia have a hard time admitting, myself included: This is very little that separates an educated person from an uneducated person in terms of basic human interaction. No matter how much we learn, no matter what institution we attend and no matter how long we spend there, if we cannot learn the most fundamental elements of being human, than we may as well have quit halfway through high school. As humans, we need to learn to love and communicate. We cannot live a good life in this world without having the ability to act and grow upon these two fundamentals.
I know that if me and my brother don't communicate properly, then we can run into all sorts of problems, mundane (using the car without asking the other brother) and serious (not letting each other know how much we care about each other). While for some relationships, this can be fairly simple, while for others, especially with people you don't know, it can be a huge strain just to get the easiest of ideas across.
However, I know that the conversations we've had together, and if I may be so bold, our friendship as a whole, is based on that desire to show love to one another and to work at being understood. Even on this very blog we have to be careful to make sure we can properly communicate subjects in our areas of speciality are understood without coming off too terse, sardonic or condescending. Obviously this is something I've gotten in trouble for before, even by accident, so I want to control the way in which I communicate so I don't damage something even more precious than an Counselor-Parent relationship.
In English studies, we have to work seemingly endlessly on filling all the criteria of writing.
We must write in a way that is logical, factual and structured, but also beautiful, original and aesthetically pleasing all the while sounding sincere and honest. Whatever we write, be it an essay, a letter or even a comment on a facebook status, we must write in a way that makes sense with our personalities: not trying to sound more intelligent or distant than you could hear someone talk in real life. This is what good writing consists of: writing that anyone can read and understand. So I can read something by Nabokov or Faulkner and while I know I won't fully recognize all the words or understand the writer's full intention right off the bat, I can still get a general sense of what is being attempted and I can still follow the narrative or direction of the prose. The same goes with good poetry, properly-constructed legal documents and well-written blog posts. And, since language, despite how flawed and lacking it is in this role, is intended as the primary means by which humans try to convey ideas and emotions, this must also be true for any instance where we try to talk to people. So, this must apply IRL, as well.
This is the duty of the English major: to master this type of communication, both in and outside of writing so that we can truly become better communicators and by effect, better people. At least, that is what the original intention of education was.
I believe this is also true for all types of education, no matter what the field. I can't say how this is done in, for example, the sciences, because I have so little experience in that field that any attempt I would have to categorize the end purpose of these studies would be insulting and blunderous at best. But I know there is one. And I know that there are people out there who know it, recognize it and utilize it. There are people who have educations and actually are separate from the uneducated masses, not because of the knowledge the have required, but because of how they use it. This is the purpose of education in the highest sense: to train people to become better people. Better at communicating and better at loving.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would also just like to say that I enjoyed reading your thoughts on uncertainties and I agree wholeheartedly with what you have to say. That's so true obviously for English and Philosophy, but even studies like History and Bio-Chemistry are not without their biases and uncertainties. Even mathematics and physics are put into question as they are all only based on our own perspectives of the universe (I'm thinking of the ol' fish in a bowl looking at a beam of light). In fact, how can I even know any truth behind what I'm typing right now, or what I believe and how that has influenced what I write here?
We can never know any of these things for certain, and that's part of being human. And this is where faith comes in.
I just wanted to note here that I love Mr. Moorhead and I love what he does for young minds (the sharp and dull-witted alike), however I do want to note that he was always using a postmodern perspective in everything that he taught. I believe that in order to have a better understanding of 20th/21st century beliefs, we do have to acknowledge this mentality and have a full grasp of it's basic principles (eg. The difference between Absolute Truth and just plain truth). But I think one of the reasons I never fully hung on to every word that he said was that I knew that he had only scratched the surface.
There is indeed an Absolute Truth, and we need to first abandon our first notions of what we think is absolute before we can truly grasp its magnitude. I believe that the Gospel — the news of the existence of the Kingdom of God present in our world, today — is the real Absolute Truth. But the issue is that we cannot prove it to be true, the reason why the modern world rejects the gospel and even scorns it for presupposing its truth over the philosophies of the modern age. This is why Moorhead was right in that we must admit that we cannot know the truth of the Kingdom in any sort of qualitative sense and he was also right in that we cannot know it in the sense of fully understanding it, just like we can never fully know ourselves or the other in a complete sense. However, by faith, we can know of the truth of the Kingdom of God and we can know of its existence and power in our world, here and now by faith and belief.
Moorhead himself is a Christian and he is aware of these distinctions, but he is also concerned about communicating these truths properly and effectively and not creating more uncertainties in the minds of some 150 already-flabbergasted young people. I believe that is the genius of that man in that he knows so much, but doesn't bombard teenagers without offering logical connections and a clear path that he is taking them on. Sure, he confused so many people (and I hope continues to do so), but he always offers the reasoning and directions to navigate the treacherous waters he knows that we all must embark upon.
These are the waters of the world, both physical and spiritual. Both carry a plethora of beasties and snares. But God offers us faith and reason as oars to pull ourselves through, the Truth of His Kingdom as the Lighthouse to guide us and His own son as the boat by which we are saved.
~~~~~~~~~~
So that's what I believe and I hope I have communicated in a better fashion than last post. If you wish to take any issue with what I say, I will defend it or clarify it to the best of my ability whenever is best.
Oh and yes, I didn't forget. The way in which this connects to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is this:
The show is about the last humans of a separate galaxy than our own striving to find a new home after their twelve colonies are destroyed by the intelligent race of robots they created themselves. The last 49,000 people travel aimlessly throughout space looking for a new planet suitable for habitation, all the while trying to fight off the seemingly random attacks of the hoards of organized Cylons. While the alternating threats of immanent and eventual death constitute the majority of the show's plot lines, the main motif of the show is the issues of faith and trust. The main characters have to learn to trust each other (which is made particularly different as there are 12 types of Cylon models that look exactly like humans), but they also must learn to trust the belief that they will eventually find a new home.
The issue of belief manifest itself more clearly in the latter seasons of the show as there begins a series of divine interventions that test and try the rapidly decreasing number of survivors. In fact, my favorite point of the show is right at the end *SPOILER WARNING* when one of the characters stands up to the notorious Cylon leader and asserts his belief in a higher power in control of all of their actions. When asked for proof (at gunpoint), the character asserts that he has seen angels (which he has), but has no tangible proof. Violence ensues, but later another character is forced to make a leap of faith by entering a random code she was given into the ship's FTL drive, not knowing where they'll end up in space (the potential of ending up inside a star or a black hole a considered possibility). She punches in the code to discover it takes them to . . .
Well, I think you get the general idea. The idea of a leap of faith is very powerful, particularly for me because I have never taken a very large one before.
I do love this show and I believe it was one of the most intelligent shows on television, which isn't saying a lot, I know. However, to finish the idea I started last post, I don't believe that it will ever have any literary merit or any elements worth studying based on this one simple reason: No one watches it.
If this show had any sort of impact, then perhaps this would be a different story. But I know that, for now, it will remain in obscurity, and I'm OK with that (even if Ronald Moore, the producer isn't).
So that's why I like it. I'd like to hear more about Fire Emblem and what makes its story so great to you, too.
I hope the midterm crunch won't be too hard! Maybe the faculty will realize what a large Asian population it has and reschedule?
Either way, I'm sure you'll do great! Don't get too bored with classes, try doodling like Crazy Math girl!
Oh and my break is on the week of Feb. 19th. B's Mom is coming here for that time. She's spending a day at my house and then they'll both go do some stuff together in Langley at TWU, so I'll be free for about a week, but I don't know if a longer road trip would work out. I checked and Whistler is booked, so we can't got there, but we can go to Washington or Oregon somewhere for a day or two with a group of people, perhaps?
Anyway, talk to you soon,
have a good weekend!
-Clayton
I would also like to point out that, yes, I know how much you like Harry Potter, that was the inspiration for the post. I thought I was fairly big Potter Phan but then I met you and I'm very uncertain. Anydangway, sorry for the confusion, I'll try to clarify my post of any uncertainties and make my transitions more "flowy".
On that note, I sure do love BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. I mean, really.
However, I think I can work it into my post this time. I say, "I think" because I have no idea what I'm really even talking about at this point, I'm just sort of typing what comes into my head and hoping it makes rational potato.
But seriously, I want to talk about the word glib not just because it make smile when I say it or any of its derivatives, but because I think connotes any issue that so many of us in the academic world struggle with every day.
For example, look at the last paragraph I just typed. Why on Earth did I use words like derivatives or connotes? How necessary was it to use those words when I could have just said that we all can be glib? (Heeheehee). I think that being fluent and incessant can be useful, especially for rhetorical purposes when presenting or using apologetics, but if we bring those skills and techniques into our everyday speech, trying to sound exquisite and erudite all the time, we tend to alienate our strangers and even our friends.
Like, there was this one time when I was working at Day Camp and I had to tell a parent that their kid was acting out. We believed that is was because the kid didn't have enough to eat in their lunch, so I asked the parent to maybe pack some more food. However, I phrased it with too many "proper" words and I had a parent yelling at me the next day because they thought I was talking down to them.
By trying to sound too educated or using too many "fancy" words, I had made myself look pompous and arrogant. While this is not technically a glibber (Teehee) action, I think the act of trying to make yourself sound overly academic and intelligent can involve glib speaking and using what I regret to admit can be too advanced diction.
I think this relates to a fact that many people in academia have a hard time admitting, myself included: This is very little that separates an educated person from an uneducated person in terms of basic human interaction. No matter how much we learn, no matter what institution we attend and no matter how long we spend there, if we cannot learn the most fundamental elements of being human, than we may as well have quit halfway through high school. As humans, we need to learn to love and communicate. We cannot live a good life in this world without having the ability to act and grow upon these two fundamentals.
I know that if me and my brother don't communicate properly, then we can run into all sorts of problems, mundane (using the car without asking the other brother) and serious (not letting each other know how much we care about each other). While for some relationships, this can be fairly simple, while for others, especially with people you don't know, it can be a huge strain just to get the easiest of ideas across.
However, I know that the conversations we've had together, and if I may be so bold, our friendship as a whole, is based on that desire to show love to one another and to work at being understood. Even on this very blog we have to be careful to make sure we can properly communicate subjects in our areas of speciality are understood without coming off too terse, sardonic or condescending. Obviously this is something I've gotten in trouble for before, even by accident, so I want to control the way in which I communicate so I don't damage something even more precious than an Counselor-Parent relationship.
In English studies, we have to work seemingly endlessly on filling all the criteria of writing.
We must write in a way that is logical, factual and structured, but also beautiful, original and aesthetically pleasing all the while sounding sincere and honest. Whatever we write, be it an essay, a letter or even a comment on a facebook status, we must write in a way that makes sense with our personalities: not trying to sound more intelligent or distant than you could hear someone talk in real life. This is what good writing consists of: writing that anyone can read and understand. So I can read something by Nabokov or Faulkner and while I know I won't fully recognize all the words or understand the writer's full intention right off the bat, I can still get a general sense of what is being attempted and I can still follow the narrative or direction of the prose. The same goes with good poetry, properly-constructed legal documents and well-written blog posts. And, since language, despite how flawed and lacking it is in this role, is intended as the primary means by which humans try to convey ideas and emotions, this must also be true for any instance where we try to talk to people. So, this must apply IRL, as well.
This is the duty of the English major: to master this type of communication, both in and outside of writing so that we can truly become better communicators and by effect, better people. At least, that is what the original intention of education was.
I believe this is also true for all types of education, no matter what the field. I can't say how this is done in, for example, the sciences, because I have so little experience in that field that any attempt I would have to categorize the end purpose of these studies would be insulting and blunderous at best. But I know there is one. And I know that there are people out there who know it, recognize it and utilize it. There are people who have educations and actually are separate from the uneducated masses, not because of the knowledge the have required, but because of how they use it. This is the purpose of education in the highest sense: to train people to become better people. Better at communicating and better at loving.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would also just like to say that I enjoyed reading your thoughts on uncertainties and I agree wholeheartedly with what you have to say. That's so true obviously for English and Philosophy, but even studies like History and Bio-Chemistry are not without their biases and uncertainties. Even mathematics and physics are put into question as they are all only based on our own perspectives of the universe (I'm thinking of the ol' fish in a bowl looking at a beam of light). In fact, how can I even know any truth behind what I'm typing right now, or what I believe and how that has influenced what I write here?
We can never know any of these things for certain, and that's part of being human. And this is where faith comes in.
I just wanted to note here that I love Mr. Moorhead and I love what he does for young minds (the sharp and dull-witted alike), however I do want to note that he was always using a postmodern perspective in everything that he taught. I believe that in order to have a better understanding of 20th/21st century beliefs, we do have to acknowledge this mentality and have a full grasp of it's basic principles (eg. The difference between Absolute Truth and just plain truth). But I think one of the reasons I never fully hung on to every word that he said was that I knew that he had only scratched the surface.
There is indeed an Absolute Truth, and we need to first abandon our first notions of what we think is absolute before we can truly grasp its magnitude. I believe that the Gospel — the news of the existence of the Kingdom of God present in our world, today — is the real Absolute Truth. But the issue is that we cannot prove it to be true, the reason why the modern world rejects the gospel and even scorns it for presupposing its truth over the philosophies of the modern age. This is why Moorhead was right in that we must admit that we cannot know the truth of the Kingdom in any sort of qualitative sense and he was also right in that we cannot know it in the sense of fully understanding it, just like we can never fully know ourselves or the other in a complete sense. However, by faith, we can know of the truth of the Kingdom of God and we can know of its existence and power in our world, here and now by faith and belief.
Moorhead himself is a Christian and he is aware of these distinctions, but he is also concerned about communicating these truths properly and effectively and not creating more uncertainties in the minds of some 150 already-flabbergasted young people. I believe that is the genius of that man in that he knows so much, but doesn't bombard teenagers without offering logical connections and a clear path that he is taking them on. Sure, he confused so many people (and I hope continues to do so), but he always offers the reasoning and directions to navigate the treacherous waters he knows that we all must embark upon.
These are the waters of the world, both physical and spiritual. Both carry a plethora of beasties and snares. But God offers us faith and reason as oars to pull ourselves through, the Truth of His Kingdom as the Lighthouse to guide us and His own son as the boat by which we are saved.
~~~~~~~~~~
So that's what I believe and I hope I have communicated in a better fashion than last post. If you wish to take any issue with what I say, I will defend it or clarify it to the best of my ability whenever is best.
Oh and yes, I didn't forget. The way in which this connects to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is this:
The show is about the last humans of a separate galaxy than our own striving to find a new home after their twelve colonies are destroyed by the intelligent race of robots they created themselves. The last 49,000 people travel aimlessly throughout space looking for a new planet suitable for habitation, all the while trying to fight off the seemingly random attacks of the hoards of organized Cylons. While the alternating threats of immanent and eventual death constitute the majority of the show's plot lines, the main motif of the show is the issues of faith and trust. The main characters have to learn to trust each other (which is made particularly different as there are 12 types of Cylon models that look exactly like humans), but they also must learn to trust the belief that they will eventually find a new home.
The issue of belief manifest itself more clearly in the latter seasons of the show as there begins a series of divine interventions that test and try the rapidly decreasing number of survivors. In fact, my favorite point of the show is right at the end *SPOILER WARNING* when one of the characters stands up to the notorious Cylon leader and asserts his belief in a higher power in control of all of their actions. When asked for proof (at gunpoint), the character asserts that he has seen angels (which he has), but has no tangible proof. Violence ensues, but later another character is forced to make a leap of faith by entering a random code she was given into the ship's FTL drive, not knowing where they'll end up in space (the potential of ending up inside a star or a black hole a considered possibility). She punches in the code to discover it takes them to . . .
Well, I think you get the general idea. The idea of a leap of faith is very powerful, particularly for me because I have never taken a very large one before.
I do love this show and I believe it was one of the most intelligent shows on television, which isn't saying a lot, I know. However, to finish the idea I started last post, I don't believe that it will ever have any literary merit or any elements worth studying based on this one simple reason: No one watches it.
If this show had any sort of impact, then perhaps this would be a different story. But I know that, for now, it will remain in obscurity, and I'm OK with that (even if Ronald Moore, the producer isn't).
So that's why I like it. I'd like to hear more about Fire Emblem and what makes its story so great to you, too.
I hope the midterm crunch won't be too hard! Maybe the faculty will realize what a large Asian population it has and reschedule?
Either way, I'm sure you'll do great! Don't get too bored with classes, try doodling like Crazy Math girl!
Oh and my break is on the week of Feb. 19th. B's Mom is coming here for that time. She's spending a day at my house and then they'll both go do some stuff together in Langley at TWU, so I'll be free for about a week, but I don't know if a longer road trip would work out. I checked and Whistler is booked, so we can't got there, but we can go to Washington or Oregon somewhere for a day or two with a group of people, perhaps?
Anyway, talk to you soon,
have a good weekend!
-Clayton
No comments:
Post a Comment