ometimes that well-worn adage doesn’t really mean what our literal-minded, text-focused, Google-driven world thinks it means. One reason this happens is that, quite simply, language evolves.

To further complicate matters, as with books, all too often the context of these popular wisdoms has been forgotten. Though these aphorisms may still contain some good advice, their original message is typically richer and more profound than our contemporary interpretation.

This Book is Banned proffers a few proverbs, sayings, and other pearls of wisdom that have been “unplugged,” as it were. We’ve rebooted, gone back-to-basics, and re-discovered their intended message. For example:
…

My country right or wrong.

This saying is frequently invoked as a testament of vigilant and aggressive patriotism. It was especially prevalent during the volatile years surrounding the Vietnam war, asserted in response to the arguments of those protesting that war. But, if the expression wasn’t intended to promote an all-or-nothing variety of patriotism, what does “my country right or wrong” mean?

Carl Schurz, a German-born senator and Civil War general, is typically credited with coining the phrase in 1872. The trouble is, we’re misusing Schurz’s famous saying. Yes, he did indeed declare “my country right or wrong.” But Schurz’s entire remark, made on the Senate floor, was “my country right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong to be set right.” And the applause that followed was deafening.

Schurz’s entire sentiment clearly reflects a more nuanced and participatory vision of patriotism than the abbreviated, version employed these days. Interestingly, Schurz’s declaration was in response to a challenge of his patriotism, levied by the Senator from Wisconsin with the same blunt, one-dimensional phrase so often used today.[1]
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Notes:

[1] Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations, 1989. #1641. https://www.bartleby.com/73/1641.html

Photo by Anthony Shane on Unsplash        https://unsplash.com/s/photos/american-flag

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Check out more unplugged proverbs, sayings, and other pearls of wisdom here.

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#Aphorisms Unplugged

ometimes that well-worn adage doesn’t really mean what our literal-minded, text-focused, Google-driven world thinks it means. One reason this happens is that, quite simply, language evolves.

To further complicate matters, as with books, all too often the context of these popular wisdoms has been forgotten. Though these aphorisms may still contain some good advice, their original message is typically richer and more profound than our contemporary interpretation.

This Book is Banned proffers a few proverbs, sayings, and other pearls of wisdom that have been “unplugged,” as it were. We’ve rebooted, gone back-to-basics, and re-discovered their intended message. For example:
.

Carpe Diem

This once obscure phrase from a dead language was launched into popular culture by the 1989 Robin Williams film, The Dead Poets’ Society. And now, it can be found everywhere, from spring break t-shirts, to Metallica songs, to the carpe diem tattoo on 81-year-old Judi Dench’s wrist. These days carpe diem conjures images of adrenaline junkies, instant gratification culture, and “get things done” types taking what they can get whenever they can get it.

The phrase was penned by the Roman poet Horace in 23 BCE, making it one of the oldest philosophical mottos in western culture.[1] Unfortunately, it’s also the most misinterpreted Latin tag ever.[2]  And there are a couple of reasons for that. First is the translation factor. Though Williams’ character interpreted carpe diem as “seize the day,” a more precise translation is to pluck, or harvest. [3]  This translation of carpe is not only less aggressive, it implies preparation for the future.

The second reason for misinterpretation is that carpe diem is a truncated version of the actual phrase. In its original context, Horace’s Odes 1.11, it is part of the longer carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero, which translates as “pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the next one.”[4]

So, much to the chagrin of thrill seekers everywhere, carpe diem isn’t a call to ignore the future for some adrenaline boosting excitement today. What Horace means is that the best way to get the most out of life, or as Robin Williams put it “make [our] lives extraordinary,” is to do all we can, every day, to prepare for the future rather than leaving it to chance.[5]

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Notes:

[1] Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Carpe diem.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/topic/carpe-diem; Krznaric, Roman. “Reclaiming carpe diem: How do we really seize the day?” The Guardian.com. April 2, 2017.
[2]Barchiese, Alessandro. “Carmina: Odes and Carmen Saeculare.” In The Cambridge Companion to Horace. Edited by Harrison, Stephen. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).
[3]Barber, Daniel. “Presence and the Future Tense in Horace’s Odes.” The Classical Journal. Vol. 109. No. 3 (February-March, 2014), 353; Knowles, Cora Beth. “Horace, Odes 1.11.” Classical Studies Support.  https://classicalstuddies.support
[4] Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Carpe diem.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019.
[5] Harrison, Stephen. “Carpe Diem.” The Cambridge Companion to Horace. (Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 2012).

Image by Alexandre Brondino on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/0zyUEBAQQRg

__________________________

Check out more unplugged proverbs, sayings, and other pearls of wisdom here.

.
#Aphorisms Unplugged

ometimes that well-worn adage doesn’t really mean what our literal-minded, text-focused, Google-driven world thinks it means. One reason this happens is that, quite simply, language evolves.

To further complicate matters, as with books, all too often the context of these popular wisdoms has been forgotten. Though these aphorisms may still contain some good advice, their original message is typically richer and more profound than our contemporary interpretation.

This Book is Banned proffers a few proverbs, sayings, and other pearls of wisdom that have been “unplugged,” as it were. We’ve rebooted, gone back-to-basics, and re-discovered their intended message. For example:
______

Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness.

The unalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence. This phrase sounds like it means we have the right to do whatever makes us feel good. However, in the eighteenth century, the word happiness meant more than just doing your own thing. What it conveyed was the deeper, more significant concept of human flourishing. Though happiness was indeed seen as a private right, it was also understood as a public duty, to live an honorable and principled life in order to ensure that all members of society could flourish and thrive.[1] And that’s a far cry from permission to “just do you.”

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Notes:

[1] Conklin, Carli N. “The Origins of the Pursuit of Happiness.” Washington University Jurisprudence Review. Volume 7, Issue 2, 2015.

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Check out more unplugged proverbs, sayings, and other pearls of wisdom here.

.
#Aphorisms Unplugged