Truth and Linguistics

[kerravonsen]

Interesting quote from the book I'm currently reading(*):
Their [human] language is equally confusing. Who can believe what they say if every word has several meanings?

Which makes one wonder... for of course, in human languages, one can lie while telling the truth. Yet what a poor language it would be if words had only one meaning.

Does poetry lie in ambiguity? Or does poetry lie in ambiguity?

(*) "City of Pearl" by Karen Traviss

Comments

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

oooohhh... ::bows deeply:: very clever. Topical AND profound...

Btw, I've enjoyed your thank-you lists!

[kerravonsen]

Thank you!

Btw, I've enjoyed your thank-you lists!

Oh, good. I'm doing them mainly for my own benefit, to keep me focused upwards (rather than inwards and downwards and darkwards) and while I could have done that without posting on LJ, having a (small) audience has two purposes: (a) it keeps me disciplined, instead of slacking off and (b) it is hopefully encouraging to others.

[kerravonsen]

Oh, and I forgot to say, it has been worrying me a little that those on that filter might be getting a little annoyed at the daily spamming of those lists, so it's encouraging to see that there are at least two people I'm not annoying...

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Excuse, please? I don't see those as having any relationship to spam. They're things you want to say, and it's your journal. Them what doesn't want to see 'em can scroll past.

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

Great for the focus and (a), and it's a good reminder for me to be thankful and it's encouraging to see you being thankful, given the trials and struggles that you're going through every day!

I just recently heard a sermon where the pastor said that we don't have to be thankful that bad stuff happened to us--we can be honest with God--but we should be thankful that through it all, our Dad is still with us and He loves us and He's going to make something beautiful come out of us and the whole situation if we let Him. That just felt so much more real to me than the way my own father would shout "Hallelujah!" when he would accidentally hurt himself while working in the basement or something. That just felt like forced, fake praise--like the word was just a Christianized version of a secular expletive.

So to see you thankful...that's beautiful. :)

[kerravonsen]

and it's encouraging to see you being thankful, given the trials and struggles that you're going through every day!

It was someone in my small-group, who came over one day out of the blue (after I'd been saying how hard things were), she came over to encourage me, and told me of her own struggles, and how one thing that helped her get through was, at the end of each day, listing five things to thank God for (though it didn't have to be exactly five) and that struck me as a really good thing to do for myself. And I do think it's been helping.

we don't have to be thankful that bad stuff happened to us--we can be honest with God--but we should be thankful that through it all

Yeah, my pastor said something similar: it's "thank God in all things, not thank God for all things"

So sometimes it gets down to the bare "thank you Lord that I'm still breathing" (which is more significant for me, given the nature of my chronic illness)... there's always something to be thankful for, even if it's really simple things.

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

So sometimes it gets down to the bare "thank you Lord that I'm still breathing"...

Yeah, me too. Sometimes I feel so rotten or wiped out or generally soured that I end up there too...and then the perspective makes me think that maybe it isn't all so bad, especially since, ultimately, the struggle is temporary (even if it seems interminable. :)

I love this song:

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
(c) Hel­en H. Lem­mel 1922

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain

[kerravonsen]

I do recognise that hymn, though I can't recall the tune at the minute. "And the things of earth will grow strangely dim" (nods)

and then the perspective makes me think that maybe it isn't all so bad, especially since, ultimately, the struggle is temporary

"To live is Christ, to die is gain."

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

If you're willing to sit through a not-too-terrible MIDI recording of it, I got the lyrics off this page.