WORDPHILIAC

When pigs fly- that is a phrase often used by incredulous people. Incredulous means to be unwillingly to accept something as true or even possible.

Photo Credit: Wild Guru Larry

If we’ve learned one thing from Coca-Cola, it’s that you don’t mess with a classic.  Apparently Cee Lo Green, a successful musical artist, characterize by his unique voice and eccentric style, didn’t get the message. On New Year’s Eve, Cee Lo took  the stage to perform on NBC’s New Year’s Eve special and sung John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. But Cee Lo didn’t sing the song verbatim as it had originally been written, Cee Lo rarely conforms to the conventional. He  changed one line of the song, but that slight modification was enough that he received quite the backlash.  So what was the change?

Cee Lo Changed Lennon’s line ‘Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.’ to ‘Nothing to kill or die for, and all religion is true.’

The majority of the criticism aimed at Cee Lo comes from anti-religion people. These people believe that Cee Lo took what was akin to an anthem for them, a song that spoke for them and expressed their ideas of religion and its negative impact on society and not only twisted the words but also the meaning of the song. But did he? Let’s break it down in true wordphiliac fashion.

Lyrics to Imagine:

Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today…

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world…

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one

The idea behind the song, is to imagine a world where  the things that separate us, oppress us, and bring out the ugliness in us do not exist. Wouldn’t that be nice. Go ahead, imagine it for a moment.

Now back to the post.

Lennon wants us to imagine a world without countries or religion so that the world can live in peace. It is sad, but true, that religion is a major reason for conflict throughout the world. So an end to religion would mean and end to conflict , resulting in world peace, which is ultimately what Lennon wants in the song. And doesn’t Cee Lo want the same thing in his line “And all religions true?”

Some definitions for the word true:

I’m back from my sabbatical, well rested and ready for 2012. So what exactly is a sabbatical, you want to know? Sabbatical, derives from the Hebrew word sabbath, which means to rest and refers to the religious ceremony of observing certain days to refrain from work and other acts in order to focus on worship and connect with God. I’m sure you’re familiar with the quote “And on the seventh day He rested”. Sabbatical  means pertaining to the Sabbath and also pertaining to every seventh year.

Today, the word sabbatical refers to taking an extended leave of absence from work. A true sabbatical lasts one year, and is often earned after working a period of seven years. Sabbaticals are very common in some areas of work, especially higher education. And get this, there are even paid for.

But don’t mistake a sabbatical as a free pass to play hooky and loaf around. Not at all. True sabbaticals- and I keep referring to ‘true sabbaticals’ because sabbaticals have become watered down in some sectors and have different durations and different purposes- but a true sabbatical is about personal growth, learning, exploring and reconnecting. It’s a time for learning a new language, traveling, writing a book, learning a new trade or craft, etc.

So there you have it wordphiliacs, the definition(s) of sabbatical. And um, yeh, what I took was more like a vacation but doesn’t sabbatical sound so much cooler?

We made it! It’s 2012! Time to turn a page and start a new chapter. The page is blank. You can throw in a plot twist, add a new character, get rid of some old ones, or change the setting of your story. May this new year be the best on yet!

They say love is a drug. I even read once, that people who are in love have the same brain activity as insane people. Maybe it’s the person’s proprium that makes them feel like they’re on opium. Proprium is the characteristics unique to an individual or class of people.

Photo by Digitalart