cut through the fat…

definition

the word definition has a few different meanings, and some of the aspects of the idea of ‘definition’ can penetrate society deeply.

at first, we probably think merriam-webster, or perhaps oxford unabridged.

definition can also refer to muscle tone, low body fat, and a cut figure.

however, ‘definition’ can affect more then how we look, and the long, smart-sounding words that we use.

ideas require definition. to not have definition for an idea makes it hard for people to formulate thoughts about that idea. often, ideas are defined through words. consider the following ideas which we might not be familiar with, as the words don’t exist in English, however once presented, the ideas seem to make sense.

Gheegle: (Filipino) The urge to pinch or squeeze something that is unbearably cute.

Cualacino: (Italian) The mark left on a table by a cold glass.

Sgriob: (Gaelic) The itchiness that overcomes the upper lip just before taking a sip of whisky

L’esprit de escalier: (French) The feeling you get after leaving a conversation, when you think of all the things you should have said. Translated it means “the spirit of the staircase.”

Pari-pari and Saku-saku: (Japanese) Hard-crispy verses Soft-crispy, i.e. a rice cracker versus fried chicken

Stam: (Hebrew) An agreement out of amusement and frustration that something doesn’t have a satisfactory answer among those talking.

Forelsket: (Norwegian) The euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love.

Pena ajena: (Mexican Spanish) The embarrassment you feel watching someone else’s humiliation.

[this list was taken from: http://ranajune.com/post/64352844/words-that-dont-exist-in-the-english-language]

definition can also be a key factor in how we live life. [here's where the peace corps comes into play].

when one has a definite task at work and/or in life – like being a cut-throat lawyer, or a careful and thorough engineer, the mindset that one achieves to accomplish these goals can pervade into other areas of life.

now in the peace corps – especially as a Community & Organizational Development volunteer – sometimes work doesn’t have a clear objective, doesn’t have a defined structure, and doesn’t have stated goals.

in this situation, one does not have a determined cut-throat lawyers attitude of success to pervade other areas of life, or an engineers thoughtful, meticulous yet scientifically creative mindset to influence other areas of one’s world. instead, the waiting, the indecisiveness and general lack of definition can start to move beyond the office.

in addition to helping you stay on the couch all saturday watching episodes of something, this type of situation can also make you step back, and examine what exactly is going on. it can give you time and mental space to think [note: the mental space may be cloudy, as we've already established the lack of general definition and clarity], and it can help you decide that you need to put in your own intentional effort to crystallize goals to create direction.

what it comes down to, is creating you own definition. when the things in life that give you definition are gone, you’ve gotta have something that remains to provide direction. this has to be self contained, this has to come from you. i think this is something that a lot of us don’t have, and often, we don’t even realize that we don’t have it. so much of life and one’s thoughts are defined by what we do, and we never have a chance to not do anything, so we are never forced to build our own definition.

on another note, check out these pics of smiling kids.

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these are from a spelling bee – we had a local round, then went to regionals with our top 3 spellers – the spelling bee was organized by two volunteers - http://www.spellingbee-bg.com/