Thursday, May 16, 2013

One, Two, Many

"The Piraha, a small tribe of Brazilian hunter-gatherers, retain a tribal-cultural and simple language that remains basically unchanged since primitive times. Their uncomplicated arithmetic, also found among pre-industrialized native peoples elsewhere in the world, amounts to counting, 'one, two, many.' This easy computation that uses 'many' to mean anything more than two would be judged a simplistic exaggeration by industrial cultures that require the use of precise computation. Yet the measurement of 'many,' even if inaccurate, is a poetic and encompassing way to count the years you've been married, lived in the same house, been friends, or worked for the same company. The lavishly generous word 'many' is also a marvelous measurement of the abundance of good things in life you've been given."
Fr. Ed Hays, "A Book of Wonders"
 
I can't add anything to that, except maybe to say that I wish you MANY blessings on your May Thursday! Love, heidi

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