Tag Archives: devil may care

Arrow

Arrow: (n) a shaft sharpened at the front and with feathers or vanes at the back, shot from a bow as a weapon or for sport.dictionary with letter A

“I shot an arrow into the air, and where it falls I know not where.”

Isn’t that irresponsible? I think if we’re going to be arrow-shooters, we should be conscientious to know where they fall.

The parallels of this into other areas of our lives are so numerous that I would be frightened to jump in, lest it appear that I’ve purchased some sort of soap box on which to stand for proclamation.

Yet I will tell you that there is a certain amount of control that proves we have respect for the world around us. There is too much arrow-shooting into the air with a “devil-may-care” attitude.

Are we supposed to be cautious? Are we supposed to be careful not to offend or hurt others with our arrows?

I don’t think it’s so much an issue of being cautious or careful about our offenses, but rather, to take the time to understand that arrows are pointed, and therefore can be quite lethal.

If I simply tell you that I don’t believe something, I am shooting an arrow into the air without any concern for how it will strike your heart, which happens to hold that belief dear.

There is a power in saying, “As for me…”

“As for me, I’ve found the following to be true.”

As for me, I don’t shoot my arrows into the air, but instead, find targets. And when I shoot at a target and take precise aim, then my intention is clear.

To shoot an arrow into the air and not know where it’s going to fall is the beginning of every war. It is the consummation of every family struggle, lending itself to the destruction of the unity.

We need to know where our arrows fall, and the only way to achieve that is by never pulling out an arrow … unless you’ve chosen a target.

 

Donate Button

Thank you for enjoying Words from Dic(tionary) —  J.R. Practix

Antemortem

dictionary with letter A

Antemortem: (adj & adv) before death

Sometimes words can be head-scratchers.

Isn’t antemortem just another way of saying “life?”

In other words, if we’re talking about everything before death, doesn’t that just refer to today’s activities and our ongoing existence?

But after I get done scratching my head, freeing up a few dandruff flakes, I discover a much deeper concept. (Not so deep that it makes one drown, but perhaps deep enough that it promotes moving forward swimmingly.)

For I will tell you right now, almost every facet of our society has us thinking just as much about our death as it does our life.

I was trying to remember the last movie I went to that didn’t have at least one, if not many, people killed. I guess the message is, we’re all mortal, so eat, drink and be merry.

Politics focuses on retirement, social security and often even flagrantly discusses death benefits.

You add in the medical field, constantly reminding us of all the things that can terminate our journey, and religion telling us we need to get ready for heaven, and it certainly seems that we spend an incredible amount of time wasting our present life force in preparation for our inevitable death.

Since we are granted less than a century of breathing, to study too much of the past or fear too much of the future seems a bit ridiculous and obsessive.

Yet if you have a “live for today” philosophy, people shake their heads in disapproval and mouth words like “irresponsible, hippie, Bohemian and gypsy.”

What is the balance?

I don’t know.

But I do know this–I’m not going to spend the majority of my life, while I’m still young, vibrant, mentally active, socially aware and sexually viable, laying up treasure for a time when I’m not.

I am sure, at any juncture in my life span, no matter how old I may become, I will not be thrilled to leave.

So with that in mind, I find it much more intuitive to pursue the activities of this day with jubilance and a bit of “devil-may-care,” so as to guarantee that when the post-mortem arrives … that my antemortem has sufficiently kicked ass.

 

Donate Button

Thank you for enjoying Words from Dic(tionary) —  J.R. Practix