“Eats, Shoots & Leaves”
by Lynne Truss
Gotham Books, 2004
A grammar class, many must admit, is never interesting. The English teacher recites the rules, asks you to draw a sentence diagram, and is ambivalent about when to use the preposition “of” or the preposition “for.” On other occasions, she insists that we should never end our sentences with a preposition.
I recall that the irrepressible Winston Churchill followed that principle when he objected to a policy, saying: “Up with which we shall not put.” It sounds ridiculous, but it is decidedly grammatical.
I had a long discussion once with writers and critics in writers’ workshops, and I was told that there is a trend toward “minimalism” even in the use of commas. “If you can avoid commas, the new rule says, just do it! In an intended pun, they say: “Never lapse into a comma!”
And yet, no one can argue about the need to place the commas in their right places. Here’s a sampler:
A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
What a difference a comma makes, you may explain. It may trigger an endless anthropological debate!
What about this sign in a restaurant: “No dogs please.” Without the comma before “please,” the statement is “an indefensible generalization, since many dogs do please.”
The examples above are just two of numerous illustrations offered by an entertaining and instructive book titled “Eats, Shoot & Leaves,” by Lynne Truss. Even the title has its own story to tell. It’s about a Panda which suddenly develops the impulse to shoot. Check out the book and find out.
The book is actually a well-reasoned piece asking “sticklers” (those who care about punctuation) to unite and save the world – and the word – from ruin. The author expresses her lament: “While we look in horror at a badly punctuated sign, the world carries on around us, blind to our plight.”
“When words such as ‘phenomena’, ‘media’, or cherubim” are treated as singular, some of us cannot suppress actual screams.”
I have a collection of manuals of style from the respected newspapers around the world – those of the New York Times, Associated Press, The Economist, Wall Street Journal -- and their rules for precise language and unerring punctuation are laudable. This book by Ms. Truss, however, stands out as one of the most passionate – and interesting – about the need for correct (or proper) punctuation.
When the author is not seized into frenzy by a misused word, she settles for a sober thought like this: “Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.”
She continues: “The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it, there is no reliable way of communicating meaning. Punctuation herds words together, keeps others apart. Punctuation directs you how to read, in the way musical notation directs a musician how to play.”
Older editors of newspapers, including a respected boss of mine, rue the fact that many of our deskmen are no longer sticklers for punctuations. Read the newspapers any day and you will know that the misuse of punctuation is as widespread like common cold.
The author of this book cares enough about this trend – and has written a magnificent piece to serve as a call to arms against further misuse of punctuation, and against the deterioration of expression.
Well structured language expression has even suffered further with the wide use of emails, which has defied many rules of punctuation. Worse, the era of text messaging'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">text messaging has introduced an alien language that assaults the sensibilities of people who respect the language – whether English or our local dialect.
“Eats, Shoots & Leaves” is must read book. You don’t have to be an English major to find it useful. When you struggle over the letter composed by your secretary, or you are thrown into confusion by a hastily made report by your manager – chances are they have thrown overboard our only hope in communicating clearly and in making sense of this already confused world.
And yes, wrong punctuation can even trigger a theological debate. The book cites these two sentences as examples, where commas are placed in different locations:
“Verily, I say unto thee, This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”
“Verily I say unto thee this day, Thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”
The author has this to say: “The first version, which is how Protestants interpret the passage, lightly skips over the whole unpleasant business of Purgatory and takes the crucified thief straight to heaven with our Lord. The second promises Paradise at some later date, and leaves Purgatory nicely in the picture for Catholics, who believe in it.”
You can have many uses for this book. It can actually be a manual for grammar. It can also sharpen your sensitivity to any punctuation infractions, if it does not clarify some fine distinctions about the use of such grammar marks.
The book has done something else, which to me is very important: The book has just communicated one central truth: There is actually never a dull moment in the world of punctuation.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Sunday, February 20, 2005
A window into the mind, heart of the healing profession
“In Defense of the Physician”
By Homobono Calleja, M.D.
Many of the comments on the professional descendents of Hippocrates (400 BC) – the physicians – have been coming from outside the profession, whether good or bad, unflattering or complimentary.
Hardly do doctors take time to make their views heard. Rarely do they engage government, media, or civil society in a debate – except in their own journals whose readers are confined to fellow medical practitioners. When the Generic Act of 1988 was yet a bill, the debate was lopsided in favor of the piece of legislation. Little did we know that the entire membership of the Philippine Medical Association opposed the bill, calling it the “Genocide Act.”
With the rise of non-traditional medicine, the return to natural healing, and the increasing popularity of “herbal medicine” – not to mention religious cults that rule out any need for surgery or other tested remedies – how we wish we would hear a voice from their favorite “whipping boy” – traditional medicine.
Little did we know that there is such a voice – and a book – published at the turn of the century. The voice has an eloquence and literary flourish that’s rarely (so we thought) found among the men and women donning stethoscopes in regulation white gowns.
The book, “In Defense of the Physician,” by noted cardiologist Homobono B. Calleja, is notable for its forceful essay about the profession and the profession’s creed, commitments and concerns.
Listen: “Only the physician sees the kaleidoscopic spectacle of life from cradle to grave, not merely as a passive witness to the creation, development, growth, and end of being – but also as an active, caring advocate of life. His intricately woven knowledge of the chemistry of carbons and the electricity of atoms of life makes him the healer of the body.” Is this your doctor talking?
That’s the author of the book speaking. The book is a collection of essays, speeches and articles fro medical journals, and turn out to have popular appeal to people who have always wanted to have a window into the physician’s mind and heart. The seemingly sedate, almost passionless and taciturn professional turns out to ban a advocate of unmatched devotion to a cause and an uncharacteristic intensity reserved for firebrand activists.
In a chapter titled “Generics or Genocide Act of 1988,” the author dared to lock horns with fellow physicians, now Senator, Juan Flavier. Calling it a second-class medical delivery system,” Dr. Calleja questions the fundamental basis of the Generics Law, which states that “drugs with the same generic ingredients and the same dose are equivalent.”
The author counters: “The statement has no grain of truth,” pointing out that drug preparations are “equivalent” if they satisfy three “equivalence” requirements: chemical, biologic, and therapeutic. For laymen like us, the author provides explanation in the book.
On the same controversy, the author likens the medical association with Galileo (1633) who was imprisoned by the Roman Inquisition of the Vatican for supporting the Copernican “heliocentric theory” (the sun is the universe’s center), when the acceptable belief was “geocentric” (the earth as center).
The author stretches the analogy identifying his profession with Galileo, saying: “The true science of medicine will prevail over the pseudo-science of political medicine formulated by the callous of the Department of Health and Congress.”
The book is not all passionate polemics and stirring defense. It is peppered with appropriate quotes from the world’s greatest thinkers and verses written by the author. A verse, directed at what he calls a “health provider licensed by an HMO,” with this line laden with sarcasm: “Once I saw a doctor and his license/ He used to diagnose disease by his expertise/ Now he is limited by his HMO plan.”
The book is interesting because it also touches on patient rights, malpractice suits and even media’s favorite topic: doctors playing God. On the latter, the author treads carefully and very thoughtfully on an ethical dilemma: “physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.”
He declares: “A physicians is sworn to cure the sick and alleviate suffering… he cannot be an instrument of death; hence he cannot inject the lethal drug. However, he can lend his medical expertise to pronounce the criminal dead or still alive after the injection is given.”
Rarely does one come across a book where the taciturn physician speaks. In this book, not only is a medical doctor opening his heart and mind. The author’s voice is compelling, and his thoughts navigate the seas of God-given and human wisdom in history, poetry and science – or lack of it (in politics, the author’s nemesis)
Amid high profile views on non-traditional medicine, this book provides a reassuring picture of both profession and physician – who is steeped in medical training fiercely committed to his Hippocratic oath, and – as the book shows – one driven by a single devotion to heal. This book is a must read, especially for executive concerned with their health (after worrying about wealth) or when, at time, they contemplate their own mortality.
By Homobono Calleja, M.D.
Many of the comments on the professional descendents of Hippocrates (400 BC) – the physicians – have been coming from outside the profession, whether good or bad, unflattering or complimentary.
Hardly do doctors take time to make their views heard. Rarely do they engage government, media, or civil society in a debate – except in their own journals whose readers are confined to fellow medical practitioners. When the Generic Act of 1988 was yet a bill, the debate was lopsided in favor of the piece of legislation. Little did we know that the entire membership of the Philippine Medical Association opposed the bill, calling it the “Genocide Act.”
With the rise of non-traditional medicine, the return to natural healing, and the increasing popularity of “herbal medicine” – not to mention religious cults that rule out any need for surgery or other tested remedies – how we wish we would hear a voice from their favorite “whipping boy” – traditional medicine.
Little did we know that there is such a voice – and a book – published at the turn of the century. The voice has an eloquence and literary flourish that’s rarely (so we thought) found among the men and women donning stethoscopes in regulation white gowns.
The book, “In Defense of the Physician,” by noted cardiologist Homobono B. Calleja, is notable for its forceful essay about the profession and the profession’s creed, commitments and concerns.
Listen: “Only the physician sees the kaleidoscopic spectacle of life from cradle to grave, not merely as a passive witness to the creation, development, growth, and end of being – but also as an active, caring advocate of life. His intricately woven knowledge of the chemistry of carbons and the electricity of atoms of life makes him the healer of the body.” Is this your doctor talking?
That’s the author of the book speaking. The book is a collection of essays, speeches and articles fro medical journals, and turn out to have popular appeal to people who have always wanted to have a window into the physician’s mind and heart. The seemingly sedate, almost passionless and taciturn professional turns out to ban a advocate of unmatched devotion to a cause and an uncharacteristic intensity reserved for firebrand activists.
In a chapter titled “Generics or Genocide Act of 1988,” the author dared to lock horns with fellow physicians, now Senator, Juan Flavier. Calling it a second-class medical delivery system,” Dr. Calleja questions the fundamental basis of the Generics Law, which states that “drugs with the same generic ingredients and the same dose are equivalent.”
The author counters: “The statement has no grain of truth,” pointing out that drug preparations are “equivalent” if they satisfy three “equivalence” requirements: chemical, biologic, and therapeutic. For laymen like us, the author provides explanation in the book.
On the same controversy, the author likens the medical association with Galileo (1633) who was imprisoned by the Roman Inquisition of the Vatican for supporting the Copernican “heliocentric theory” (the sun is the universe’s center), when the acceptable belief was “geocentric” (the earth as center).
The author stretches the analogy identifying his profession with Galileo, saying: “The true science of medicine will prevail over the pseudo-science of political medicine formulated by the callous of the Department of Health and Congress.”
The book is not all passionate polemics and stirring defense. It is peppered with appropriate quotes from the world’s greatest thinkers and verses written by the author. A verse, directed at what he calls a “health provider licensed by an HMO,” with this line laden with sarcasm: “Once I saw a doctor and his license/ He used to diagnose disease by his expertise/ Now he is limited by his HMO plan.”
The book is interesting because it also touches on patient rights, malpractice suits and even media’s favorite topic: doctors playing God. On the latter, the author treads carefully and very thoughtfully on an ethical dilemma: “physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.”
He declares: “A physicians is sworn to cure the sick and alleviate suffering… he cannot be an instrument of death; hence he cannot inject the lethal drug. However, he can lend his medical expertise to pronounce the criminal dead or still alive after the injection is given.”
Rarely does one come across a book where the taciturn physician speaks. In this book, not only is a medical doctor opening his heart and mind. The author’s voice is compelling, and his thoughts navigate the seas of God-given and human wisdom in history, poetry and science – or lack of it (in politics, the author’s nemesis)
Amid high profile views on non-traditional medicine, this book provides a reassuring picture of both profession and physician – who is steeped in medical training fiercely committed to his Hippocratic oath, and – as the book shows – one driven by a single devotion to heal. This book is a must read, especially for executive concerned with their health (after worrying about wealth) or when, at time, they contemplate their own mortality.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Have some quiet and know what really matters in life
"In The Sphere of Silence"
By Vijay Eswaran
RYHM Publishing House, HK, 2004
We begin the New Year with a bang, but this book wants us to begin each new day of the year, not with a bang, but in silence.
Is this one of those books meant for cloistered life, or one that nurtures the soul of the recluse? No, it is written for CEOs, other executive and consultants in the midst of a dizzying workaday life.
Is this one of those contemplative or escapist books addressed to those who want to get away permanently from the workaday world, run to the sanctuary of the monastery – and yes, miles away from the arena where the action is? No. this book is, in fact, written by a top global executive presiding over a conglomerate that is into large-scale online marketing, aggressive distribution, unrelenting innovation and strategic entry into new business.
“The sphere of silence,” says author Vijay Eswaran, “is a rest for the tongue, the single most worked-out organ in the whole body.” The Scriptures call this “taming the tongue.” Mother Teresa, quoted in the book says: “In the silence of the heart, God speaks.”
Actually, the book recommends to managers and other people with bias for action to begin the day with a one-hour quiet time. A time for quietude opens the heart – and the mind – to what is essential.
That brings to mind another slim book – now a classic – “The Little Prince,” where one quote has become unforgettable: “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Herein lies the reason why this book by Eswaran is a real find. It brings us back to what is truly fundamental (not in a political or religious sense) – or essential. In a world of too many words – and thus noise – a book comes like a whiff of fresh wind.
In this nicely designed book – less rhetoric, elegant interplay of fonts and white space – the form truly captures the substance. The author’s sayings are pithy, and have a ring of the elemental to them. Perhaps, that really happens when you have an hour of silence each day. Consider this powerful metaphor:
“Thought, word, deed. The thought is the arrow; the word which carries your thoughts, the bow; the action which releases the arrow, the pull of the string.” The syntax captures the measured cadence of a guru speaking – where pauses and silences are part of the message.
It’s true that when you shut out the world – turn off the radio, switch off the ubiquitous TV, ask the housemaid to keep quiet for a change, and then close the door – there are only two begins left to deal with in silence: yourself and the Divine. Then, it’s reflection time.
“Know thyself,” says the Greek philosopher. Eswaran is more contemporary with this pithy sentences: “Take your life back. Dedicate one hour out of 24 and you get 23 back in your control.” Spoken like an executive – with a difference. He has the gift of brevity and clarity.
The handy book, running into 120 pages, is an easy read. The author’s saying, edited and transcribed by Gemma Luz Corotan, deals with practical issues like anger, war, learning, courage, doing your job, and a host of other daily concerns. And yet he speaks of them in their simplest form whence comes principles.
As they say, when you teach principles, your students will take care of the techniques. It begins with the principle of silence, and from such center of quiet will emerge the power of focus, clarity and, yes, wisdom. Many leaders of whatever creed and persuasion, when led to silence, came upon a central truth that first changed their lives – and then transformed a nation.
Of late, books have come into the scene and continues to change or enrich lives. The bestseller, “Purpose Driven Life,” has crossed religious boundaries to be a handy practical guide to people.
This book – which draws wisdom from the wellspring of a variety of philosophical and religious thought – may yet quench the thirst for something that touches the heart, or the desire for essential principles that make sense or create order in this topsy-turvy world. For that alone, this book deserves to be at your bedside at night, or at your desk by day.
By Vijay Eswaran
RYHM Publishing House, HK, 2004
We begin the New Year with a bang, but this book wants us to begin each new day of the year, not with a bang, but in silence.
Is this one of those books meant for cloistered life, or one that nurtures the soul of the recluse? No, it is written for CEOs, other executive and consultants in the midst of a dizzying workaday life.
Is this one of those contemplative or escapist books addressed to those who want to get away permanently from the workaday world, run to the sanctuary of the monastery – and yes, miles away from the arena where the action is? No. this book is, in fact, written by a top global executive presiding over a conglomerate that is into large-scale online marketing, aggressive distribution, unrelenting innovation and strategic entry into new business.
“The sphere of silence,” says author Vijay Eswaran, “is a rest for the tongue, the single most worked-out organ in the whole body.” The Scriptures call this “taming the tongue.” Mother Teresa, quoted in the book says: “In the silence of the heart, God speaks.”
Actually, the book recommends to managers and other people with bias for action to begin the day with a one-hour quiet time. A time for quietude opens the heart – and the mind – to what is essential.
That brings to mind another slim book – now a classic – “The Little Prince,” where one quote has become unforgettable: “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Herein lies the reason why this book by Eswaran is a real find. It brings us back to what is truly fundamental (not in a political or religious sense) – or essential. In a world of too many words – and thus noise – a book comes like a whiff of fresh wind.
In this nicely designed book – less rhetoric, elegant interplay of fonts and white space – the form truly captures the substance. The author’s sayings are pithy, and have a ring of the elemental to them. Perhaps, that really happens when you have an hour of silence each day. Consider this powerful metaphor:
“Thought, word, deed. The thought is the arrow; the word which carries your thoughts, the bow; the action which releases the arrow, the pull of the string.” The syntax captures the measured cadence of a guru speaking – where pauses and silences are part of the message.
It’s true that when you shut out the world – turn off the radio, switch off the ubiquitous TV, ask the housemaid to keep quiet for a change, and then close the door – there are only two begins left to deal with in silence: yourself and the Divine. Then, it’s reflection time.
“Know thyself,” says the Greek philosopher. Eswaran is more contemporary with this pithy sentences: “Take your life back. Dedicate one hour out of 24 and you get 23 back in your control.” Spoken like an executive – with a difference. He has the gift of brevity and clarity.
The handy book, running into 120 pages, is an easy read. The author’s saying, edited and transcribed by Gemma Luz Corotan, deals with practical issues like anger, war, learning, courage, doing your job, and a host of other daily concerns. And yet he speaks of them in their simplest form whence comes principles.
As they say, when you teach principles, your students will take care of the techniques. It begins with the principle of silence, and from such center of quiet will emerge the power of focus, clarity and, yes, wisdom. Many leaders of whatever creed and persuasion, when led to silence, came upon a central truth that first changed their lives – and then transformed a nation.
Of late, books have come into the scene and continues to change or enrich lives. The bestseller, “Purpose Driven Life,” has crossed religious boundaries to be a handy practical guide to people.
This book – which draws wisdom from the wellspring of a variety of philosophical and religious thought – may yet quench the thirst for something that touches the heart, or the desire for essential principles that make sense or create order in this topsy-turvy world. For that alone, this book deserves to be at your bedside at night, or at your desk by day.
Sunday, June 27, 2004
New words for new uses To stir a nation’s soul
“Words that Changed America”
By Alex Barnett
The Lyons, Press, 2003
“…LET us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle … to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Is this paragraph part of the inaugural speech of a President who was proclaimed only a few days ago – issuing a call for healing, forgiveness and unity? No, this is the second inaugural address on March 4, 1865 by Abraham Lincoln.
“There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free ... if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained – we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!
Is this a call from the opposition leaders, despite a defeat in the polls, to continue a vigorous campaign against the proclaimed winner? No, this was a call to arms by Patrick Henry on October 2, 1765 against the English Empire.
“Thus I consent, sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best. The opinions I have had of its errors I sacrifice to the public good. I have never whispered a syllable of them abroad. Within these walls they were born, and here they shall die.”
Is this a Senator expressing his reservations over our Constitution? No, this was Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, endorsing the American Constitution, at the heart of which was a compromise where the smaller states retained their single vote power in the upper house of Congress, while the more populous states had proportionately more power in a lower house.
The three quotable paragraphs are lifted from the speeches of American leaders whose words have already been immortalized in the history of the United States and in the chronicles of speeches around the world.
A handy book, titled “Words that Changed America,” contains 79 speeches, official proclamations and declarations, prefaces to the Constitution and other laws, core paragraphs in debates, statements before Congress, memoirs, damaging papers, radio messages in times of war, and testimonies before the Legislature.
So, this is not only about formal, pre-written speeches. These are “words” that, according to the book, “inspired, challenged, healed and enlightened” a nation. They have changed America.
Only recently, the Philippines had less inspired words – but words anyway that challenged, exasperated and infuriated people.
“Shut up!” is one phrase in a note written by a feisty lady, expressing impatience over the habit of one Congressman whose peroration was delaying the canvassing of votes in the Philippine Congress. It was the same phrase that was echoed and reechoed by a visibly irate legislator, momentarily forgetting parliamentary decorum.
The other word is “noted,” a word attributed to the co-chairman of the Canvassing Committee – which came to mean: “You have been heard, your argument has been recorded – but we will proceed with the business at hand. It is polite – but effective – antidote to filibustering, to long-winded statements and to a legislator’s perverse desire to listen to his own voice.
Calls have been made to elevate the quality of speeches in public forums – including Congress. This book comes forward to show a collection of rhetorical pieces that capture the noble, lofty and well-reasoned thoughts of heroes, anti-heroes and ordinary people who somehow graduated into statesmen.
When leaders need to heal the wounds of a divided nation, Lincoln’s heart and mind could prove to be useful. When leaders want to preserve our adherence to democratic principles, especially with a spreading sentiment in favor of “an iron hand,” Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s concluding part in a speech, “The Four Freedoms,” would set them on the right pitch and mood:
“This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them, our strength is our unity of purpose.”
After the elections – business groups, investment analysts, foreign chambers of commerce, foreign diplomats, academicians and, yes politicians/statesmen are calling for the rebirth of hope in the Philippines.
Economists are asking our government even to challenge the fundamental premises of our economic policies. Talks of amending the constitution and reorganizing the bureaucracy abound.
And yet there us one things that must be done by our President and her officials, our economic and business leaders, and even the opposition: They must find new words for new uses to reflect a new reality. But these words must emanate from minds that have gone through transformation and hearts that have gone through a necessary renewal.
Reading this book – as well as noting a era where these epoch-making speeches or statements were delivered – would be a good beginning. Readers would be transported to a time and place where patriotism was at its best and eloquence at its finest. We need words that can inspire our people, uplift – or even ignite – the national soul.
If our leaders have nary a desire for a measure of eloquence – and there are many of them – the written advice from the feisty lady would once again acquire urgency and importance: “Shut up.”
By Alex Barnett
The Lyons, Press, 2003
“…LET us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle … to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Is this paragraph part of the inaugural speech of a President who was proclaimed only a few days ago – issuing a call for healing, forgiveness and unity? No, this is the second inaugural address on March 4, 1865 by Abraham Lincoln.
“There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free ... if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained – we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!
Is this a call from the opposition leaders, despite a defeat in the polls, to continue a vigorous campaign against the proclaimed winner? No, this was a call to arms by Patrick Henry on October 2, 1765 against the English Empire.
“Thus I consent, sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best. The opinions I have had of its errors I sacrifice to the public good. I have never whispered a syllable of them abroad. Within these walls they were born, and here they shall die.”
Is this a Senator expressing his reservations over our Constitution? No, this was Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, endorsing the American Constitution, at the heart of which was a compromise where the smaller states retained their single vote power in the upper house of Congress, while the more populous states had proportionately more power in a lower house.
The three quotable paragraphs are lifted from the speeches of American leaders whose words have already been immortalized in the history of the United States and in the chronicles of speeches around the world.
A handy book, titled “Words that Changed America,” contains 79 speeches, official proclamations and declarations, prefaces to the Constitution and other laws, core paragraphs in debates, statements before Congress, memoirs, damaging papers, radio messages in times of war, and testimonies before the Legislature.
So, this is not only about formal, pre-written speeches. These are “words” that, according to the book, “inspired, challenged, healed and enlightened” a nation. They have changed America.
Only recently, the Philippines had less inspired words – but words anyway that challenged, exasperated and infuriated people.
“Shut up!” is one phrase in a note written by a feisty lady, expressing impatience over the habit of one Congressman whose peroration was delaying the canvassing of votes in the Philippine Congress. It was the same phrase that was echoed and reechoed by a visibly irate legislator, momentarily forgetting parliamentary decorum.
The other word is “noted,” a word attributed to the co-chairman of the Canvassing Committee – which came to mean: “You have been heard, your argument has been recorded – but we will proceed with the business at hand. It is polite – but effective – antidote to filibustering, to long-winded statements and to a legislator’s perverse desire to listen to his own voice.
Calls have been made to elevate the quality of speeches in public forums – including Congress. This book comes forward to show a collection of rhetorical pieces that capture the noble, lofty and well-reasoned thoughts of heroes, anti-heroes and ordinary people who somehow graduated into statesmen.
When leaders need to heal the wounds of a divided nation, Lincoln’s heart and mind could prove to be useful. When leaders want to preserve our adherence to democratic principles, especially with a spreading sentiment in favor of “an iron hand,” Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s concluding part in a speech, “The Four Freedoms,” would set them on the right pitch and mood:
“This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them, our strength is our unity of purpose.”
After the elections – business groups, investment analysts, foreign chambers of commerce, foreign diplomats, academicians and, yes politicians/statesmen are calling for the rebirth of hope in the Philippines.
Economists are asking our government even to challenge the fundamental premises of our economic policies. Talks of amending the constitution and reorganizing the bureaucracy abound.
And yet there us one things that must be done by our President and her officials, our economic and business leaders, and even the opposition: They must find new words for new uses to reflect a new reality. But these words must emanate from minds that have gone through transformation and hearts that have gone through a necessary renewal.
Reading this book – as well as noting a era where these epoch-making speeches or statements were delivered – would be a good beginning. Readers would be transported to a time and place where patriotism was at its best and eloquence at its finest. We need words that can inspire our people, uplift – or even ignite – the national soul.
If our leaders have nary a desire for a measure of eloquence – and there are many of them – the written advice from the feisty lady would once again acquire urgency and importance: “Shut up.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)