Listening Takes Courage



The story is told of the newspaper ad during the great depression.  A young man saw a "help wanted" ad for a telegraph operator. He had studied Morse code at home while he was unemployed, but he had no experience. And his heart sank as he joined a room full of way too many other men seeking the same job.  Not unlike our times where unemployment is so high.

The young man found a chair and sank into it, already feeling dejected because so many people were there for the interview.  After only a few minutes, however, the young man’s face suddenly brightened, he jumped up out of his chair and ran into the interviewer’s office. Within a few minutes the interviewer who was the manager appeared at his door with the young man to announce that the job had been filled.

Everyone was shocked and disappointed.  One of the men who had been the first to arrive and had waited the longest time asked with great indignation, "What did he say that landed him the job?  After all, he was the last one here." The manager answered in a calm manner, "It was nothing he said. All morning long I have been tapping out a message on my office window in Morse code. It was loud enough for all of you to hear. The message was this: 'If you can understand this message, come on in. You're hired.' All of you heard the noise. He was the only one who listened to the message."

Listening is a simple task but we make it very complicated.  Here are some ways to improve our listening.  What actions can you add to the list?

·        Don’t think the other person doesn’t understand.  The problem may reside inside us. 

·        Ask for clarifications don’t be too eager to respond. You may have transformed the comment into something you would have said.

·        State in your own words what you think you heard the other person say. 

·        Have courage, listening takes nerve.

The Bethlehem Baker

On Sunday, January 1, 2012, Dr. Andrew D. Scrimgeour, Dean of Libraries at Drew University, Madison, NJ, will read one of his Christmas stories, "The Bethlehem Baker," at the First United Methodist Church, 23 Willow Street, Mystic, CT 06355.  All are invited. 

He has been writing Christmas stories for some time.  Most recently, December 23, 2010, one of his Christmas stories, “A String of Bulbs Was Our Guiding Star” appeared in the New York Times.  He will be reading for us another one of his stories entitled “The Bethlehem Baker.” 

      You will not want to miss this reading.  So go to bed early enough on New Year’s Eve or stay up all night and straggle into the church, but do not miss this opportunity!

EUGENE A. NIDA

EUGENE A. NIDA (1914-2011)

Celebrating the life of a distinguished linguist and translator may seem trivial to some people.  Today in New York City Eugene Nida's life will be celebrated.  He was born November 11, 1914 and died August 25, 2011. In an ever more complex, connected world there may be no more important task than translation. 

The United States is only beginning to feel the enormity of the issue of translation since English is such a dominate language throughout the world.  Many Americans think of translation as a bit of a nuisance and expense.  Nuisance in that if people are going to come to America they need to learn English.  Expense in that schools (among many private and public entities) need to deal with communicating to people who do not know Englsih well (the Los Angeles Public Schools have over 250 languages spoken by children attending their schools).  It takes money to teach those kids and translation is a very important part of the process.

Nida (pronounced NAY-duh) was a pioneer both in the theory of translation and in preparing people to be translators.  He is responsible for what is called dynamic equivalence translation.  He thought that it was as important to be faithful to the original language and text as it was to make sure the people for whom the translation was being made clearly understood the original.  Merely assuming that a word used in one langage and possible at a different time (as in the translation of ancient texts such as the Bible) is always and in every place to be translated with the same word is not to understand the denotative and connotative elements in languages.   

As reported in one article Nida translated the simple phrase "I am sorrowful" in a variety of ways in one small area in Africa with different languages.  Given the cultural and linguistic differences among those several groups the phrase was translated into what when translated back into English were " my eye is black," "my heart is rotten," "my stomach is heavy," and "my liver is sick." 

The simple solution of saying that translation is merely taking one word in the original language and translating it into one word in the target language often misses the goal of translation, namely to communicate accurately and efficiently one idea/word into another's language's and culture's idea/word.  Translation is not merely finding the right words but understanding at least two cultures.

 

Can you identify location and date?

Share Your Favorite Fall Poem

Share a Fall poem with others.

I am particularly fond of Mary Oliver's poetry.  Her "Fall Song" from American Primitive (Boston/New York/Toronto/London. Little, Brown and Company. 1983) seems quite appropriate for these Fall days.  I quote from a few of the lines.

**
Another year gone, leaving everywhere
its rich spiced residues: vines, leaves,

the uneaten fruits crumbling damply
in the shadows....

I try to remember when time's measure
painfully chafes, for instance when autumn

flares out as the last, boisterous and like us longing
to stay--how everything livers, shifting

from one bright vision to another, forever
in these momentary pastures.
**

Post 9/11 Thoughts and Forgiveness

Have any of you been stunned by the fact that the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 seems to have come and gone without much new reflection?  There was a burst of energy around the days immediately preceding and for a brief time afterwards. 

Maybe I have just missed those reflections but would certainly like to hear about them.

My thoughts on the occasion of the 10 year anniversary may not be new reflections.  However, they surround the difficulty of forgiving.   First, I think the only way to forgive is to give up the right to revenge.  Second, once we have given that up we need to clearly understand that forgiveness is in part a matter of conscience.  Third, when we forgive we offer a gift that enables us to discover freedom.  Fourth, forgiveness often seems outside my human capabilities.  That is when I look for another source to give me assistance in offering forgiveness.

The legacy of 9/11 must in part draw us to reflect on forgiveness.  What can draw us forward from 9/11 and not backward?

  

Rosary Beads as Necklaces Among Teens

News reports about the use and abuse of wearing
rosary beads in schools around the country

have stirred questions about freedom of religious

expression.  We have seen this issue arise in other

European countries regarding Islamic attire.

The latest case was in Nebraska.  School districts

and individual schools have responded to gang members wearing rosary necklaces not for religious expression but for identification of gang membership.  This has prompted the enforcement of dress codes that prohibit their use.  Those wishing to wear the now popular rosary necklaces as an expression of their religious perspectives  have been prohibited from wearing them.

Have there been any reports of this issue arising in our community?  Do you see a way to find common ground so that the legitimate and illegitimate use can be addressed?

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/national/girl-banned-from-wearing-rosary-necklace

http://www.womenswatchinc.org/blog/school-bans-little-girls-rosary-beads/