Humanist techno-babble
Today marks the 40th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's innaugural address. A 14-minute long ode to American exceptionalism and the power of idealistic individualism.
Tanto vos quiso la magnificencia
Dotar de virtudes y congloriar
Que muchos procuran de vos imitar
En vida y en toda virtud y prudencia.
{So did magnificence strive/to crown your virtue with glory / that many seek to copy / your wise and virtuous life.}
-Juan de Mena, Praise of Marqués de Santillana, Migo López de MendozaA deliberately poetic vocabulary, a record of ideas incompatible with common speech, would be a different matter, however. The world of appearance is complicated, and language has only verbalized a miniscule part of its potential, indefatigable combinations.
-Jorges Luis Borges “Verbiage for Poems”
Poetry always seemed to me to be a seldom well done, and rather self-serving pursuit. Borges argues that the job of a poet is akin to that of a Physicist or Biologist. As our knowledge of the world has grown, so too has the wealth of descriptive language we have at our disposal. He asks, why not "create a word...for our lack of trust in ourselves after we have done wrong?" As our language grows so too does our world - language (poetry included) therefore can be seen as an exercise in expanding the limits of our reality.
'Man on Wire' is perhaps my favourite movie. It crackles with charm and authenticity - exuding the kind of beauty that movies rarely even approach.
