In my review of Latin, I have started to notice the implications of Latin-based words. One of the first verbs I ever learned was "sto" meaning "to stand." It is a first conjugation verb and the perfect participle of the verb is "status" with a passive meaning "to have been stood." This stuck me as brilliant.
When I was choosing a college, I was fortunate to have a number of good alternatives and was completely undecided. To help me make a choice, I went to some of my high school teachers who had attended the potential choices. In retrospect, I am surprised by the factor that led their recommendations: status. Each teacher recommended a school that had nothing to do with me or my interests, but was simply a maximization of "status."
Over time, I have understood that "status" is exactly as the Latin means. The idea of a college with status was that it would stand me up. The passivity conferred by status does not confer competence, joy or wisdom. It might increase income. But over time, it tends to strengthen the ego and weaken the individual.
No comments:
Post a Comment