Wise Friend,
I met a few people today, and we talked about how we felt at the turn of the millennium. By now it’s such a non-event. It saddens me a bit.
Sensitive Friend,
Before the turn of the millennium, I met a guy who used to lead regular millennium-related get-togethers. The Millennial Café.
They analysed similarities between theories or conspiracies developed before years 2,000 and 1,000.
I joined that group once, if I remember well. It was what I wanted and was looking for in my peregrinations around the world: interactions with intelligent and fun people and a great theme. I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to beep or to be quiet.
Wise Friend,
Yes, there are many such groups in US universities. Are they challenging? Fun, too? Is there a lot of interaction? I wonder.
Sensitive Friend,
It quite surprised me when I entered the small room. I expected a large group of people where I could get lost and listen. I love watching people interact. I took a while to accept that such an eclectic small group can be in the position to influence policy.
Wise Friend,
The strange world of political decisions in a super-power!
Sensitive Friend,
I raised that question, and the group leader told me that at that moment, their impact on policy was fairly circumspect.
How many such amazing little groups sprout in these great universities as ‘secret organisations?’
Wise Friend,
I don’t know, but all those strange voluntary organisations are one of the marvels of the modern world.
I hope you didn’t keep quiet. That would have been a waste of your intelligence as far as I’m concerned. In such groups, you speak when you have something to say or ask. It’s a free for all.
Sensitive Friend,
They wanted to replace the word ‘superstition.’
I was thinking about the tendency of superstitious people to ‘collect’ additional superstitions as their ‘knowledge’ gets richer. Something like ‘globalisation or integrating the faiths, rites or traditions’. I became obsessed with finding a word.
I told him. Ouch! “Integrating the faiths” was hardly one of his “superstitions.” Quite the contrary, he didn’t think there was a real tolerance if you can’t accept that the “other” really is “other.” He wanted to take upon the task, to present the group “with an irreducible other, which would drive control freaks crazy.”
Wise Friend,
When you talked about the “integration of faith or ritual”, did you refer to the willingness of people, whose religions are based on many superstitions, to adopt Western habits or rites as part of their superstitious makeup?
Sensitive Friend,
Yes. Had I conveyed it any other way? If yes, Ouch!
I asked a dear friend who had a PhD in linguistics. Clearly, I wanted to impress. She jokingly suggested – “routinised premonitional intuition” – or RPI !!! Quite a mouthful! How are you going to explain such a mouthful expression to non-English speaking superstitious whoever? The intention was not to offend them. This group leader had to use the term in the media and in his communication with people involved in cults or religions.
To my astonishment, he liked the expression. He replied quickly “Why premonitional? Apocalyptic beliefs — the cosmic transformation is happening now — is a condition of heightened (hyperactive) and improvisational premonitional intuition.”
Somehow, I never followed up. What a pity! Life took over my life.
Relentlessly.
eachword-eachday 