Be A Verb - Not A Noun (3 Viewers)

[Linda]

I've been feeling a little blah - summer still dragging on may have something to do with it. I try to look at the turmoil in almost every country from a distance, but sometimes it gets me down.

So what to do?? I had a notion to do some jumping jacks. My body said "What are you doing, woman?", and I sensed that it was moving more than just my physical body. Then l came across a quote from Stephen Fry that I thought summed up my feelings perfectly.

"Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it - that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing - an actor, a writer - I am a person who does things - I write, I act - and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.” Stephen Fry​

A little while ago I was jumping, and right now I am writing. In a little bit I will be washing . For me, this is one of those little shifts in perception - another way to be present. I also feel some freedom. Rather than feeling blah about my trip to laundry mountain, I can see that is one part of me. Hey, if I can jump, then who knows what else I can do.

I'm working on my list. What are some of yours?

 

[Angela]

I dig this. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Lila]

'Being' a noun can feel a lot like prison.
Being a being who does things is, I agree, empowering and much more freeing.

Right now, I'm writing. Planning on putting out garbage, working out and being outside, taking my mom to enjoy the sun, having dinner with friends and a bunch of other stuff too.

Love that distinction!

 

[Linda]

Stephen Fry is right about endless possibilities. He had a travel series in which he drove around the US in a London taxi cab. It was a cool series.
Now who would have thought of that?

 

[Sinera]

Native Americans have verbs as names a lot or even mainly. "Dances With Wolves" (the movie) is a good example of that. I heard about one tribe (Amazonas or so, but not sure) who does not know any nouns at all in their language. Fascinating to think of.

 

[Snowmelt]

I've been feeling a little blah - summer still dragging on may have something to do with it. I try to look at the turmoil in almost every country from a distance, but sometimes it gets me down.

So what to do?? I had a notion to do some jumping jacks. My body said "What are you doing, woman?", and I sensed that it was moving more than just my physical body. Then l came across a quote from Stephen Fry that I thought summed up my feelings perfectly.

"Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it - that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing - an actor, a writer - I am a person who does things - I write, I act - and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.” Stephen Fry​

A little while ago I was jumping, and right now I am writing. In a little bit I will be washing . For me, this is one of those little shifts in perception - another way to be present. I also feel some freedom. Rather than feeling blah about my trip to laundry mountain, I can see that is one part of me. Hey, if I can jump, then who knows what else I can do.

I'm working on my list. What are some of yours?

And I thought jumping jacks was the same as a game called Knucklebones - where you toss up 5 or 10 small objects and catch them on the back of your hand. I thought: She's playing Jacks - who with?

But the rest of your post put me on the right track.

 

[Toller]

I've spent my whole life bumbling my way from one job to another. I've never been able to work out what I'm supposed to be, even now I don't know. So I presume that makes me a verb.

It made me think of the section from Shakespeare's play 'As You Like It' :-

All The World's A Stage - Poem by William Shakespeare

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

William Shakespeare

After all are we not all actors, here on this earth stage. Still, the show must go on (thinks of Queen here, but instead posts a different short video) :-


"Are you not entertained!"

 

[Linda]

I've had different jobs, too, but there is an underlying thread in all of them - always teaching in one form or another. There is a freedom in not being in one type of job all your life. I was talking with someone who had several jobs before the one they have now. It was obvious that in each case, certain skills were being learned / gathered / incorporated.

Sinera made a comment about the names used by Native American Indians - many are verbs. Another custom of many tribes was giving names in babyhood, childhood, and adulthood, which reminds me of the Shakespeare quote - the many stages of life.

 

[therium]

Our actions determine who we are, and the results we have on the world. So I guess we would be verbs.

 

[Snowmelt]

I've spent my whole life bumbling my way from one job to another. I've never been able to work out what I'm supposed to be, even now I don't know. So I presume that makes me a verb.

It made me think of the section from Shakespeare's play 'As You Like It' :-



After all are we not all actors, here on this earth stage. Still, the show must go on (thinks of Queen here, but instead posts a different short video) :-


"Are you not entertained!"

My verb is porky-pigleting.