Hello dear readers. I received some interesting comments on FC # 124.
Tarun Kunzru says: “Travellers and circumnavigators, typically, don't let studies come in the way of education. The best learning comes from travel. As my grandmum said – ‘you can build your appetite when you travel but to eat food, come home!’”
Shahji Jacob says: “I indeed marvel at your perseverance. To carry on for so long and have FC come out every Sunday is indeed being tenaciously determined. The lyrics of the song ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd, which Tarun Kunzru quoted, are indeed some of my favorites — especially the last part that says that ‘at the end of the day you are one day closer to death.’ Assuming that you have a pre–determined life span, from the day of your birth you could even say that you are one day closer to death. So much so, that whenever my colleagues in the office ask me ‘how was your day?’ I generally say that ‘at the end of the day, I am one day closer to death’. Reading the FC, I also remembered the times when I did some official travel. When that stopped, my wife innocently (she genuinely appeared so) asked me ‘why have you stopped traveling’ – giving me a hint that I better be out of her way.”
Preface:
This post has two striking aspects. It is the 125th post and December 25th, the date of this post marks Christmas, a universal festival that cuts across all religions, like Diwali. On the 17th of December, we celebrated Christmas in the community we live in. We had a Christmas tree, plenty of decorations, carol singing, and plenty to eat as well. Yours truly dressed up as Santa Claus and went about Ho Ho Ho-ing much to the amusement of the kids.
By the way, I am told many people don’t like the greetings to say “Merry Xmas”. They do agree that ‘mas’ symbolises ‘Mass’ but they feel the letter X is an unknown factor and does not represent Christ as Christ is not an X factor! If you ask me, being economical with greetings makes it mechanical. ‘Merry Christmas’ is more appealing than ‘Merry Xmas’.
As the new year approaches, you will be inundated with ‘forward-looking’ greetings. What I mean is that the greetings look like forwards, and are indeed forwards. The next worse thing, in my view, is the ‘same to you’ messages. It is indeed providential that autocorrect does not make it a ‘shame to you’. An equally inappropriate response is “I heartily reciprocate the greetings” or “I wish you likewise”. Acknowledging a greeting and greeting someone in return is a matter of etiquette.
The problem lies in forwards, which multiply and get exchanged. It’s the same with all the festivals. There was a time when people went out to bookshops and bought greeting cards, hand-wrote a nice message, went to the post office, and got them stamped before dropping it in the box. It carried an emotion, a connection, and a sentiment. Now of course social media has only one of those three features, namely connect, that too not in the sense of emotional connect but an online mechanical connect bereft of feelings. No wonder the recipient says ‘same to you’.
😂 Brevity Is The Soul Of Wit
Whilst brevity is certainly not the soul of festive greetings, it is indeed the soul of wit. Most of us lose interest if asked to read a one-page joke, and we might skip the narrative and look for the punch line. I am sure you have come across poor joke-tellers who are eager to tell a joke but haven't the knack for it. We end up smiling indulgently and say “good one”. I did that once, but the narrator had a pained expression when he said, “but I haven’t finished yet.”
Brevity, derived from brief, is about being ‘short and to the point’. ‘Wit’ is both wisdom and wittiness, and ‘witty’ refers to something funny. Wit is also mental sharpness, intelligence and the ability to think on one's feet.
The phrase was first used by William Shakespeare in the play Hamlet, written in 1602. The phrase appears in the speech that Lord Polonius makes in which he calls Hamlet mad, or crazy. It goes like this:
“This business is well-ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is’t but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.”
The underlying meaning of the phrase is ‘anything kept short & sweet’ is far more appealing than something which is ‘long-winded’. Humorous anecdotes, one-liners, and witty jokes are very mirthful and engaging.
Thinking on one’s feet and coming up with a repartee is an indication of the wit that person possesses. There are many such witty remarks made by Albert Einstein, like this one:
“We all know that light travels faster than sound. That’s why certain people appear bright until you hear them speak.”
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) is remembered for his wit and wisdom. Though he wrote only one novel to pay for his mother’s funeral expenses, his biographer James Boswell refers to many of his witty remarks in “Life of Samuel Johnson” (1791). Here is one:
“My congratulations to you, sir. Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.”
Who can forget our own Birbal who was famous for his sharp thinking? Here’s a short anecdote:
Akbar asked Birbal what would he choose if he were given a choice between a gold coin and justice.
“I will certainly choose the gold coin Jahanpanah,” came the quick reply from Birbal.
“I did not expect that reply, Birbal. Justice is more important than a meager gold coin,” Akbar said with a tone of disappointment.
“Your majesty, I believe one must ask for what one does not have. Your rule has ensured justice. But I am running short of money.”
Witty one-liners are very entertaining. Here are some:
“A hard thing about business is minding your own. “
“90% of the men give the other 10% a bad name.”
“He was advised to invest in bonds, so he bought the whole collection of Ian Fleming”
“Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.”
“Success is relative. More the success, the more the relatives.”
Bob Hope also had his share of witty remarks. Here’s one that I liked:
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.
Oxymorons can also be witty and effective. Here are some:
Act naturally
Exact estimate
Found missing
Fully empty
Seriously funny
Pretty ugly
Only choice
Small crowd
Original copies
Bangalore bus conductor saying: “Only standing seat”
All of you will be reading this on Christmas Day. I wanted your day to be happy and mirthful, and if what I have written brings a smile to your face again, I shall feel blessed.
Take care, the pandemic is reported to be lurking. Please wear the mask in crowded spaces. Better still, avoid crowds. See you next week, which happens to be New Year’s Day!
Impact of AI on same to u shocking and therefore stop and look before pressing the button
A note on Grit would be very informative looking at your splendid work
Enjoy Bali visit
Enjoyed all the one liners et al. They did indeed bring a smile to my face during the Christmas Season.