Consider, if you will, the peculiar status of the word special. Whether employed as adjective or noun, the word means distinctive, uncommon, out-of-the-ordinary. Yet the word itself could hardly be more common. On what seems like a weekly basis, retailers announce their Special Offers and Special Sales. For breakfast, some of us eat Special K, which presumably is superior to Regular K. When we go out to dinner to celebrate a special occasion, we are likely to hear at length about that evening’s specials. In some contexts, as in “special needs,” “special effects,” and Special Counsel, the word’s function is chiefly descriptive, but more often it serves to praise, sell, or persuade. If someone calls you a “very special person,” you can safely take it as a compliment. With rare exceptions, both the literal meaning and the connotations of special are reliably, if vaguely, laudatory. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Robert Wright’
197. Nothing special
Posted in 1, meditation, Zen, tagged charlotte joko beck, Robert Wright, Robert Zajonc, Seng-Ts'an, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, zen on 31 January 2018| Leave a Comment »
One Time, One Meeting 