some initial thoughts from Eat, Pray, Love

[snugglekitty]

I'm really enjoying the book Eat, Pray, Love, and I wanted to write down a few of the ideas that had struck me so far.

First, the author describes herself as having a revelation in thinking about the word responsibility - about how it can be broken down into the words "response" and "ability," and therefore having a meaning of "ability to respond." Wow. That's really hitting me at a deep level.

Second, and ON THE SAME PAGE, the author quotes from the Bhagavad Gita: "It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." Wow. I think I'll be thinking about that a lot in the weeks that come.

Third, the author writes about the idea that cities have an underlying word. What does that mean? If you looked into the minds of everyone who lived in a particular city, they would mostly be thinking about the same thing. She writes that Rome's word is SEX and New York's word is ACHIEVE. I think Boston's word might be ENDURE. What do you think?

I think the word for my community is SEX and the word for my family of origin is NICE. I think my word, my individual word, is LEARN. What about you?

Comments

[mangosteen]

I tend to think that San Francisco's word is "succeed".
This is in somewhat subtle contrast to NYC's word, "achieve".

As for my own? No idea.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

The book's author, Emily Gilbert, actually writes: "Which is subtly but significantly different from the word in Los Angeles, I believe, which is also a verb: SUCCEED." You're definitely on the same wavelength!

LEARN covers much of my life, but not, I think, all.
Something about this passage reminded me of a friend telling me that she admired my relentless drive to be myself. I don't know what the word for that would be.

[mangosteen]

Something about this passage reminded me of a friend telling me that she admired my relentless drive to be myself. I don't know what the word for that would be.

"Assert"?

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Almost - "assert" sounds like I found myself and now want to tell the world. It's more like I'm always looking for myself.

[monicaboston.livejournal.com]

You read such interesting books! I agree with your general idea for Boston, but I'd prefer "persevere" (or "perseverance"). It has the added bonus of "perseverance of the saints," a favored phrase and notion of Boston's Calvinist founders. No idea about myself either--"learn" is a good word but not quite right.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

You read such interesting books!

Thank you - in my world, that's high praise indeed. :)

I agree with your general idea for Boston, but I'd prefer "persevere" (or "perseverance").

I was thinking about what I would see if I could look into the heads of everyone I sit with on the T. I think they'd all be thinking something along the lines of, "I just have to get through this semester," "I can't believe I made it through that," "Once I get through my divorce, everything will be okay..." "How will I get through this winter?"

"Get through" isn't a word, though. I think persevere is a good way of describing it - it's more active than enduring, and so are we.

Gilbert writes that maybe her sense of not belonging in Rome is a result of SEX not being her word. But PERSEVERE is definitely one of mine. I do know how to bang my head against a problem until it vanishes.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

I think my word might be "truth."

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Good word! :)