Sparing superlatives contextually. (Oct 23)
I asked two reliable children to keep quiet. With their backs to the class, they put their hands in a bowl of water. I asked two others to do the same, but in a different bowl. I waffled a bit to kill time and provide context.
I then asked all four children to face the class and put their hands in a different third bowl at the same time. They had to tell the whole class immediately what it was like. One pair said hot, and the other pair cold. Their faces said it all.
The whole class always took in deep breaths of bewildering awe and amazement.
One pair had been used to hot water, the other cold water with ice. So which pair was right about the third bowl? Who told the truth? Does science have perspective?
In truth, the illustration was quite useful but not as fantastic, awesome, amazing, incredible, or outstanding as claimed. I now use superlatives sparingly so that their meaning has value, and people don’t get too used to hearing them, as more of the same.
Actions can communicate better than words. Honesty + Humility > Hype.
Jesus used many enacted parables to reach us in our context. One enacted parable is Matthew 17:24-27. I mention this because wealth is often a problem.
We sometime don’t know how good we have it, until we don’t. When we have it, we can foolishly rely more on mammon than God. (Matthew 6:24)
Extreme temperatures
are unnecessary and unsafe.