Tag: etymology

Hey Friend,

One word: Education. 
Education. Educate. Educare. Educere. .edu Edutainment. Educational.
All Just words. Old words. We still use them. 
To argue. To pay lip service. To educate.

I have not done this in a while. Writing about Just words. The first word I played with in a blog was word. Now I am a little rusty, but I like to know where things come from. So let’s start with that. 

Going back. The old Romans. Latin. Education. Educate. From educare. Or was it educere. It was both. So I read. A word with two roots. Roots. Roots and bringing up. Educating. As they say: parents should give their children two things. Roots. And. Wings. Education can help do that. I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back. To the origin of the word. The verb. Educate from educare = to bring up, to nourish. Educate from educere = to bring forth, to drag out. 

To nourish someone. Sounds nice. To nourish a young child. To nourish oneself. Maybe the old Romans, speaking Latin, also nourished animals. To nourish your pet. To nourish your pig. To nourish a duck. Well, they were stuffed. With too much food. Down their throat. So that they become fat. And fat makes things tasty. If you like this sort of thing. The duck was ready to be eaten. The liver to be devoured. Educare = to nourish, to stuff. With food. For foie gras. To be devoured. Getting the children educated. Ready to be … Yea, ready for what? To be … plump enough? To be  … agreeable enough? To be … fit? To fit in? To be devoured?

Would it not be better to link education to  dragging out – rather than stuffing in. It’s a play with words. And it’s a serious game. Stuffing in – dragging out. Stuffing out – dragging in. No, that doesn’t work. Stop playing – be serious – it’s education. No, keep playing – it’s education. Educere. Dragging something out. Bring it forth. It doesn’t mean you prolong it. It does not have to take so much time. Drag something out. What’s that something? In education? In our children? Not that the older ones don’t need no education. Another brick in the wall. There are things in our children, we can bring out. How? It’s complex. But the first step is easy. Stop. Stop force-feeding them fatty stuff. 

Have their mouths open to say things they like, not to shove down things you like.