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I understand...

Or do I?

What does it mean to understand? First we have to break the word down..."under" and "stand".

Under - submit
Stand - point of view

So, to understand is to submit to a point of view.Can we "understand" each other...when our point of views cannot be united? When Jesus says that He is the only way...can we "submit" to the "point of view" that there are many ways to heaven? Can we follow a person's line of thought, comprehend what they are saying, but not submit to the way they see things, their point of view? Can we "understand" a peron's pain...the misery that drives them...because we've been there ourselves...but not "submit" to their erroneous point of view [erroneous b/c it's tainted by their own self]?

Food for thought.

This is a new concept for me, something that was taught at a recent conference I was at. The meaning of "understand"....the rest is just my own thoughts...meandering as they usually do when they're thinking deeply. With this new way of regarding the word 'understand', I think that we use the word too loosely, b/c somewhere along the way, it's lost its true meaning.

Comments

Jean-Luc Picard said…
Though I know what 'understand' may mean, I'm not sure 'submit' is the right word to use, as it suggests they are being forced to know.

I read in an online dictionary that it comes from the Middle English word understanden

[Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan : under-, under- + standan, to stand.]
This revelation to me - sheds new light on the word 'underware'.

...and indeed, I know now that I'll never look at my underware the same way again.
Ciera said…
#1 - I think he was using either Hebrew or Greek as the root words when he broke it down.

#2 - if it is forced, then it isn't true submission. [think about that for a little while]

#3 - what does Fluke's underware have to do with anything?
Ciera said…
Wait - Fluke - we want to know....boxers or briefs?
#3. It didn't have anything to do with anything, until I broke it down to it's roots as you did with your word.

and, uh... you know... tighty-whitey
... and it was liklely Arabic.
Ciera said…
LOL!!!

Back to language though. I thought the bible was written in either Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic...so where does Arabic fit in? Or is that the same as Aramaic?
I meant Aramaic.

*forehead slap*

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