A General Authority Will Be Visiting Me This Saturday at My House


clbent04
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10 minutes ago, clbent04 said:

This is a similar thought process I went down when initially reflecting upon the quote. I thought to myself when creating my avatar/icon of how it would be simpler perhaps for me and others to bypass the semantic discussion of "act" and replace it with "do" to more clearly convey upfront why I like the quote and have less ambiguity to its meaning, but to think I'd get out of that semantic discussion was silly of me. This is ThirdHour. Lol. I will say since joining this forum it's helped develop me to communicate more precisely and accurately with what I'm trying to say. 

I have noticed that many people often dismiss "semantic discussions" with a wave of the hand, apparently thinking that a mere discussion about which is the correct word to choose is at best a waste of time and at worst an exercise in bluenosed, self-serving hubris. While I think this is sometimes true, with people spouting words in an attempt to look smart or informed or intimidating or something else (which we would call hypocrisy), I think in general such so-called semantic discussions can be of great worth. As I mentioned before, I believe after a lifetime of experience that philosophy is primarily the study and dissection of what words mean.

This discussion provides a good example of this. Is the word "act" appropriate in this context? From one way of thinking, the word "act" has overtones of phoniness, which implies hypocrisy. (I have been told that the word "hypocrite" comes from a Greek word meaning "an actor in a Greek play", and that the essence of hypocrisy is that you're trying to portray yourself as something that you manifestly are not, nor that you desire truly to be. You're just trying to fool people.) This would make the phrase "act well thy part" an encouragement to false portrayals, and thus basically opposite what it would seem to want to convey. From another way of thinking, the word "act" simply means to do something, as opposed to sitting there like a bump on a log, not making any effort. "Act" and "action" obviously are variations on the same root meaning, so "act well thy part" in this case would simply mean to take action as your place or position or assignment requires.

The question then becomes which of the two meanings to choose. Certain personality types **blush** almost reflexively hearken back to word origins and original meanings. This is indeed often a useful way to proceed, especially if you are trying to understand the meaning of an old text. (This would certainly include scripture study.) Other personality types take the attitude that contemporary meaning is the only salient issue, and that etymology is only of occasional passing utility. Ultimately, that second way must prevail, as witnessed by the constant and unceasing evolution of language and expression. But I do think that for the thoughtful person, the first, etymology-based way offers a great deal to augment communication and anchor discussions on firm ground. And that's basically why I think "act" is the perfect term to use in the expression.

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2 hours ago, Vort said:

I believe after a lifetime of experience that philosophy is primarily the study and dissection of what words mean.

Never heard this before but I like it.

2 hours ago, Vort said:

The question then becomes which of the two meanings to choose. Certain personality types **blush** almost reflexively hearken back to word origins and original meanings. This is indeed often a useful way to proceed, especially if you are trying to understand the meaning of an old text. (This would certainly include scripture study.) Other personality types take the attitude that contemporary meaning is the only salient issue, and that etymology is only of occasional passing utility. Ultimately, that second way must prevail, as witnessed by the constant and unceasing evolution of language and expression. But I do think that for the thoughtful person, the first, etymology-based way offers a great deal to augment communication and anchor discussions on firm ground. And that's basically why I think "act" is the perfect term to use in the expression.

Well said. I do value discussing semantics as I see it as a worthwhile practice that helps us communicate more truly. As far as the 2 etymology personality types you outlined, I'd be in the second category, although James E. Talmage's Jesus the Christ has inspired me more than anything else I've come across in valuing etymology.

Edited by clbent04
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On 4/13/2023 at 6:20 AM, clbent04 said:

@LDSGator I was gonna let this run for a little bit for giggles but probably would feel too guilty. He’s a GA but not one of the 12. It’s Elder Holmes who I believe is in the Young Men’s Presidency. 

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Wait…. You must be in my stake. He along with Elder Cook just visited us. 

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7 hours ago, e-eye said:

Wait…. You must be in my stake. He along with Elder Cook just visited us. 

I am. They both did excellent on their talks being guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think either had any much prepared material beforehand the way Elder Holmes perfectly summarized and complimented all the 3 talks before his and the way Elder Cook interacted with the congregation. Really something to see them rely on the Holy Spirit that way. They just channeled as much love and compassion as they possibly could into our Stake. It impressed me and I’ve been thinking about it since. 

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15 minutes ago, clbent04 said:

I am. They both did excellent on their talks being guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think either had any much prepared material beforehand the way Elder Holmes perfectly summarized and complimented all the 3 talks before his and the way Elder Cook interacted with the congregation. Really something to see them rely on the Holy Spirit that way. They just channeled as much love and compassion as they possibly could into our Stake. It impressed me and I’ve been thinking about it since. 

Do you recall Elder Cook's GC talk?  He's been trained. :)

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20 minutes ago, zil2 said:

Do you recall Elder Cook's GC talk?  He's been trained. :)

Lol yeah I actually just listened to his recent GC talk through the LDS Library app after seeing him for the first time in Stake Conference this last weekend. After getting a chance to listen to his GC talk, it clicked into place how I was observing these 2 GA’s rely on the Spirit in a way I hadn’t observed in person before when it comes to Church talks. Even before listening the Elder Cook’s GA talk, it was obvious to me in Stake Conference that they weren’t following everyday protocol with what you’d expect from the average Church talk. They really were exceptional in their preparation for this Stake Conference weekend and how they taught the Stake how to rely on the Spirit for guidance.

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