A friend told me of a Chinese national who was learning English. When learning about compound words, she would study the meaning of the two separate words (e.g., "under" and "stand") to see how different the newly-joined word ("understand") would be. Her learning technique was to play with the words as she sounded them out and added them to her English vocabulary. It was a visual process as she connected her newfound words with her native tongue and Chinese characters.
With Understand, she came to the conclusion that it meant "to stand under" or "to support."
What a simple and unique way to understand -- or support -- a new thought or concept -- the bridge between one way of thinking and another!
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| When do you support another person's understanding? (Photo: Centennial Bridge, Panama - Larry Gardepie) |
I was thinking of this story and its images as I traveled through the Panama Canal recently: cruising under the bridges that span the canal and the two continents joined by these bridges -- the Bridge of the Americas (1964), the Centennial Bridge (2004), and the Atlantic Bridge (2019). As traffic flow has increased along the 19,000 mile Pan-American Highway, more support was needed and additional bridges were built to crossover the divide.
What a beautiful metaphor as North, Central and South America learn to understand or bridge our varied cultures!
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| When do you transfer knowledge to someone else? (Photo: Pilot and Pilot Boat transfer, Panama Canal - Larry Gardepie) |
At the beginning of our journey, a pilot who knew the canal, its operations, and currents came onboard our vessel to provide information and assistance. Tugboats pulled and guided us through the new locks.
It is that transfer of knowledge that is so important to our lives: the connections between what we have learned and what is missing; the willingness to rely on others and their experiences; and the humility to accept help and direction.
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| Do you allow others to assist you along life's pathways? (Photo: new Agua Clara locks, Panama Canal - Larry Gardepie) |
Look at the number of compound words in this post: under-stand; new-found; cross-over; on-board; and in-formation. I wonder how these compound words would be translearned by this Chinese national in my friend's story?
I would suggest that all of these words support our dialogue practices:
- The ability to support (or understand);
- The openness to explore interactions (newfound crossovers);
- The eagerness to assist others (onboard) with the transfer of facts and knowledge (information); and
- To overcome our narrow perceptions (= knowledge).
May we learn this week to stand under and support one another.
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| Larry Gardepie (click on link for website) |
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