Neff Zone Column

Print Edition: October 7, 2006

THINK THE THOUGHT

"If you don’t own the word, you can’t think the thought." This is an axiom imparted to me by a nun who was my third grade teacher, the terrifying Sister Mary Edward. Patrolling the aisle with rosary beads rattling, ready to lash anyone not studying their spelling words, and with ruler in hand, poised to crack anyone audacious enough to attempt writing with their left hand, she forced us to learn our vocabulary under the threat of severe pain. Ah, those were the good old days.

As a teacher, myself, in later years, I often cited that axiom to my students (sans weaponry) and offered the following exercise. In simple terms, when you hear or read a word a picture should pop into your mind. For example, when I say "hot" you may think of summer, the sun, boiling water, fire, any number of images. That’s because you "own" the word.

Now, what image pops into your mind when I say "zimno." Draw a blank? You see, you don’t own the word so you can’t think the thought. By the way, according to my grandmother "zimno" is the Polish word for "cold." Aha! Now the images kick in from your brain’s databank, don’t they. "Cold" is a word all of us in northern Michigan understand.

Which brings me to the situation in Iraq. Say what? Hang with me here. According to a recent Social Watch Report by the Foreign Policy Association which rated the countries with the highest percentage of illiterate young people (ages 15-24), Iraq ranks fourth worst in the entire world. Only Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have more illiteracy. Over half, 54%, of Iraqis in this demographic can’t read. So, when the United States tries to hammer home concepts like "democracy" and "freedom" is it any wonder why Iraqi youths respond with a huge "huh?" They can’t read! If they can’t read so there is an immense range of thoughts they can’t think. They can, however, comprehend simple things like shoot, kill, and riot. They can be easily manipulated by religious leaders and whacko thugs touting ethnic causes. They can be easily set on a course guided by only a single concept – kill Americans. They do not have the tools for independent thought to do otherwise.

If this seems all too simplistic to you, consider this. There is no Arabic word for "compromise." According to an article on www.mideastweb.org: "Moving to our region of the world, we find many people, even educated ‎people, associating the word compromise with such negative terms as ‎‎‘submission’, ‘retreat’, ‘capitulation’, ‘weakness’ and ‘defeat’…as some ‎of our more fiery orators put it, as a form of bondage to the will of others.‎"

Given this, what do you think the chances are of achieving a political solution in Iraq where three disparate ethnic groups are at each others’ throats and outside terrorists are stirring the pot? Even the educated people in the region find it difficult to "think the thought" of compromise because they own no word for it and if they do understand and embrace the concept there’s no way to impart it to the illiterate masses.

This is not to say that there is no way to successfully conclude the current situation in Iraq. Certainly there are prudent Arabic leaders in the region and they perhaps could negotiate the conceptual and perceptual maze. It’s a tough sell, though.

Oddly enough, though, the United States finds itself in this mess because it failed to understand a simple vocabulary term that any competent business person knows – "due diligence." Simply put in business vocabulary: "The care that a reasonable person exercises under the circumstances to avoid harm to other persons or their property; research and analysis of a company or organization done in preparation for a business transaction." For the students of Sister Mary Edward it means to do your homework so you won’t get in trouble later on." Cover all eventualities and possible pitfalls before you undertake something. You would think this country’s leadership, coming from the party that touts itself as the champions of American business, would have done this as a matter of course. They didn’t. Now we’re seeing the consequences.

And the current response from our political leaders? Partisan bickering and finger pointing. Petty power struggles along party lines. "Stay the course?" Ridiculous. "Cut and run?" Shameful. Our politicians need to wake up and smell the due diligence from this point on. Look ahead, get a plan, conclude the war.

May I suggest a good first step would be to go to the dictionary and look up a word for which we do have an English definition and a conceptual understanding -- "compromise." Own the word. Think the thought.

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comment to neffzone@gmail.com. Read Neff Zone columns online at www.neffzone.com/cadillacnews.