Talking In Riddles
Read more articles on Life's Nuances and Let Me Share With You.March 29, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
March 29, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
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Sometimes I think I’m the only one who has this as one of her pet peeves. Not a major one, mind you, and not one that’s on my mind daily, but when I come across it, it drives me crazy.
I first started noticing riddles back in my Catholic grade school, when we’d have religious class. We would be read parables, after which we were asked questions as to the meaning. Even as a fairly young child, this perturbed me, although of course I didn’t know the meaning of that word. All I knew was that I felt like someone was trying to trick me. I’d wonder why writers just didn’t come out and say what they meant-why make us guess at what was supposed to be the lesson?
Then as I got older, I came across those teachers whose teaching style involved throwing unfinished scenarios at students to initiate a thought process which would (hopefully) take them along the path to the answer. I guess the point was that we had to start using our analytical skills, but again, I never cared for that type of instruction. It’s not that I wasn’t creative or didn’t like using my brain; I just don’t like the fact that I was being graded on an ability to solve what appeared to be riddles. To me, there weren’t all that many riddles in life and there were much better ways to learn, especially if there is only one correct answer.
Enter more religious research in the form of Buddhism. Now, basically, I agree with the overall concept of right thinking, right livelihood and all the rest involving compassion for our fellow beings. Buddhism has a lot going for it in many ways, although I personally could never accept the concept of no personal God. However, when I started reading quotes from some of the more esoteric teachings (for example, schools of Zen), I was ready to throw the books through the window. Talk about riddles! You’re all familiar with the questions about whether a tree falling in the woods makes a noise, and the sound of one hand clapping-well, take those questions and imagine them even more complex. Yikes! Human beings are not meant to think like that-it gives us headaches! There’s a rule in writing that one shouldn’t write in a style just geared to academics; words should make sense to almost anyone. Somehow that idea has eluded Buddhist teachings, and has made what is a simple belief system almost too complex.
Currently, I am reading one of Tamar Meyer’s books in her Magdalena Yoder series, and a recurring line from one of the Mennonite characters is “Ach! The English talk in riddles!” We do, you know. If you take out all of our slang, sayings and the double meanings of our vernacular, you’re left with plain talk-what the Mennonite and Amish strive for as plain people. Their reason is that there’s no reason not to say what one means. How have we gotten caught up with so many other words? It must be that we’re afraid to have our words stand on their own.
Today I’m going to try to speak more simply-as soon as I finish writing this piece already filled with too many words. I challenge you to do the same!
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