One of my favorite stories I like to call "Charlie's Parents". It starts with a question.
Did you hear about Charlie's Parents?
Charlie's Parents had only three children. They named this one Penny, They named this one Nicholas. What did they name this one?
That's the whole story. It requires a bit of common cents. Most people have some common sense some more than others.
You will need a quarter, a nickel and a penny to properly tell the story. Thirty one common cents.
When you say, "They named this one Penny" plop down the penny. When you say, "They named this one Nicholas" plop down the nickel. Then when you say, "What did they name this one?" plop down the quarter.
You will find that most people will respond to the first question with, "Charlie who?" Just smile and don't answer the question but start telling the story. This is almost a programmed reflex. They are trying to draw an association which Charlie you are asking about.
The penny and nickel have an association with the names and most people will come up with all kinds of names to associate with a quarter. "George" "Quarter" "2 bits" etc. It is fun to watch another person's mind at work.
Most people give up. Our society has become lazy in thinking a lot in associations. For example, Golden Arches make you think of a fast food restaurant. If you think about it you can think of a lot more examples.
I often repeat the story and still they miss the first line. I explain that if Charlie's parents had only three children and they named this one penny and this one Nicholas, this one must be Charlie. or else they aren't Charlie's parents.
This story illustrates several things. Associating thinking without logic can cause confusion. Reading and hearing in context is important. Brevity in Rhetoric is often more effective than obviating long sermons.
I think that your point about brevity is well taken. Thank you.
In my view, some of our greatest Masonic authors are the men from around 150 years ago. We could learn a great deal from them. Unfortunately, most Masons won't read them, and at least part of the reason has to be that they tended to use 100 words when 1 would have sufficed.
One of my favorite stories I like to call "Charlie's Parents". It starts with a question.
Did you hear about Charlie's Parents?
Charlie's Parents had only three children. They named this one Penny, They named this one Nicholas. What did they name this one?
That's the whole story. It requires a bit of common cents. Most people have some common sense some more than others.
You will need a quarter, a nickel and a penny to properly tell the story. Thirty one common cents.
When you say, "They named this one Penny" plop down the penny. When you say, "They named this one Nicholas" plop down the nickel. Then when you say, "What did they name this one?" plop down the quarter.
You will find that most people will respond to the first question with, "Charlie who?" Just smile and don't answer the question but start telling the story. This is almost a programmed reflex. They are trying to draw an association which Charlie you are asking about.
The penny and nickel have an association with the names and most people will come up with all kinds of names to associate with a quarter. "George" "Quarter" "2 bits" etc. It is fun to watch another person's mind at work.
Most people give up. Our society has become lazy in thinking a lot in associations. For example, Golden Arches make you think of a fast food restaurant. If you think about it you can think of a lot more examples.
I often repeat the story and still they miss the first line. I explain that if Charlie's parents had only three children and they named this one penny and this one Nicholas, this one must be Charlie. or else they aren't Charlie's parents.
This story illustrates several things. Associating thinking without logic can cause confusion. Reading and hearing in context is important. Brevity in Rhetoric is often more effective than obviating long sermons.
I think that your point about brevity is well taken. Thank you.
In my view, some of our greatest Masonic authors are the men from around 150 years ago. We could learn a great deal from them. Unfortunately, most Masons won't read them, and at least part of the reason has to be that they tended to use 100 words when 1 would have sufficed.