Ask Hannah!

I really enjoyed your post about grace, patience, and forgiveness. I thought it was a touching and thoughtful piece of introspection. I’ve always felt that self-awareness is one of the biggest things lacking in our culture. I think if more people took time to look at themselves before blaming or attacking others, we’d all be much better off.

I’m guessing that the Conclave to elect a new Pope was on your mind as you were writing this. And certainly religion came up in the comments. One commenter actually misquoted the famous couplet from Alexander Pope, “To Err is Human; to Forgive, Divine.” originally published in 1711. That reminded me of something I’d read about the essay (written in iambic pentameter, because that was the style at the time) from which that line is taken, An Essay on Criticism.

Side note: I think it should be acknowledged that, while the author’s name is Alexander Pope, he was never an actual Pope. He was a writer of satire.

An Essay on Criticism was exactly what its title declares it to be: an essay critical of critics. I won’t rehash the Wikipedia article here. Anyone curious can go read it for themselves. It’s a good summary. Though I’ll call out that this work is also the origin of two other oft-referenced quotes, “A little learning is a dangerous thing” and “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. Are you sensing a theme?

Despite the language used, none of these quotes are about the glory of an all-powerful super being. They are about how the people who keep their mouths shut and listen are better than the insufferable pricks that are constantly talking about how they know better than everyone else, whether in writing, on TV, or on a stage in front of a room full of people. My mom taught me the same lesson when I was an unruly teenager. She said, “Opinions are like assholes: Everybody has one, and nobody wants to hear yours.” My mom was awesome.

I just start feeling all itchy when I see quotes taken out of context, or used to imply messages that were not meant in the original text. I wouldn’t have slept well tonight if I’d just let it go. But after writing most of this for your comments section I started to think someone would get mad and I’d start a fight. So I guess I’m just sending this to you to get it out of my system. If I just deleted it after putting it together I would have felt and slept even worse. Sending it as an “Ask Hannah” also amuses me.

Oh, right, Ask Hannah. Umm… What’s better: waffles or pancakes?

Accuracy is important to me, and context is as well. It’s interesting how an inaccurate, or an incomplete quote can totally change it’s meaning.

Case in point: The customer is always right.

Anyone who has ever worked in retail or the service industry has very likely heard this from at least on entitled the customer. They repeat this as if it’s in the constitution or the eleventh commandment.

The full quote is “the customer is always right… in matters of taste”. Meaning that if someone wants to buy a dress that is the same color as a UPS truck then who are you to disagree? Bite your tongue and ring up their purchase.

Of course, I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t acknowledge that there is no evidence that the second part of this quote can be attributed to someone.

So, I appreciate the clarification of these quotes because I like to know the full context of common sayings because I’m a nerd like that. 

The inner workings of the Catholic Church were very much off my radar when I wrote the post. Indeed, most of the posts I, uh, post, are because it’s a subject I have been thinking about for a few weeks.

As for waffles v pancakes, I really, really can’t decide. I thought about them both in terms of texture and flavor and consistency and I could make an argument for both. It annoys me to my very core that I can’t decide. But then again, I rarely can decide anything when the choices are binary.

So, that being said, eggs benedict.

Love, Hannah

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