By Vichara


I think that each one of us holds a piece of gigantic puzzles that everybody is trying to put together. The trouble lies in that we don’t recognize the others that hold a piece that we are looking for and they with us. For whatever reasons, prejudice, indifference, self-involvement or fear, some of the puzzles will be left unresolved. We need to realize that we are in the same “boat” and try to help each other. That is the biggest reason we are here. Next time you are drawn to someone for some strange reason that helps you with that missing piece, you will understand.

corvée • \KOR-vay\ • noun
*1 : unpaid labor (as toward constructing roads) due from a feudal vassal to his lord
2 : labor exacted in lieu of taxes by public authorities especially for highway construction or repair

Example Sentence:
"He was also entitled to . . . district corvées which helped to maintain, repair, and defend royal property. . .." (Bernard F. Reilly, The Medieval Spains)

Did you know?
Under the Roman Empire, certain classes of people owed personal services to the state or to private proprietors. For example, labor might be requisitioned for the maintenance of the postal systems of various regions, or landed proprietors might require tenant farmers and persons freed from slavery to perform unpaid labor on their estates. The feudal system of corvée -- regular work that vassals owed their lords -- developed from this Roman tradition. We borrowed the word "corvée" from French in the 14th century, and it ultimately traces back to the Latin word "corrogata," meaning "to collect" or "to requisition." By the 18th century, "corvée" was also being used for the unpaid or partially paid labor public authorities exacted in lieu of taxes for the construction or repair of highways, bridges, or canals.

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