Honk if you are happy...

By Vichara

As I was on my way home last night I passed a couple of young men standing on the corner of a busy street holding a sign. Their sign read “Honk If You Are Happy!”. In the seconds it took to pass them by I evaluated but I did not honk. Normally I may have unreservedly honked away but in that intuitive moment of reflection I did not reach for the horn. Yes there are a number of things that I am happy about. Isolated bits of life do stand out and shine but other parts do not rise up into the light. This is just a simple fact and honest assessment of how I feel and I would venture a guess how others feel as well. Perhaps engaging with this type of brutal honesty will facilitate the happy parts we have into elevating the not happy parts into the light for a fresh look. With this new assessment and honesty there may be an opportunity to find more of a reason to honk.

shibboleth • \SHIB-uh-luth\ • noun
1 : catchword, slogan
2 : a widely held belief or truism
3 : a custom or usage regarded as distinctive of a particular group
Example Sentence:
“Taxpayers beware: Don't buy into the shibboleth that more money automatically translates into better schools.” (Press Journal [Vero Beach, FL], July 27, 2003)
Did you know?
The Bible's Book of Judges (12:4-6) tells the story of the Ephraimites, who, after they were routed by the Gileadite army, tried to retreat by sneaking across a ford of the Jordan River that was held by their enemy. The Gileadites, wary of the ploy, asked every soldier who tried to cross if he was an Ephraimite. When the soldier said "no," he was asked to say "shibboleth" (which means "stream" in Hebrew). Gileadites pronounced the word "shibboleth," but Ephramites said "sibboleth." Anyone who left out the initial "sh" was killed on the spot. When English speakers first borrowed "shibboleth," they used it to mean "test phrase," but it has acquired additional meanings since that time.