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Show Sincerity JF you have never looked up the origin of a common word, you have missed a discoverer's thrill. Tracking down a word's history opens up interesting glimpses of history often forgotten. Take the word "sincere" which we use so often. "Sincerely yours" what does that really mean? "Sine" denned is "without." "Cere" is to "cover with wax." "Without wax" is then the two-worded meaning of "sincere." ( To properly understand such an odd definition we must return to the old world days of pottery -making After the ancient potter had fired his earthenware vessel, he sometimes found a small scratch in the smooth surface of his bowl. If the craftsman was dishonest, ha covered the scratch with wax, hiding hid-ing the imperfection. The purchaser pur-chaser then paid the price of a perfect vessel only to find the hidden hid-den scratch uncovered after a thorough washing or a little wear. "Without wax" means "without deception." When you use the word sincerely, ask yourself if you are using it with the old world meaning in mind and set your sights accordingly. Sincerity is not a virtue that can be developed easily. You will make repeated mistakes. You will fail. Yet, by constant effort, sincerity sin-cerity can be won. To be known .as a sincere person is as Shakespeare put it: "to be one man picked out of two thousand." thou-sand." It's up to you. |