when i was reading east of eden back in june, the word "timshel" kept coming back throughout the book.
the translation of it, "thou mayest," gives a person choice. the choice to either lead life the way you want or to succumb to the events in life and let them dictate it for you.
meaning, it admits that your current state might be the most miserable, or that the background you came from might have put you at a great disadvantage. it all matters, sure. some people have it better from the get-go.
but what you do next is always up to you.
the word comes from the story of cain and abel. god warns cain that sin is crouching at his door, and then says something about it that translators could never fully agree on. one version reads "thou shalt rule over sin," which makes it a promise. another reads "do thou rule over sin," which makes it an order. in the book one of the characters gets so hung up on the difference that he brings it to a group of old scholars, and they spend two years on hebrew just to settle which one is right. the answer they land on is neither. the actual word is timshel. thou mayest.
that one word makes a whole lot of difference. a promise takes the outcome out of your hands. an order does the same from the other side. "thou mayest" tho just leaves the door open and hands you the responsibility of walking through it. you may rule over sin. which also means you may not. it's on you either way.
and i love how it contrasts with the way people make free will sound like a comforting idea. it isn't very comforting. if the way is always open, there's no one left to blame when you don't take it. no fate, no background, no bad hand that fully explains where you end up. those things load the dice but they don't roll them for you.
maybe heavier to sit with but also the most freeing thing to let it sink in. you can come from nothing and still owe your life to the choices you made.
so, thou mayest.
@summernotes
the translation of it, "thou mayest," gives a person choice. the choice to either lead life the way you want or to succumb to the events in life and let them dictate it for you.
meaning, it admits that your current state might be the most miserable, or that the background you came from might have put you at a great disadvantage. it all matters, sure. some people have it better from the get-go.
but what you do next is always up to you.
the word comes from the story of cain and abel. god warns cain that sin is crouching at his door, and then says something about it that translators could never fully agree on. one version reads "thou shalt rule over sin," which makes it a promise. another reads "do thou rule over sin," which makes it an order. in the book one of the characters gets so hung up on the difference that he brings it to a group of old scholars, and they spend two years on hebrew just to settle which one is right. the answer they land on is neither. the actual word is timshel. thou mayest.
that one word makes a whole lot of difference. a promise takes the outcome out of your hands. an order does the same from the other side. "thou mayest" tho just leaves the door open and hands you the responsibility of walking through it. you may rule over sin. which also means you may not. it's on you either way.
and i love how it contrasts with the way people make free will sound like a comforting idea. it isn't very comforting. if the way is always open, there's no one left to blame when you don't take it. no fate, no background, no bad hand that fully explains where you end up. those things load the dice but they don't roll them for you.
maybe heavier to sit with but also the most freeing thing to let it sink in. you can come from nothing and still owe your life to the choices you made.
so, thou mayest.
@summernotes
“нам хочется считать, что наша жизнь это большой-большой роман.
а на самом деле, она сборник рассказов. один рассказ лучше, другой хуже.
у каждого своя кульминация и финал.”
from смешарики
(there’s smth absolutely timeless and kind about this cartoon. you sure it’s made for kids only?)
——
wanted to update on whatever i’m doing, realized i can’t say much till it actually works out.
but still:
- working on a product, getting my university to be our first institutional customer
- got it LLCed, bank account and all the necessary paperwork
- got accepted to a couple of conferences, will be traveling for free yay (for one, i have an upcoming interview for a scholarship)
- will be doing a little research in the area of the Aral Sea too
- seeing lots of my friends graduating and moving on with their lives. pushes me to try harder too
- plus uni starts soon, mentally preparing for that too. i’m forever a summer kid.
@summernotes
а на самом деле, она сборник рассказов. один рассказ лучше, другой хуже.
у каждого своя кульминация и финал.”
from смешарики
(there’s smth absolutely timeless and kind about this cartoon. you sure it’s made for kids only?)
——
wanted to update on whatever i’m doing, realized i can’t say much till it actually works out.
but still:
- working on a product, getting my university to be our first institutional customer
- got it LLCed, bank account and all the necessary paperwork
- got accepted to a couple of conferences, will be traveling for free yay (for one, i have an upcoming interview for a scholarship)
- will be doing a little research in the area of the Aral Sea too
- seeing lots of my friends graduating and moving on with their lives. pushes me to try harder too
- plus uni starts soon, mentally preparing for that too. i’m forever a summer kid.
@summernotes
1💘11
so a bit more on personal
there's a restaurant called caravan, i assume you've heard of it. they've been operating for over 25 years now.
i think i was around 6yo when i came across their brochure and remember poring over the photos, imagining myself as the owner one day. made a promise to my parents that i'd have my own restaurant someday so they could come guest there ahah
i guess that's pretty much where the interest in business came from lol
had my first shop when i was 13. online, selling k-pop merch, albums, cards, official items (teenage girls are apparently quite rich cuz one lightstick used to cost like $100). had two admins working for me, managing customers and delivery, though i never told them my real age. both in their 20s.
it was a fun business. used to bring those items from south korea through parcel and distribute them across cities here with our own branded packages and stickers
in high school, mostly shifted into social projects (101 teenagers of uzbekistan, insight), research, and whatever else seemed to hold more promise
@summernotes
there's a restaurant called caravan, i assume you've heard of it. they've been operating for over 25 years now.
i think i was around 6yo when i came across their brochure and remember poring over the photos, imagining myself as the owner one day. made a promise to my parents that i'd have my own restaurant someday so they could come guest there ahah
i guess that's pretty much where the interest in business came from lol
had my first shop when i was 13. online, selling k-pop merch, albums, cards, official items (teenage girls are apparently quite rich cuz one lightstick used to cost like $100). had two admins working for me, managing customers and delivery, though i never told them my real age. both in their 20s.
it was a fun business. used to bring those items from south korea through parcel and distribute them across cities here with our own branded packages and stickers
in high school, mostly shifted into social projects (101 teenagers of uzbekistan, insight), research, and whatever else seemed to hold more promise
@summernotes