Knowledge is Awareness
… and vice versa, if you think about it. When
we are truly cognizant of our surroundings … our motives … our inner self … we
are profoundly aware. Add heightened passion, and we become a …
COGNOSCENTE (kägʹnɘ shenʹtē) n. – a person with
special knowledge in some field, esp. in the fine arts. [WW #147]
With a venerable origin from the Italian conoscere
and Latin cognoscere—to know, see—cognoscente
conjures images of ancient Greece and Rome. Its Italian and Latin
proliferations gave us such “seers” and philosophers as Seneca (4 BCE – 65
CE), Boethius (472 – 524
CE), Plato (428/427 or
424/423 – 348/347 BCE, and the celebrated Aristotle (384–322 BCE).
Although arts may refine a cognoscente,
passion in any sphere enhances one’s definition.
Which brings me to … cogito ero sum (Latin): I think, therefore I exist: from the early
certainty of Descartes.
Now there was a cognoscente.
Descartes created his special knowledge of
understanding human nature by eschewing the past and starting over. We say we’re
going to do that every New Year’s Eve.
But a new beginning isn’t just about relocating
or shedding bad habits. Start first, with a cleansing of body, mind, spirit and
soul.Then follow your heart and trust your intuition.
Don’t know where to start? Meet the philosophers … read their
works … ask yourself how you can embrace their wisdom to remove the waste of
the past and forge the steel of your future as a cognoscente.
Word Challenge: COGNOSCENTE. Start this New Year by
discarding what hasn’t worked and look inside for what will, as you fit cognoscente into your week of philosophical writings.
Write first for
yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle)
E-N-D
