So close and yet so far

Welcome to summer! Normally a time to explore new places, eat different cuisines and stretch our horizons. But this year is different. Many of us will be vacationing closer to home. Holidays that will be far enough away from our neighbourhoods to feel like a break but reducing the risks by staying in our own country.

You might be searching right now for that perfect trip away. If you are, I have some advice to dispense. If you’re searching on Google, then spelling matters. Naturalist weekends are not the same as naturist weekends. In the first we discover birds and animals. In the second we discover ourselves.

It’s funny isn’t it, that we often mix up words that are close. Entomology is the study of bugs. Etymology is the origin of words. I’ve written about both… but can never remember which is which. Ontology is a type of philosophy that ponders the nature of our very being. Oncology is the treatment of tumours. Or what about more everyday examples? Stationary (unmoving) vs. stationery (pens and paper), compliment (to say something nice) vs. complement (things that go together). You get my point. The closer things are, the more confused we get.

Isn’t this the same with religion? I’ll buy you a socially distanced dinner if you can explain the differences between this sample of Christian groups: Baptist, Episcopalian, Evangelist, Methodist…