Ok, proof number 83457 that Latin is super useful in today's world: It is the originator of today's blog post. Thank you, Latin, for yet another reason to scoff in people's faces when they say that I shouldn't take you because you have no purpose.
That being said, a Latin vocab word for my homework today was nimis. It has two very different meanings depending on its context. One is exceedingly. Exceedingly tends to have a good context. I am exceedingly intelligent, he has exceedingly good hair, and you are exceedingly awesome for reading this blog post. The other meaning is excessively. Noooot so great. I am excessively intelligent, he has excessive hair, and you can't read my blog excessively because you can never have too much of it. ;)
I had never pondered that these two very different words can actually represent the same exact quantity. The only difference is a person's perspective. That begs the question: Can there be too much of a good thing? Should we always look to exceed, or should we try to cut off excess?
We'll use pragmatism as an example. I am known as being a very realistic person. I'm the one who often can be quoted as saying, "We don't have the budget for that" or "Hey look, this way is a lot more feasible." I am grounded; I live by my means and not by my ideals. Looking at it in terms of financial and personal security, you might consider me exceedingly pragmatic.
Other side: I'm an absolute nay-sayer. If you have a great idea, I'll cut you down before you even get to your action plan. And as much as I hate to say it, I'll cut myself down before I even get to my action plan. There are so many dreams that never made it past the buzzing of my self-set "Let's get real here" alarm clock. I am excessively pragmatic.
The same argument can be made for many values: hard work, friendliness, passion. Should we try to set ourselves above the crowd by being exceedingly anything? Or should we always work to maintain a balanced, non-excessive existence? It's a hard question to answer.
