Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair
Said Simple Simon to the pieman
Let me taste your ware
The pieman said to Simple Simon
Show me first your penny
Said Simple Simon to the pieman
Indeed I have not any
I don't know who made up this old English rhyme, but it apparently shows a man of slow wits being put in his place when he tries to buy something without money. Oh, the harsh realities of life! My understanding of the word 'simple' was always something along the lines of 'stupid'. 'Are you simple?' is a term of abuse where I come from, often said to someone who is a bit slow on the uptake.
I've often been slow on the uptake, although I know I'm not without intelligence. I remember a woman at work being extremely bitchy towards me back in the day, in my working days in Ireland, and with my now-enhanced awareness, I realise I was beyond her bitchiness. I just didn't get when she was trying to put me down. If that makes me 'simple' I'd say it was a good thing. It saved me a lot of pain at the time.
Simple wasn't always negative. I remember a very nice, pure white soap, called 'Simple Soap', available years ago in Ireland and the UK. This was a soap for people who were allergic to the perfumes and additives which mostly appear in soap today. The word 'simple' in this context meant something pure and good.
In India, sometimes 'Simple' is a girl's name, although I've never actually met any girl bearing that name. But in Indian English,'simple' means something very good and positive. You'd often hear people speaking approvingly of a 'sweet, simple girl', for example. Usually the girl they want to marry their son.
Simplicity is good because it's usually uncomplicated and easy to get along with. I'm all for simplicity in every area of life. For me, the opposite of 'simplicity' is 'complicated' and God between us and all harm (as we say in Ireland - or used to say, rather), I'm not into 'complicated' at all. Give me 'simplicity' any day. The less complications the better, as far as I'm concerned.
This is a Loose Bloggers Consortium (LBC) post. The LBC is the blogging group to which I've belonged for several years. We blog on Fridays on a common topic and we are, in no particular order, Rummuser, Ashok, gaelikaa, Lin, Maxi, Padmum, Pravin, Shackman and The Old Fossil.
Thanks to artur84 at freedigitalphotos.net for the image, 'Water Glass'. A very simple image indeed and perfect for my post.
My Mureed Pravin has recently got married to a delightful girl from Kolkatta called Simple. And she is neither simple in the English / Irish context nor simple in the way that I have tried to explain in my blog post.
ReplyDeleteI can assure you that you are anything but slow on the uptake. May be because of language problems in India you may feel that way, but since I understand you and you me, I can give you this assurance.
Simplify.
That last line says it all. Your post also brought to mind that excellent Peter Sellers movie Being There.
ReplyDeleteAh yes! I've heard the word simple being used in a condescending way to mean a little slow. Or like you said, in India, to mean a girl who is not flashy! Personally, I like the connotation that means 'uncomplicated'.
ReplyDeleteThe sound you hear is me clapping my hands, Maria. Great post. I am so into the simple life.
ReplyDeleteblessings ~ maxi
So many words get a different connotation with time. I guess the word 'simple' has mostly been positively used in India. I like the word, to me it means easily comprehensible and uncomplicated.
ReplyDeleteSimple is often better than complicated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing such a good article, I stumbled onto your blog and read a few post. I like your style of writing...
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