It’s not all existential.
Well, it literally is. But it doesn’t have to be.
What do I mean by that?
I could be wrong, but lately I am locked in, on LinkedIn, and convinced that the nature of reality is [L • R}. It may just be the simplified essence of a Theory of Everything that is… not based on (just) theoretical physics but rather, contending symbol as foundational realism. More on this later.
I know, scientific blasphemy. I’m probably wrong. But who cares! We are going to have fun with this.
Our journey into [LEFT • RITE} has seen examine classic opposites such as [Order • Chaos}, power palindromes such as [DNA • AND}, homophones such as [One • Won}, and worthwhile juxtapositions such as [Dogs • Cats}, (which happens to lead to emergence like) [Loyalty • Royalty}.
Today’s instance is in that same final vein: words that appear identical other than an [L • R} to differentiate.
Class is now in session!
[Lake • Rake}
Simplified: [L • R}
Leftovers: [.ake • .ake}
Our take? Your body may ache the next day after eating cake and drinking on the lake. Listen to some Drake and go rake the yard, snowflake.
Take the deepest, slowest breath you’ve ever taken in your life. Build a bridge in your mind, from left to right.
Ready to cross?
LEFT: the lake
Most everyone I know loves a good body of water. If you don’t, you are in the minority, but no judgement! Maybe you don’t know how to swim (like my dad). If that’s the case, we definitely don’t blame you for avoiding large bodies of water. Because that’s what a lake is. Somewhere in between a pond and a sea is a LAKE.
But that’s not exactly true, now is it? Because allegedly, the largest lake in the world by a long shot is the Caspian Sea — a name that teases at a past when it was joined to the ocean in matrimony around 11 million years ago. Nobody was around back then to check, so just take our word for it. This massive saline, Japan-sized sea/lake is a natural border to Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
Russia also has the deepest lake in the world. Lake Baikal is an ancient, massive lake in the mountainous Russian region of Siberia, north of the Mongolian border. It is 5,387 feet deep. That’s over a mile!
Have you visited any of these lakes? Share with us your favorite lake story in the comments.
It’s all easy, logical fun on the left. But if you’ve built that mind bridge, you know we’re going to have to cross. And this is where it gets… a little weird.
RITE: the rake
Somewhere in the family of the hoe, plow, and shovel, lives the RAKE.
Alternatively… Sometimes described as a naked man or hairless dog, the internet sensation (or not, because I’ve literally never heard of this) Rake gets its name from the long sharp claws on its hand. According to the old lore, the earliest reference to the Rake comes from a mariner’s log, dated 1691.
Okay… Back to garden appliances?
Adapted from the Oxford dictionary:
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/rāk/
noun
- a human tool for yard-work that consists of a long pole with a comb-like structure at the end, used to gather cut grass or fallen leaves, or for smoothing loose soil or gravel in your flowerbed.
verb
- to collect, gather, or move with a rake or similar garden tool.
Can I use it in a sentence? Sure: “Yes, ’twas I who raked the leaves and cut the grass, you’re welcome, Bob.”
CORPUS: the rake of the lake
This is the domain of the gods.
You see, the true essence of beauty within [LEFT • RITE} is not to be found on the left, nor the rite…
YES! You guessed it.
It’s about the • in between! Center thyself, grasshopper. We call this coming together the corpus callosum and it’s how we get Republicans and Democrats to get along, among other worthwhile, Earth-saving endeavors. But I did promise we would not get existential today.
SO!
At the confluence of [Lake • Rake}, we discover a fun, if not fascinating, phenomenon for all ages.
Astonishingly, it is the perfect blend of all the elements we’ve covered thus far. What do you get when you combine:
- lots of water
- mythical creature
- powerful pole with pointy things at the end
Any guesses?
Breathe deep. Here is the soundtrack of our neural net right now:
Can you name the rake of the lake?
Think Greek GODS.
We rest our case, and eat our cake too.
Poseidon
Percy Jackson’s dad. One of the major deities in Greek mythology, is often revered as the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. He is one of the twelve Olympian gods and a brother to Zeus and Hades, forming a powerful trio that ruled the sky, the underworld, and the sea respectively. Poseidon was particularly associated with oceans, seas, and LAKE and was often depicted with his trident, a three-pronged spear, nay RAKE, with which he could shake the earth and shatter any object. Worshipped across ancient Greece, particularly in coastal locations, his influence extended beyond the confines of mythology into the everyday lives of ancient Greeks, who would invoke his protection for seafaring and naval endeavors. He was a moody meta-human, capable of both nurturing and destructing, reflecting the dual nature of the sea…
And the NON-dual nature of [LEFT • RITE}!
Thanks for tuning in.
