Pontification

On Wednesday, I was accused of being a Pontiff. I was told that I was "pontificating" about my book through my own ideas. (An obvious and pernicious statement when you think about it, actually). "More pernicious still has been the acceptance of the author's controversial ideas by the general public."

The Pontiff is the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Pontificate is the term of office of the pope or a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Pontification is a speech made by the Pope.

WARNING: The following paragraph may make your brain hurt. Read at your own risk. The author assumes no liability for tumors, aggravation, anxiety, mental defect, loss of consciousness, or other mental or physical health related issues caused the reader.

As I get older and more learn-ed about the world through various literal sources and experience, my intuitive brain makes subconscious links to information through cross-references that my cognitive brain may not understand right away. And as I continue to grow in experience, those autonomic links of information become more and more literal understandings of my cognitive recollection of information that I have not personally accessed in a deliberate attempt or by even an educated guess. In short, does this define "epiphany?" Hmmmmmm. . .  get it? I shall continue this pontification.

To pontificate is not a verb, according to Miriam-Webster. I even tried to find it as a verb on wikipedia.org. Both of these sources are governed by American language authors or language authorities. English in America vs. English in Great Britain varies in mild differences of pronunciation or definitions of words. But when you look at British definitions, pontificate is a verb as well. It's not recognized as a verb in American dictionaries. But more and more Americans are adopting this definition in an effort to sound more intelligent. Somehow, we Americans seem to think that if we sound like we are British we are smarter.

Ironically, the Spanish word for "pontificate" is a noun as it is in American English and it is "el pontificado." So would the preterate form if trans-mutated into a "verbo" be "pontificar?" or would they use "pontificir or pontificer?" I hope it's an ar verb--they are easier to conjugate.

Yo pontifico

Tu pontificas

Usted pontifica

Ellos pantifican

Nosotros pantificamos

Vosotros pantificaís

In the British definition of the word, it means to speak or write and give your opinion about something as if you knew everything about it and as if only your opinion was correct. 

So, Pontiff-the Pope-is the know-it-all of the Christian faith, and seeing how he is the foremost authority on all that is God and Jesus, is--by his opinion and that of his followers--the greatest authority and next to Godliness through his pontificate and his pontifications. So, when someone says that a person is pontificating, they are saying that person is a bullshitter! So the Pope is the leading bullshitter of the Christian world?

So, why was I accused of pontificating? I don't take it as an insult, because I am the end-all and be-all of the book I am writing! I was describing the bold new re-write and reconstruction of my novel at writer's group. I wanted to express how I was going to change the course of the book through a rewrite of the main character's personality. I also included a quick read of my blog entry on my theory of life-critical mass. Using my ideas about critical mass being the very nature of the universe, and how it has influenced the evolution of man, would be best described as life is a series of critical mass scenarios, followed by the consequences or the after-calm. As it is often said, after the storm settles and the dust clears, one must pick up the pieces of the aftermath. 

Now, I realize that there was not real insult meant by the comment and the individual was just meaning it in jest, and if you have read my blog entries preceding this one, you can tell that I am rather long-winded. It may take a while to get to the point. But isn't that the true skill of a writer. Do we writers all "pontificate" (in the British sense of the word) when we do what we do? Perhaps this blog entry is a "pontification" and if so, where do I go to get my papal garb? I always wanted a funny hat like the Pope's. Would make for great nun jokes. . . 

So when people read Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek," is he the "pontiff of the United Federation of Planets?" YES! HE IS! And now that he is dead, he can be considered to be the "GOD" of said federation! And that all future writers basing their ideas in HIS micro-verse would be "pontiffs" and be considered "Trekkie Gospels according to Rick Burman or J.J. Abrams." He did create it from his imagination. So that would make me a "god" as well! Or any writer that creates a world or universe on paper or in an electronic literary medium! A micro-verse. And since I consider George Lucas to be a bit on the evil (dark) side of SciFi due to his savvy business dealings creating a false prequal to the original trilogy, then he would be the "DEVIL." Interesting. So I could say, "Gene Roddenberry is to GOD as George Lucas is to Satan." Or, depending on who you talk to, that could be reversed. Of course everyone has an opinion. So we could go like this: "Gene Roddenberry is to Book of Mormon as George Lucas is to Koran." Again, that could be reversed to, but I consider both books mentioned in the previous sentence to be neither of my personal beliefs, so no insult or political correctness was intended.

So, if we all wanted to be technical and use British vernacular to describe what we are doing as writers, we would all be Pontif's of our own micro-verses. And our pontifications would be eternal as we pontificate through our "scriptures."

I won't apologize if I bored you with my "sermon-assertion" at writer's group. **snicker**

Here ends the lesson.