Botch
Jordi Pujol
Editorial / March 27, 2007
The Institut d’Estudis Catalans today presented the second edition of the “Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana”. This is good news. Because it is a great tool at the service of Catalan – which the Statute enshrines as Catalonia’s own language, and which, by the way, needs to be defended everywhere, including schools-, but also because it defines the exact meaning of words. This new edition is therefore very timely. Because it will enable us to understand the meaning of three specific words:
BOTCH. “Handle something in a slapdash manner.” Botcher: “someone who makes a mess of things”.
FRIVOLITY: “The quality of being frivolous”, which means “attaching importance to trivial matters”.
LIGHTNESS: “The quality of being light”, which means “having little weight. Of little substance. Not to think things through properly. Unsteady”.
These are three ways of doing and being that anyone – person, group, or country – who aspires to do something serious and be respected and recognised should avoid. Especially when confronting difficult situations.
Or one who has the ambition to be someone and do something worthwhile.
Catalonia has or should have such ambitions. Her citizens should have ambition. Above all their leaders should have it, and currently this does not appear to be the case. In most cases they frequently have little or none. As things go, very shortly the moment will come when we will have to reach for the dictionary once again and look up the meaning of “ridiculous”.
RIDICULOUS: “that inspires laughter, deserving laughter due to the grotesque, extravagant or obtuse nature of something or someone.
A country can reconstitute itself from defeat if it is serious, responsible, consistent and, despite the difficulties, ambitious. It will not if it is ridiculous.
