If you recall I was diagnosed with mild hearing loss at my short hearing test; today I went back for the full-blown one.
In the car on the way I was listening to the end of a programme about Tutankhamen. Did you know he had malaria? They found the malaria DNA in him. Isn't that just amazing? All the things I never knew. Then she ended the programme saying something about 'the hubris of our future,' or something like that.
"What does hubris mean? I have no idea. I wonder if the earologist will know. I shall ask him for I am bound to forget buy the time I get home."
Sitting waiting to be seen I decide it's not a good idea to ask him but then I was presented with the perfect opportunity.
"Oh, yes, I'll quickly drift off into a day dream."
"Is this a new thing?"
"I'm very easily distracted. For instance I had planned to ask you if you know what hubris meant." He didn't but he looked it up and wrote it in the mini word book he kept on his puta desktop for interesting words. How lucky to have an earologist with a passion for words. And easily distracted.
Anyway, had to sit in the booth again and press the button when I heard pips and beeps. Very tense. So anxious I might miss some or, maybe worse, imagine I've heard some. I can't have done too badly because he's not recommending anything at the moment but is going to call me back in two years.
Incidentally, hubris: overconfidence, arrogance, such as invites disaster or ruin. Yes, I can see why the programme presenter might have foreseen that for our government.
3 comments:
I'm glad you don't have to deal with hearing aids just yet. And hubris, thy name is Greek tragedy in a nutshell.
Boud is right -- when the Greek gods and goddesses punished a mortal in some horrible yet inventive way, it was usually for the sin of hubris.
Glad you've got a reprieve on getting hearing aids!
We've had much reason to apply the word given some of our modern-day politicians and oligarchs.
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