Reflections 9th October
On my Mind
Substance
As we've gone through the remarkable gyrations of a week with our politics in the spotlight, the question of substance has been a thread that has run through my conversations.
substance (n.)c. 1300, "essential nature, real or essential part," from Old French sustance, substance "goods, possessions; nature, composition" (12c.), from Latin substantia "being, essence, material," from substans, present participle of substare "stand firm, stand or be under, be present,"
Substance is what's left in the aftermath of a collision between rhetoric, reality, and responsibility. It's a signal of character, and evidence of a commitment to a set of guiding principles that stand firm in the face of pressure. It is perhaps what some call "essence" manifest and is a precious thing.
It's also easily counterfeited. Some fakes are relatively benign, such as football kits, art and theatre tickets - items where substance has been overhyped, overmarketed a…
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