MSGID: 1:153/716.0 ea10a051   
   REPLY: 2:221/6.0 5e903e6e   
   CHRS: IBMPC 2   
   Hi, Anton!  Recently you wrote in a message to All:   
      
   AS>  The great Ambrose Bierce quotes the following in   
   AS>  his definition of conscience:   
      
   AS>  "Woes that defy the world's religions --   
   AS>  The Spirit's brooding ills --   
   AS>  We scatter, like a flock of pigeons,   
   AS>  With pills."   
      
   AS>  I don't understand the comparison: how does one   
   AS>  employ pills in scattering a flock of pigeons?   
   AS>  Or is a handfull of small pebbles?   
      
      
               I'm reminded here of Jacqueline Susann's novel VALLEY OF THE   
   DOLLS, where women in particular were given pills which may have made them   
   feel better temporarily but which did not address the underlying problem(s).    
   Recently I've heard that some folks have run afoul of the laws re practising   
   medicine without a licence in advertisements for vitamin & mineral   
   supplements, claiming they'll prevent or even cure COVID-19.  While I am not a   
   medical professional (standard disclaimer) I think I know enough about   
   nutrition to realize that while some of these things may help support the   
   immune system the results can't be guaranteed   
   ... and there is a lot of evidence suggesting that a person's spiritual   
   beliefs &/or relationships with other people may help too.  When I read his   
   biography I see why this author may have found neither of the latter met his   
   needs....  :-Q   
      
               I imagine human nature hasn't changed much since then, at any   
   rate. Folks often resort to pills when their state of health or whatever is in   
   doubt, and at present many of us are being advised... if not required... to   
   stay home. When pigeons find something to eat on a public sidewalk they tend   
   to congregate there until something startles them, then they "scatter".  Human   
   beings tend to congregate in pubs, restaurants, and coffee shops for similar   
   reasons.  Just as pigeons "scatter" when there is a perceived threat, we've   
   done much the same in our own way.  Looking at Bierce's description, however,   
   I read "like a flock of pigeons" as a parenthetical expression.  IMHO the   
   author is commenting on how & why people "scatter"... and what may or may not   
   frighten pigeons is irrelevant.   
      
               Usage note:  The verb "scatter" may be transitive... as you seem   
   to be interpreting it here... or intransitive.  In the intransitive sense it   
   means various members of a crowd go their separate ways.  The verb "disperse"   
   is used in a similar manner... but "scatter" implies a feeling of urgency as   
   well.  :-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)   
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