Cloak is one of those somewhat dark words. It has two primary meanings both related to a central meaning which is "to cover". One meaning refers to clothing, while the other has dark secretive connotations attached to it.
Beginning with the clothing...
Cloak:awraplikeoutergarmentfastenedatthethroatandfallingstraightfromtheshoulders. In full evening dress in the Western countries, ladies and gentlemen frequently use the cloak as a fashion statement, or to protect the fine fabrics of eveningwear from the elements, especially where a coat would crush; or hide; the garment. Opera cloaks are made of quality materials such as wool or cashmere, velvet and satin.
Let's move on the the darker more secretive side of cloak...
I've been thinking about this post for the past two days (ever since Flip mentioned it in the post on the word "Island"). I attempted to start something on Saturday but came up with nothing. I again thought about it on Sunday but still nothing. Maybe I was afraid or maybe I felt I didn't have enough time to get my thoughts out full fleshed.
Here, I am am Monday morning and from the time I woke up I was thinking about "nothing". I got on to the computer with the intention of writing this post of "nothing". Oddly enough this thinking about "nothing" must have somehow crawled into my subconscious because I just really could not come up with anything, I had nothing. I usually take a few minutes to surf the net before I get down to blogging. But this morning it ended up being a good 40 minutes give or take. I was on wikipedia, amazon, google, you name it I was there. I was everywhere but here. My mind was full of mindless nothingness. And that's when it came to me. I would introduce this topic with a short presentation of the nothingness I was experiencing.I guess you can say I was a "Blank Frank".
I wonder what is more harrowing... nothing itself or the awareness of nothing? Nothingness can be a wonderful state of mind clearing - which never really hurt anyone. Or maybe nothing is that good feeling of complacency. Than comes that awareness of nothing which is the real wake up call. You're left staring at an expression of nothingness. This awareness can hurt. It's brutal sometimes. but it's that shock to the system that gets me motivated. So, here I am writing about nothing.
Nothing: Amountingtonothing,asinofferingnoprospectsforsatisfaction (wow, this description is pretty bleak).
We've all heard the famous quote: "No man is an island". This quote comes from a poem written by Jon Donne, who was a poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest. He did most of his writing in the late 1500's to early 1600's. The general meaning of the poem is that human beings do not thrive when isolated from others.
No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee.
-- John Donne
