My academic advisor in college taught our folklore and mythology course.
Whenever anyone called something a myth or a fairy tale, he would respond
that myths and fairy tales are actually far more sophisticated than these
passing fancies of modern thought. They certainly have lasted longer. And,
they can contain useful lessons in morality. Or, take the case of the
woodsman, who, after providing directions to Hansel and Gretel, says,
"Remember children, lay transitive, lie intransitive", illustrating these
two verbs with examples. That story contained a lesson in grammar and
correct usage, which one can reliably use.

Gosh, I can remember when we talked about "zero population growth". That has
given way to birth dearth, a real problem with real consequences, which is
wrecking the pyramid scheme known as "Social Security". And now, almost no
one talks about "zero population growth" anymore. For that matter, almost no
one talks about birth dearth, either.

Greg Stigers
http://www.cgiusa.com

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