Sep

WFH? Employ Proverbs from Around the World!

by Joyce McGreevy on September 21, 2020

A mom trying to work from home prompts a WFH writer to find new wisdom about work in old proverbs from around the world. (Image by © doble-d/ iStock)

It’s “Take Your Kids to Work Day”! Every . . . single . . . day.
© doble-d/ iStock

Old Sayings for New Work Habits

Coined in 2000, it’s trending again—WFH, “working from home.” For years, Big Business has replaced leisurely language with speed-talking code. As in “FYI, the CEO wants the YTD P&L ASAP!” Now, as many offices remain closed, the busyness of business-speak has followed us home.

Soon we’ll be talking about doing WTMW (way too much work) from our HSHO (home, sweet home office). We’ll care for BFMs & APs (beloved family members and adorable pets) while managing the NEHC (never-ending household chores). But before we get to the PONR (point of no return), let’s consider a different kind of WFH—Wisdom From History.

Long ago, every culture “created shareable content” in the form of proverbs. Somehow our pre-Internet ancestors “forwarded” these proverbs around the world. These global memos covered every topic—including work—in witty language that still hits home. And gee, since we’re home anyway, working, it’s only logical that we give their insights on that subject a fresh look.

Oh, I see: Old proverbs from around the world have new relevance for employees who are working from home. Here are some favorites. (And for those of you who miss viewing cute cat pictures at the office, we’ve got you covered.)

Kittens in a box and a watchful cat remind a WFH writer of trading a cubicle for working from home and prompt her to find new wisdom about work in old proverbs around the world. (Image by guvo59/Pixabay)

Ah, to be out of the cubicle, with no supervisor breathing down one’s neck…
guvo59/ Pixabay

Rise ‘n Shine Get Online!

My search for proverbs extolling the benefits of sleeping late prompted a rude awakening: “Opportunity does not wake up those who are asleep” (Senegalese), “The hungry fowl wakes early” (Jamaican), “The world belongs to early risers” (French).

Fortunately, an Italian proverb notes that, “Those with a reputation for rising early may sleep until noon.” Aha! An early example of establishing your brand while building in downtime. My favorite? “Good luck beats early rising,” the traditional Irish equivalent of hitting the snooze alarm in hopes that you’ve won the lottery.

But as the Albanian proverb says, “If your neighbor is an early riser, you too will become one,” a sentiment to which every WFH apartment dweller can relate. So rise, if not shine, and do as the Sicilians do—”Drink coffee while it’s hot enough to swear.”

A sleepy cat beside a cup of coffee reminds a WFH writer of a Sicilian proverb about coffee, and other old sayings from around the world. (Image by quinntheisland/Pixabay)

Historically, work began with tools. For WFH, this means coffee.
quinntheislander/ Pixabay

Business Casual, Fashion Casualty

In France, there’s a saying for when you put a button in the wrong buttonhole: boutonner lundi avec mardi, literally, “to button Monday with Tuesday.” Working from home during a pandemic, many of us mix up our days—Blursday? Whenday? Whyday?—and our office attire, too.

Oh, we still maintain standards. Like dressing up for a Zoom meeting by adding a tailored blazer to a clean (well, cleanish) pajama top. OK, OK, we make “casual Fridays” at the office seem like New York’s fashion gala at the Met.

Clogs with cat faces reflect the new normal of working from home and remind a WFH writer of clothing proverbs from around the world. (Public domain image)

“Do these socks make me look too formal?”

But as the Spanish proverb reminds us, “A monkey dressed in silk is still a monkey,” so hey, let’s not confuse looking professional with being professional. On the other hand, “No skunk ever smells its own stink,” said the Thai. While they were probably referring to misdeeds, it’s a useful reminder that taking a shower should occur more frequently than the quarterly reports.

Corner Office, Meet Kitchen Corner

Working from home means adapting. Office equipment? Supply cabinets laden with tempting piles of binder clips? Gone!

Ergonomic seating? Hah! Never have so many dining room chairs caused so much discomfort to so many for so long. Numb Bum Syndrome is no laughing matter, people, so don’t make us the butt of your jokes.

Still, “A good plowman”—or in corporate parlance, Managing Director of Plowable Assets—”can plow even with a goose,” according to Lithuanian folk wisdom. Which is why, come Online Meeting Time, we oh-so-professionally place our laptops on a stack of cookbooks, shove the dirty dishes out of view, and quickly run the nearest salad fork through our hair.

Paperwork prompts a WFH writer to study old proverbs from around the world for insights into working from home. (Image by stevepb/Pixabay)

“Has anyone seen the dining room table? I can’t find it anywhere.”
stevepb/ Pixabay

A Zoom of One’s Own

According to ancient Chinese wisdom, “two tigers cannot share one mountain.” Likewise, two or more family members cannot always share one WiFi. One parent’s in a meeting, the other’s doing a tele-med consult with a patient, the kids are logging on for school, Grandma’s on TikTok, and the dog’s tracking device is updating your app about which part of the yard he’s digging up.

Who knew that one day we’d miss the IT manager, the same grouch who answered every request with, “Are you sure the computer’s plugged in?”

Contrasting images of cats remind a WHF writer of changes in working from home and prompt a search of old proverbs from around the world. (Sleepy cat image by photosforyou/Pixabay; second image public domain)

1990s: WFH conference by phone. (L) 2020: WFH conference on Zoom. (R)
photosforyou/Pixabay

Power Naps and Proverbs

When working from home, staying focused can be challenging. Especially at times when, as German folk wisdom says, “The misery is that you have to ruin your day with work.” Like sunny days. Or rainy, snowy, windy, foggy, or other days. As Anonymous once sighed, “Whoever invented work must not have had anything else to do.”

For procrastinators, “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week” (Spain). You might justify that power nap by reminding your Significant Other that “The pillow is the best advisor” (Sweden). See? You’re not being lazy—you’re seeking council and gaining clarity! Why it’s practically a corporate retreat!

However, your S.O. may counter with an old Turkish saying: “Without effort, there is no food.” Hard to argue with that . . .

A fat cat reminds a writer who works from home of unhealthy WHF habits and prompts a search of relevant proverbs from around the world. (Image by skorchanov/ Pixabay)

. . .especially when you’re the one who ate all the snacks.
skorchanov/ Pixabay

So you might as well get started. Work smarter, not harder, or as the Kashmiri once said, “Try to benefit enormously from small efforts.” Take breaks, but remember, “A person always breaking off from work never finishes anything” (Nigeria). Instead, “Put a stout heart to a stey brae (steep hill),” (Scotland), because “Money grows on the tree of persistence” (Japan).

Don’t rush: “A work ill done must be done twice” (Wales). And if a new task intimidates you, remember: “The work will teach you how to do it” (Estonia).

A cat looking annoyed evokes employees who dislike working from home and reminds a WFH writer of relevant proverbs about work from around the world. (Public domain image)

Also, don’t keep hitting the escape key. I tried it, but I’m still at work.

Our Ancestors Meant Business

In summary, as you adapt to working from home, employ the new wisdom in old proverbs from around the world: Be gracious to WFH colleagues in remote locations, because “Over a distance of a thousand miles, only humanity works, not power” (Chinese). A far-flung but networked team can work wonders. After all, “When spiderwebs unite, they can tie up a lion” (Ethiopia).

Oh, and one more thing. When working from home, NEVER, EVER confuse your boss’s Zoom Check-In with your buddy’s Zoom Happy Hour. As the old German proverb says, “Schnapps is schnapps, business is business.” Cheers!

A cat with an adult beverage reminds a writer that some work from home habits are unhealthy and prompts a search of proverbs about work from around the world. (Public domain image)

NSFW: Not Suitable For Work (or cats!)

More WFH humor: See BBC News interview an expert working from home, here. Then watch the New Zealand parody, here.

They worked like dogs—the boss conducted their performance review on Zoom! Watch here.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 2 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Proverbs & Sayings/Worldwide Sites

Jul

A Tribute to Dogs—In Language and Life

by Meredith Mullins on July 6, 2020

The Dog Days of Summer
© Chalabala/iStock

Tail-Wagging Wisdom in Dog Sayings From Around the World

Let’s face it. Things have been a little ruff in the world lately. But anything is paw-sible when you add some humor to the mix.

Embracing the essence (and humor) of a human’s best friend
© William Wegman (Courtesy of the Artist)

Let’s rise to the challenge and see how dogs enter our life and our language—with dog sayings from around the world.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Language & Culture/Proverbs & Sayings/Quotes of Note/Worldwide Sites

May

Cultural Sayings or Quarantine Quotes?

by Joyce McGreevy on May 26, 2020

A gate in Istanbul evokes the Turkish proverb, "Kind words can unlock an iron door,” a reminder that in the context of the pandemic, cultural sayings have take on a new relevance as quarantine quotes. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“Kind words can unlock an iron door.”—Turkish proverb
By doing our best for one another, we’ll get through this.
© Joyce McGreevy

Old Proverbs Help Us Cope with the Pandemic

Anonymous, that endless font of wisdom, once said, “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” This contemporary proverb appears in busy workplaces and hectic households, wherever humans gamely endeavor to keep life on track—even in crisis.

Anyone experienced a crisis lately? A calamity that’s disrupted your schedule for months? Raise your hand. Oh my, 7.8 billion of you? I thought it was just me.

A global health crisis calls for worldwide wisdom, so this week OIC Moments presents the best cultural sayings and quarantine quotes for the occasion. Oh, I see: In the context of the pandemic’s social distancing, old proverbs from around the world have taken on a whole new relevance .

A public mural evokes the Greek proverb, “What is a city but its people?”, a cultural saying that has new poignancy as a quarantine quote during the pandemic lockdown. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“What is a city but its people?” —Greek saying. The virus turned our world inside out.
© Joyce McGreevy

What, We Worry?

We humans are wired for worry. As the Swedish say, “Worry often gives a small thing a great shadow.” This actually underscores our amazing ability to adapt. Think about it. Here we all are, undergoing a pandemic, yet we still find time to worry that we’re never going to lose those ten pounds or that Costco will run out of toilet paper.

Why? Because our brains are designed to give us a break by shifting our focus now and then from major to minor matters. As the Lebanese say, “Sometimes forgetting trouble is the best way of curing it.”

Perhaps our smaller, sillier moments help us cope with life’s more sobering challenges. Even as coronavirus casts a giant shadow, we humans somehow manage the day-to-day. As the Maori say, “Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind.”

An old saying from Kazakhstan translates into, “I see the sun on your back.” This means, “Thank you for being you—I’m alive because of your help.” In the context of the pandemic, it beautifully encapsulates our gratitude for doctors, nurses, and other essential workers.

A man in PPE evokes the Australian proverb, "Heavy givers are light complainers,” a cultural saying turned quarantine quote because it now applies to brave medical responders and other essential workers during the pandemic. Image by Pixabay/Fernando Zhiminaicela

“Heavy givers are light complainers.”—Australian saying
Image by Pixabay/Fernando Zhiminaicela

Comfort Across Cultures

A recurring phrase in different languages, cultures, and eras is These are challenging times. Spoiler alert: Humans have always lived in challenging times. No history book declares, “And for the next 100 years, folks just went about their business, occasionally pausing for cups of tea.”

Thus all cultures speak of comfort in sayings that are as timely as ever. In Uganda, “Even the mightiest eagle comes down to the treetops to rest.” In Morocco, “Reading books removes sorrow from the heart.” In Scotland, “Whisky may not cure the common cold, but it fails more agreeably than most other things.”

According to American folk wisdom, “Trouble knocks at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurries away.” During the pandemic, an outpouring of highly creative humor online has lightened our heavy hearts. Meanwhile, an old saying from India—”A heart at rest sees a feast in everything”—gains new meaning as people find heart’s ease through everything from online meditation to families dining together via Zoom.

Music has also comforted the world during this time, reminding us that “If you can move, you can dance, and if you can speak you can sing.” (Zimbabwean proverb) Creating music “alone together” online has inspired our resourcefulness, proving that “One string is good enough to a good musician.” (Mexican proverb)

A finch in a tree evokes the Chinese proverb, "Make your heart a green tree, and a singing bird may come,” a cultural saying that has a taken on new relevance as a quarantine quote about hope and patience during the pandemic’s lockdown. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

When Lockdown Leads to Locked Horns

We’ve all become close during lockdown. Very.Very. Close. Wherever two or more humans interact, misunderstandings occur. Severe stress makes smart people say and do Stupid Stuff. As Japanese wisdom reminds us, “Even monkeys fall from trees.” Fortunately, we can improve: “By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree.” (Proverb of Cameroon)

When nerves are frayed, we may imagine that Everything Is Another’s Fault. Yet ancient Romans said, “It’s silly to try to escape people’s faults. Just try to escape your own.” To quote a Tagalog proverb, “The rattan basket criticizes the palm leaf basket, yet both are full of holes.”

Chickens sharing a perch in a henhouse evoke the humorous side of cultural sayings like “There’s no place like home” and “The more the merrier,” which now seem like quarantine quotes for families "cooped up" in the pandemic lockdown. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Old Wisdom and New Breakthroughs

What was your favorite subject in school? Regardless, we’re all rapt students of science now. Here, too, old sayings gain new relevance. On the news we see medical experts humbly acknowledging their limits while striving to achieve breakthroughs. They would appreciate the Nez Perce saying, “Every animal knows more than we do.”

Crises also bring out those whose genius is self-proclaimed. But as a South African proverb points out, “No one is great just because he says he is.” Instead, we’re discovering that greatness is rooted in kindness. As an Irish proverb affirms, “A kind word never broke anyone’s mouth.”

A baby chimp clinging to its mother evokes the British proverb, "Two thirds of help is to give courage,” a cultural saying that now seems like a quarantine quote about offering empathy and support during the pandemic. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Timeless Wisdom for Timely Action

Old wisdom tells us it’s time to “Do good and care not to whom” (Italy). Time to support all who are vulnerable, to remember that “A child is a child of everyone” (Sudan). Time to “Be a mountain or lean on one” (Somalia). It’s time, not to seek credit, but to “Do a good deed and throw it in the sea” (Egypt).

Two people in raincoats crossing a footbridge in a downpour evoke the Brazilian proverb, "Good will makes the road shorter,” a cultural saying that now reads as a quarantine quote about the need to protect and respect each other during the Covid pandemic. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Danish have a saying: “He who comforts never has a headache.” In giving selflessly, we gain our humanity. And if you think you’re too small to make a difference, says one African proverb, then you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito. We can each do something.

For example, a Russian proverb advises, “Do not have 100 rubles, rather have 100 friends.” Millions of people have been economically impacted by the pandemic, yet countless social-media friends have pooled small donations into major support, sending it wherever needs are greatest. As a native Hawaiian proverb explains, “No task is too big when done together by all.”

Cultural sayings endure for good reason. When current events overwhelm us, old sayings help us find perspective. And so, at a time when both social distancing and connection are called for, this Tuareg proverb might just be the perfect quarantine quote: “Keep your tents apart and your hearts together.”

A mural of a heart on a city wall carries the proverb, “Love thy neighbor,” a cultural saying that is also an apt quarantine quote in the context of the Covid pandemic’s social distancing. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

What new or old saying helps you “keep calm and carry on”?

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.