Letter to the Editor

LETTERS: ARTIFICIAL OR GENUINE

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To the editor:

Several years ago while living overseas, a tire shortage occurred during a time when I desperately needed a set of tires for my car. A parent of one of our students worked for a well-known tire company, and I was pleased when he offered to go through the red tape to get me the tires I needed. One day, he came to my office with all the necessary application forms correctly filled out, properly sealed and stamped. I signed the form and gave him a check in advance. He assured me that I would have the tires in a couple of weeks. That was 40 years ago, and in spite of his word of honor, I am still waiting for those tires.

We prefer the person who is solid, reliable and trustworthy. We soon tire of the person who says one thing one time but something else the next, or the person who gives the impression of integrity and later we learn that it is an artificial front and that he is not to be trusted.

Many years ago when I was in high school, some of my classmates after dating a girl would comment, "She didn't seem real."

Everyone to a degree at times engages in artificiality. From the clothes we wear or the car we drive, we try to give a good impression, for most of us want to be accepted and put the best foot forward.

When buying jewelry, we want to know if it is genuine or artificial. Sometimes the artificiality is so flagrant we know it to be that. Artists are known by their work, and the knowledgeable person can tell if the artwork is a copy or genuine. But when we think of human qualities, it is sometimes hard to tell.

In life, the person who is all bluff will lose respect. In fact, the simple word "bluff," meaningful as it is, used just it is in our language, seems to express rather clearly the meaning of excessive artificiality. Like a puff of hot air, the "embustero" soon reveals his shallow nature in any culture.

We now of artificial coloring, artificial flavoring and so forth, but when we think of human qualities, we have greater respect for the person who has proven to be genuine, dependable and worthy of our trust.

IVAN NOTHDURFT

Cape Girardeau