"As wide as the curse spreads" is a phrase that captures the idea of the negative consequences and far-reaching effects that can result from a particular action or decision. It suggests that the repercussions of an action or decision can extend far beyond what was initially anticipated or intended. This phrase can apply to various aspects of life, from personal relationships to global issues. For example, in personal relationships, the actions of one person can impact not only themselves but also those around them. Hurtful words or actions can spread like a curse and damage the trust and harmony within a group or community. On a larger scale, this phrase can be seen in the context of global challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation.
It's the early 80s and times are hard in London's East End. When Albert and his gang of small-time crooks get more than they bargained for, life is set to change forever.
Adrien s narration was vivid, prickly, and compelling, and I loved the world she built around him, especially the beautiful names and terms, but also the institutional history of Pharmakeia and Curia and Chirurgeonate , with the occasional, tantalizing glimpses of the wider world. The significance of Marx and Burke was that they were only occasionally ideologues; and our own governing minds owe their insignificance to the condition of so seldom being anything else.
On a larger scale, this phrase can be seen in the context of global challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have led to far-reaching consequences such as rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and loss of biodiversity. The curse of these actions spreads across continents, affecting not only present generations but also future ones.
THE CURSE OF IDEOLOGY
NEW YORK -- Every six months or so the Mayor of New York's Management Report affirms a rise in the percentage of Acceptably Clean Streets. This news might or might not hearten us more if we knew the standard the city has chosen to apply. As it is, too few of us have encountered a street in New York that more civilized polities would define as acceptably clean often enough to know what one was if we happened upon it. A competent government and an acceptably clean New York street both belong to the category of subjects unfamiliar to direct experience.
But, unlike competent government, ideology is not an unattained and probably unattainable concept but a dreadful reality. The vice president of the United States is correct: ideology indeed matters. Plagues always matter. Who among us has never sunk under some one of the infinite strains of ideology's fevers? My own addiction to the stuff was protracted, and recovery remains less a habit than a day-by-day struggle of the will. Take it from an old user: ideology is a toxic substance.
Dostoevsky tells us that ''Peter Verkovensky may have been far from stupid, but Fedka the convict was right when he said that he would invent a man himself and live with him.'' The ideologue invents the world himself, lives with it and travels closer and closer to being stupid with each day that passes.
Ideologists cannot describe and don't even bother to try. That disease would not much matter if they did not spread its contagions so wide as to infect so many of the rest of us with the illusion that those of our great ancestors who knew acutely well how to describe were only ideologues like themselves.
The effects of this deplorable employment nowhere show themselves more depressingly than in their conscription of Karl Marx and Edmund Burke to ideological purposes.
Burke's invocations of England's past may not have been as wide of actuality as Marx's vision of socialism's future; but they sit nonetheless upon shaky foundations. The fallibilities when engaging the abstract are, however, irrelevant to the genius both Burke and Marx showed when their business was the assessment of the concrete.
But if Burke's visions were often cloudy, his eyesight was unvaryingly perfect. Let him stray into some general proposition and he would turn as windy, as portentous and as finally useless as the average philosopher; but confront him with a particular case and he was always dead right. It was wrong to govern Bengal as Warren Hastings did and it was wrong to cut off Marie Antoinette's head; and Burke who had never been to India and seldom been to France was correct and unconfused to a degree never reached by most of those intimate with one or the other.
We are all better for trying to be Burkeans; and our minds would improve with some effort to be Marxists, because Marx seldom let his ideology do the work of his investigative intelligence. There is, to my knowledge, no late-19th-century historian as illuminating as Marx even now and simply because he laid his utopianism aside and rendered roughly the same justice to capitalism's achievements as to its iniquities.
The significance of Marx and Burke was that they were only occasionally ideologues; and our own governing minds owe their insignificance to the condition of so seldom being anything else. The other day the Census Bureau released a report showing that the distribution of wealth had not for 40 years been as disparate as it is today and that, as a consequence, a full 20 percent of the country's children live in poverty. The White House expressed itself as ''disappointed'' in behalf of the poor but otherwise gratified by news that ''documents . . . a continual rise in income and reflects a growing, strong economy.''
Some might credit the Census Bureau with a documentation rather less cheering. But the Republicans cannot be blamed for seeing golden threads in a weave so gray; the ideologue in office invents the present, as the ideologue out of office invents the future.
It may be Bush's salvation that ideology does not matter as much to him as he says. He has been a Deweyite, a Nixonite, aReaganite, and recently he even dressed himself transiently as a Jesse Helmsite. There is the suspicion that he picks up whatever special happens to be growing soggy and lukewarm in the steam table at the cafeteria. That want of attention may be all to the good; as a nation we seem stuck with ideologues and could well be safer with a president who just picks up and discards whatever ideology happens to suit the moment than with a president who fixes himself purposefully upon a single one. Any permanent ideology is so bad that a succession of temporary samples, held without sincerity and flourished without conviction, can seem altogether preferable.
Another example of this concept can be seen in the realm of social issues. Discrimination and prejudice, for instance, can have wide-ranging effects that extend far beyond the immediate victims. They can perpetuate cycles of injustice, create tensions within societies, and hinder progress towards equality and harmony. Overall, the phrase "as wide as the curse spreads" serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of our actions and the potential for unintended consequences. It emphasizes the importance of considering the broader impact of our choices and striving for positive change that can spread just as widely as any negative effects..
Reviews for "The curse's role in shaping community beliefs and superstitions"
1. Rebecca - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "As Wide as the Curse Spreads". The characters were flat and uninteresting, and the plot lacked any originality. It felt like a recycled version of every other supernatural drama I've ever seen. Additionally, the writing was mediocre at best, with choppy dialogue and awkward descriptions. Overall, I found this book to be a dull and uninspiring read.
2. John - 1 star - I cannot understand the hype around "As Wide as the Curse Spreads". The story felt disjointed and confusing, with unnecessary subplots that added nothing to the overall narrative. The world-building was poorly executed, leaving me with more questions than answers. The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult to feel invested in their struggles. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and well-crafted supernatural tale.
3. Emily - 2.5 stars - "As Wide as the Curse Spreads" had potential, but ultimately fell flat for me. The pacing was uneven, with slow and repetitive sections interspersed with rushed and unresolved plot points. The romance felt forced and lacked chemistry, making it difficult to root for the main characters. The writing style was also inconsistent, veering between overly flowery prose and awkward phrasing. While there were some intriguing concepts, they were overshadowed by the book's numerous flaws.