Testing, 1,2,3

[Carol]

Tonks wrote:
> 
> It is very quiet here. I have been over at YA, arguing politics. I
am still waiting for someone to answer my question here about crisima.
 (Hope I spelled that right. I am just typing right on the page now 
days, with no spell check.)

Carol responds:
What is YA? (All I can think of is "young adult.")


I can help you *spell* "charisma," but I'm not sure I can help you to
understand charisma as a phenomenon. "Cha ris ma" has three syllables
(kuh RIHZ muh) and begins with "ch" (like "Christmas" and "choir")
because it's derived from a Greek word ("charis," meaning "grace")
beginning with the letter Chi (rather than with Kappa, which would 
cause it to be spelled with a K in English). It may help (in terms of
spelling) to remember that "charisma" comes from the same root as
"charity" even though the initial sound is different. (Interestingly,
"charisma" is a relatively late borrowing, first used in English in
1930. I'm not sure how the concept was expressed before that time.
"Charm," maybe?)

As for what causes a particular person to have charisma, I can only
guess that it's a combination of genetics (good looks and a naturally
pleasant disposition combined with a capacity for leadership and
perhaps intelligence would certainly help) and social conditioning.
(If people naturally like you and turn to you for leadership, you're
most likely going to learn through experience how to develop and
perhaps exploit that natural ability, both at home and at school.)

Never having had charisma myself (except that little children, even
strangers, are oddly attracted to me), I can't say any more and am
probably wrong.

Carol, suffering from conjunctivitis and wondering if anyone knows any
good home remedies