Our two-year-old granddaughter has discovered the word, “hot.” I guess she has heard her parents say the word enough when they want to discourage her from touching something that is hot and may harm her. So when she sees steam rising from my cup of coffee, she says, “hot.” When we serve her some dinner on her plate she looks quizzically and asks, “Hot?”
This summer of 2021 has certainly been a hot one. Our climate is changing, and temperatures are rising. The causes of this increase in temperature can be debated. That is not an issue I intend to address at this point. The fact I emphasize is that as the air around us becomes hotter, our bodies become hotter, especially as nighttime temperatures increase. Our bodies don’t have time to cool off before another new hot day begins. The heat wave that inflicted British Columbia at the end of June resulted in more than 800 dying because of it being “hot.”
The word “hot” derives from the Old Saxon “het,” meaning a high temperature or burning. So in English the prime meaning is having a relatively high temperature. But the word is also used in various ways and contexts. “Hot” can be marked by violence or fierceness; stormy or angry. The word can also have a sexual implication. “Hot” can also mean fresh or very bright, such as “hot off the press” and “hot pink.” “Hot” also implies very good or currently in demand. It is used for radioactive material and objects illegally obtained. One can become “hot under the collar” with no real reference to temperature. No wonder English is such a difficult language to grasp.
In the Book of Exodus Moses was very frustrated with Pharaoh's refusal to let the people of Israel go, even after numerous plagues. “Moses went out from Pharaoh in khoree (hot) anger.” This is related to the Hebrew word for “burning.” Psalm 39 records, “My distress grew worse, my heart became (chamam) hot within me.” In Proverbs 15:18 the saying is noted, “A chemah (hot-tempered) man stirs up strife.” The nuances of the English word “hot” are contained in various words in other languages.
Consider this verse from the Revelation to St. John, “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” The Greek word translated as hot is zestos, referencing boiling water. Water is useful when it is hot or cold, but in between water is not good for much. Hence the English word zesty implies a piquancy or liveliness, an extreme gusto or relish.
When we are lukewarm about things nothing much gets done; little impact on life takes place. But when we are “hot” about something, it moves us to action. People who get things done are often hot about the issue or concern. Lukewarm might be a nice temperature for golfing but won’t inspire much in life.
Don’t be afraid to let your passions, your feelings, be hot. Not everything need move you to extremes but if nothing does then life will drift aimlessly. Discover things that make you “hot.” Let the temperature in you rise on some of the issues that face our community and country. Then you will act. Too many people do nothing, just “spit them out of mouth,” so to speak. Life is meant to be zesty, extremely lived . . . HOT.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
