What is the difference between the words “holy” and “whole”? I’m not sure that there is much of a difference. Clearly, from their similarities in sound and spelling it would be logical that there must be some common derivation, right?
Let’s check.
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, there IS, in fact, a common derivation. Both “holy” and “whole” can be traced back to their Old English roots, “halig” and “hal,” respectively. While “halig” is concerned with a more spiritual dimension, “hal” is concerned with the idea of physical and bodily completeness and health. But it doesn’t require a hop, skip, OR a jump to come to the conclusion that kinship between these words, per Merriam Webster, is related to the notion of complete, and total, completeness in terms of both body AND spirit. Can it be coincidence that these words continue to sound and appear so similar today?
Words have meaning. Or, more importantly, MEANING has meaning. It is important that a seemingly common, and innocuous, word like “whole,” with such a positive connotation, no less, should be related to a word like “holy” that, while, perhaps, we would like to BELIEVE has a positive connotation, is, nonetheless, so fraught for so many of us.
What has been lost in the ensuing millennium? Or, maybe, what has been gained? Or, perhaps most importantly, why must there be any difference at ALL between these words? Why can’t it simply be sufficient to be a whole, spiritually integrated person, without the overtones of religiosity and frankincense, incense, and myrrh implied by the word “holy”?
I personally am of the opinion that so much friction in this world (and there is friction, just look at this, this, and this) is derived from semantic misunderstandings of things that otherwise we could all agree on. Everyone who commits a certain act, be it an act of pure goodness or pure evil, believes that they are justified in doing so, but if yours is a God of vengeance and mine is a God of peace, who is to ultimately judge who is right or who is wrong? That’s where words, and their ultimate, shared meanings, come in handy. By bridging the gap between the esoteric (“holy”) and the obvious (“whole”) we can reach a common ground of realization that, duh, they mean the same thing!
There isn’t, or shouldn’t be, anything particularly onerous or “spiritually” burdensome behind the belief that one must wear sackcloth to gain spiritual perfection when writing a blog about it makes for a task much more fulfilling. That’s a fact. And I can prove it because I’ve done both. But when it comes down to it, who can argue with the notion that words, in every iteration, have a positive impact when they are used with sincerity and purpose. We may need to fight through two thousand years of crusading-f*ckery to get there, but, ultimately, in the end, if that’s the pay-off, then maybe it’s worth it. Or needs to be because the alternative is a word that has no other meaning:
Death. Unless, of course, you’re wholey.
Thank you.
Observations from the Brink 