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Heaven #4958 Life Is About Living It

Posted May 7th, 2014 by Normand Bo...

Dear Gloria,

in http://www.heavenletters.org/life-is-about-living-it.html

parag. 5

"In truth, no matter how many people you ask for advice, no matter how many suggestions you follow, ultimately you are your own soothsayer. Certainly, you are the one who acts according to your own will. You are the one who says yes or says no, or says sooner or later, or says, I can or I cannot make a decision without outside help. There is nothing you have to prove. You are here on Earth to live and love, not to be perfect in your eyes or another’s."

Should it be "his" rather than "your"? (It looks like a case we add before: both are good?)

parag. 7

What is at the core of your asking for a second opinion or third or fourth? Is it the idea that everyone else must know more than you? Or can it be that at the core your fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself? What makes you have to check with others?

There seems to be missing something in this sentence. Or is it the "Your" that should be "you"? : Or can it be that at the core YOU HAVE fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself?

Or if we suppress "that": Or can it be at the core your fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself?

Or is it equivalent to: "Or can it be that at the core: your fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself?

‹ Heavenletter #4959 If You Must Cross A River, Cross It! HL #4951 In the Sunshine of the World ›

Hi Normand~ In paragraph 5,

On May 7th, 2014 Charles Fi... says:

Hi Normand~ In paragraph 5, you are right that both are right. Fifty or a hundred years ago "his" would probably have been preferred. "Your" is more informal, flows naturally from the previous "you", and most importantly bypasses the "his or her" difficulty.

In paragraph 7, the missing word did not jump out at me on first reading and I might have missed it entirely if you hadn't pointed it out. I think the easiest fix would be to add "is".

"Or can it be that at the core IS your fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself?"

Normand, thank you so much

On May 8th, 2014 Gloria Wen... says:

Normand, thank you so much for your questions! You are keeping me on my toes.

And, Charles, thank you for coming in and being so clear.

Now I have to leave a minute and come back with Normand's full questions. Hang on.

Okay, here are your words that I wanted in front of me:

parag. 7

What is at the core of your asking for a second opinion or third or fourth? Is it the idea that everyone else must know more than you? Or can it be that at the core your fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself? What makes you have to check with others?

There seems to be missing something in this sentence. Or is it the "Your" that should be "you"? : Or can it be that at the core YOU HAVE fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself?

Or if we suppress "that": Or can it be at the core your fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself?

Or is it equivalent to: "Or can it be that at the core: your fear or unwillingness to take responsibility for yourself?

The possessive your is correct. It's mostly not used anymore, just like the his or her that Charles mentioned -- technically correct yet not quite common usage any longer.

Inserting the missing is seems to be the simplest solution in English.

Thanks, guys!