The Yom Kippur War 50th Anniversary and Something Else

 

Israel Observes 50th Anniversary of 1973 Yom Kippur War

Israelis will observe the holiday of Yom Kippur on Sunday evening and Monday in the shadow of the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, when Egypt and Syria attacked on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

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 The war ended with Israeli victory, but at a terrible cost: nearly 2,700 soldiers were killed. Israel’s self-confidence, the legacy of the lightning victory in the Six Day War of 1967, was also permanently damaged.

But there were also positive outcomes — notably, the beginning of talks with Egypt, which resulted in the Camp David Accords of 1978, the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab state, which paved the way for subsequent peace agreements.

 

 It was a very sneaky time to attack those wily Israelis.

In fact, it was unbecoming of Egypt and Syria!

I guess I will add what I was thinking about today.

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Unbecoming 

Ok, it happened again. A word popped up. I realized that I hadn’t heard it spoken in a while. We mature people know instinctively what it means. Sometimes I wonder about the rest of the world.

I checked etymologyonline.com and the definition is very plain. It means not fitting.

unbecoming (adj.)

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + becoming "fitting." Related: Unbecomingly.

I better check fitting:

fitting (adj.)

"proper, befitting, right," early 15c., present-participle adjective from fit (v.). Related: Fittingly.



OK, that’s all very fine and vague.

IMO, the implication is that unbecoming speech or action is that which makes one look bad. It could almost be described as using bad manners. Maybe there is an element of behaving below what one knows to be right, sloppiness or carelessness, giving vent to low passions.

This brings up the concept of you knew better, heard from a million mother’s lips.

When we see video of people brawling in public over nothing of importance, or hear foul speech uttered in an animalistic manner we cringe because it is so very unbecoming.

If the word does not exist in their minds neither does the concept.