HAPPY IS UP; SAD IS DOWN

I'm feeling up. That boosted my spirits. My spirits rose. You're in high spirits. Thinking about her always gives me a lift. I'm feeling down. I'm depressed. He's really low these days. I fell into a depression. My spirits sank.

Physical basis: Drooping posture typically goes along with sadness and depression, erect posture with a positive emotional state.

CONSCIOUS IS UP; UNCONSCIOUS IS DOWN

Get up. Wake up. I'm up already. He rises early in the morning. He fell asleep. He dropped off to sleep. He's under hypnosis. He sank into a coma.

Physical basis: Humans and most other mammals sleep lying down and stand up when they awaken.

HEALTH AND LIFE ARE UP; SICKNESS AND DEATH ARE DOWN

He's at the peak of health. Lazarus rose from the dead. He's in top shape. As to his health, he's way up there. He fell ill. He's sinking fast. He came down with the flu. His health is declining. He dropped dead.

Physical basis: Serious illness forces us to lie down physically. When you're dead, you are physically down.

HAVING CONTROL OR FORCE IS UP; BEING SUBJECT TO CONTROL OR FORCE IS DOWN

I have control over her. I am on top of the situation. He's in a superior position. He's at the height of his power. He's in the high command. He's in the upper echelon. His power rose. He ranks above me in strength. He is under my control. He fell from power. His power is on the decline. He is my social inferior. He is low man on the totem pole.

Physical basis: Physical size typically correlates with physical strength, and the victor in a fight is typically on top.

MORE IS UP; LESS IS DOWN

The number of books printed each year keeps going up. His draft number is high. My income rose last year. The amount of artistic activity in this state has gone down in the past year. The number of errors he made is incredibly low. His income fell last year. He is under age. If you're too hot, turn the down.

Physical basis: If you add more of a substance or of physical objects to a container or pile, the level goes up.

FORESEEABLE FUTURE EVENTS ARE UP (and AHEAD)

All upcoming events are listed in the paper. What's coming up this week? I'm afraid of what's up ahead of us. What's up?

Physical basis: Normally our eyes look in the direction in which we typically move (ahead, forward). As an object approaches a person (or the person approaches the object), the object appears larger. Since the ground is perceived as being fixed, the top of the object appears to be moving upward in the person's field of vision.

HIGH STATUS IS UP; LOW STATUS IS DOWN

He has a lofty position. She'll rise to the top. He's at the peak of his career. He's climbing the ladder. He has little upward mobility. He's at the bottom of the social heirarchy. She fell in status.

Social and physical basis: Status is connected with (social) power and (physical) power is UP.

GOOD IS UP; BAD IS DOWN

Things are looking up. We hit a peak last year, but it's been downhill ever since. Things are at an all-time low. He does high-quality work.

Physical basis for personal well-being: Happiness, health, life, and control--the things that principally characterize what is good for a person--are all UP.

VIRTUE IS UP; DEPRAVITY IS DOWN

He is high-minded. She has high standards. She is upright. She is an upstanding citizen. That was a low trick. Don't be underhanded. I wouldn't stoop to that. That would be beneath me. He fell into the abyss of depravity. That was a low-down thing to do.

Physical and social basis: GOOD IS UP for a person (physical basis), together with a metaphor that we will discuss below, SOCIETY IS A PERSON (in the version where you are not identifying with your society). To be virtuous where you are according with the standards set by the society/person to maintain its well-being. VIRTUE IS UP because virtuous actions correlate with social well-being from the society/person's point of view. Since socially based metaphors are part of the culture, it's the society/person's point of view that counts.

RATIONAL IS UP; EMOTIONAL IS DOWN

The discussion fell to the emotional level, but I raised it back up to the rational plane. We put our feelings aside and had a high-level intellectual discussion of the matter. He couldn't rise above his emotions.

Physical and cultural basis: In our culture people view themselves as being in control over animals, plants, and their physical environment, and it is their unique ability to reason that places human beings above other animals and gives them this control. CONTROL IS UP thus provides a basis for MAN IS UP and therefore for RATIONAL IS UP.
-Metaphors we Live By, George Lakoff, p15

I remember I was reading about sacred geometry and it made me realize one reason for high towers, spires and the like, is a reaching for the higher.

This confirms some of why I try and be SO LIGHT sometimes (he he.. ), "lightness" also means without so much weight! Levity! LOL!


May we always be able to "make light," and "lighten up" what otherwise are weighty and heavily burdensom experiences. May we always travel LIGHT. And so it is. Amen.

Love and light being, Teo

Thank you for lifting us Teo

HAPPY IS UP; SAD IS DOWN

CONSCIOUS IS UP; UNCONSCIOUS IS DOWN

HEALTH AND LIFE ARE UP; SICKNESS AND DEATH ARE DOWN

HAVING CONTROL OR FORCE IS UP; BEING SUBJECT TO CONTROL OR FORCE IS DOWN

MORE IS UP; LESS IS DOWN

FORESEEABLE FUTURE EVENTS ARE UP (and AHEAD)

HIGH STATUS IS UP; LOW STATUS IS DOWN

GOOD IS UP; BAD IS DOWN

VIRTUE IS UP; DEPRAVITY IS DOWN

RATIONAL IS UP; EMOTIONAL IS DOWN

***************************************

The only option is to stay up there

Staying Happy
Going up and not coming down again

Sue

Thank you Teo.
You just lifted up my day. Like Sue, I think I will stay up there and look down at everyone who wants to stay there.

Love
Vicky

Ok, I'll straighten my back and set off to soar ... I'm UP!

We really need to overcome fear ... and when so many paint the future so black, we might see it in rainbow colors ... we might!

When I heard the menace of Islam terrorist groups today that it is their intention to transform Rome into a cemetery ... I had some difficulty to remain serene ... they are so good in spreading fear.

May humanity awaken to love and begin with working for justice on every level and may there be no religious fanatism.

Let's breathe and feel light, yes.

Love and joy.
Margherita

I'm still up, but sometimes I need to look down, just for a moment

Thank you Teo.

We need to stay up as much as possible.
There is too much going on down there.

Gisele