| According
to minutes of the Linnean society, Captain Cook was in Australia making
notes on various species (eg plants, animals), natural objects (eg rivers,
hills) and other items. He saw a strange animal and asked the aboriginal
interpreter what that was. "I do not know," the interpreter replied. In
the aboriginal language, "ka" means "I," "nga" means "negative" and "roo"
means "know." |
. |
The
aboriginal sentence, "I do not know," became the English word for this
strange animal, "kangaroo." Lesson to us? Do not take some one's interpretation
of what is happening in an organization or community as the most accurate
observation just because a member of the organization or community has
told it to you. |
