---
title: "The State of Business and Busyness"
description: "BUSY Busy goes back to an Old English bisig, which also meant \"occupied.\" Apart from Dutch bezig, it has no apparent relatives in any Indo-European language, and it is not known where it came from...."
url: https://somisguided.com/2005/05/25/the-state-of-business-and-busyness/
date: 2005-05-25
modified: 2005-05-25
author: "Monique"
type: post
lang: en
---

# The State of Business and Busyness

**BUSY** *Busy* goes back to an Old English *bisig*, which also meant “occupied.” Apart from Dutch *bezig*, it has no apparent relatives in any Indo-European language, and it is not known where it came from. The sense “inquisitive,” from which we get *busybody*, developed in the late 14th century. *Business* was originally simply a derivative formed from *busy* by adding the suffix –*ness*. In Old English it meant “anxiety, uneasiness,” reflecting a sense not recorded for the adjective itself until the 14th century. The modern commercial sense seems to have originated in the 15th century. (The modern formation *busyness*, reflecting the fact that *business* can no longer be used simply for “state of being busy,” is 19th-century.) –Bloomsbury Dictionary of Word Origins

When I’m busy, I feel like a less interesting person.

The cogs of witty conversation

are churning away in the background

but only

now

and

then

do I catch the tune.

When I have a min. let me tell you about occultism (ìI know just enough about astrology to be dangerousî). Also, I noticed CBC is talking about the free daily newspapers in Vancouver and the enormous amount of trash they create.

(http://www.upinontario.com/mt/archives/000253.html) about this on UpInOntario.com.

Quote: Here’s my question for all three papers. Are you using 100% post-consumer recycled paper? Because if you’re not, I have no interest in supporting you.

What’s the print run and circulation of your paper? How many get thrown out each day? Are the leftovers recycled to make the paper for tomorrow’s rag or are they sitting in land fills.

The environment and the corporation can coexist. I’m sure of it, but, boy, the creativity required to deviate from the status quo seems beyond a lot of businesses.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. I’ve forgotten my house keys 3 or 4 times in the last 2 days, I’ve lost papers, my mind, forgotten to pick up carpool buddies. Busyness is upon me. I shall try to shake it off.