Author: Andrew Livingstone

There are four or five separate uses of this rather unusual word:

• verb rare to stand or insist too much or too long; overstay (your welcome?)
• verb transitive to stand too strictly on the demands or conditions of.
• verb yachting: to sail to the mark at a wider angle than is the normal upwind angle, to go beyond the layline
• verb : to have complete or intuitive comprehension, to ‘grok’??

For our purposes, we will take the last of these.

Overstand – as a verb, to ‘overstand’ is to have complete and/or intuitive comprehension – to ‘grok’

From Middle English                                       overstonden,

from Old English                                             oferstandan     (“to stand over”),

equivalent to over- +‎ stand.

Cognate with Dutch                                        overstaan        (“to stand over”), or

German                                                           überstehen      (“to stand through, survive”).

As we now live separated from the present Crown mercantile corruption, we shall likely need to use this word, as a verb (that is, a ‘doing’ word), when we are confronted by Crown bullies.

As an example – Let’s say we are detained by a constable or an officer. Perhaps s/he thinks that we have been very naughty, that we have disobeyed one of their many ‘statutes’. After some discussion, we may be ‘reported’ to some corporate ‘authority’, or, if they think we have been very naughty, our movements will be restricted by handcuffs (‘bracelets’ if you are living in the ‘smoke’). Then you may hear a word of ‘caution’, which usually goes something like this:

“I am arresting you for (for dangerous thinking – contrary to some new-fangled ‘sticking-plaster’ rule, statute or REGulation?). You are not obliged to say anything, but what you DO say may be taken down (nowadays they mean ‘recorded’ on that secret device pinned to their fancy-dress) and used in evidence. Do you understand?”

To which you, as a free livingstone wo/man, living to commonsense standards, will then respond with:

“No, I overstand what you are claiming!” meaning that ‘I do NOT agree, nor do I consent’.

Always remember our ‘oath’ and our ‘manifesto – see below:

“We are not a political party nor are we a religious cult; we are simply a group of living beings, flesh and blood, spiritually united in heart and soul. We stand as individuals yet built together under a common, natural law, which is shared by all, owned by none and which is superior to any statute. We each have a personal commitment, divinely inspired, to do no harm, to cause no loss to others, to commit no fraud and to keep the peace.”

This is our manifesto

‘Be without fear – even in the face of our enemies.

Be brave and upright that your god may love you.

Speak Truth always even if it leads to your death.

Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong’.

This is our Oath

We wish all livingstones a positive, victorious New Year in this 2024, our motto this year is:

       ‘Live as if someone left the gate open’!!