Words of Wisdom... Or, Not

Words are a funny thing.  Much like the people who use them, they have unique characteristics that set them apart from others.  Words have a dictionary definition, of course, but they also have a common definition - one that is generally accepted at any given time.  Words usually fall into social groups - like people, as well - some are cool and exciting, some are boring, some colorful, some are even offensive.

They are much like the people who use them. As such, they have an origin and a history, just like like we do.  Also like us, what they mean/are today may be somewhat different that what they meant/were in the past.

Words used as classifications, labels or for derogatory purposes take on a life of their own.  These are the "popular" words... The ones everyone wants to be seen with.  These are the words that get our attention and our emotions flowing.

Take, for example, the word "awesome!"  Everyone seems to love it, and it is used more often than other words meaning "extremely wonderful" these days.  However, it quite literally means "some awe," which would equate to "fairly impressive," but nowhere near amazing.  On the other hand, the word "aweful" has quite a negative connotation, meaning terrible or horrible.  In truth, awful means full of awe.  It was neither positive nor negative in origin.  Rather, it was intended to describe something overwhelming.  But, in 2016, you would be looked at cross-eyed if you used the term awful to describe your feelings about the miracle of birth, for example... Though, that could simply be a matter of perspective.😊

When I was growing up, the term "corn hole" was generally used in a derogatory or vulgar manner.  Today it is the name of a very popular tailgate/party game played by young and old alike, using bean bags. The term has transformed over time from something ugly and negative to popular and positive.

Thus, depending on the decade, country, or even region of your birth you may interpret and/or react to words quite differently than others.  Bottom line, we should always meet people where they are - generationally, culturally, and individually.  If you are unable to simply use other words to describe a word, you don't really know what it means.  So, either research its origin and history or rid it from your vocabulary altogether.  

If a word offends someone,  don't waste time arguing about whether or not it should be offensive.  Instead, seek to understand why it is so to him or her.  Conversely, if you are offended by a word, seek to understand why it's speaker does not believe it to be offensive. [it goes without saying, of course, if the speaker's intent was to offend you, you need not waste another minute of your beautiful life trying to understand the meaning of the word(s) used.]  In general, the most outward sign of respect we can offer any other human being with whom we disagree is to seek to understand his/her perspective.

Of course, words are only a small part of face-to-face communication... But, we'll leave that subject for another day...