Joe, you correctly focus on the bastardization of the word “journey.” I am focused on the debasement of the word “hero” which seems to have lost its meaning. A hero used to be a person admired for exceptional courage. Nowadays, many who are just performing their jobs are called heroes. As one example, while not to denigrate police, not all of them are heroes; only a few are. As another example, soldiers who are just doing their jobs without extraordinary acts of courage are not heroes; Audie Murphy was a hero. Just my opinion.
I agree, that the distinctiveness of "hero" has been flattened, perhaps out of a cultural tendency to elevate the esteem of people more generally.
Words and concepts I intend to write on in the future, the meanings of which I feel have become inflated, are "trauma," a previously clinical concept, which now seems to signify merely being offended or emotionally hurt. And "victim," which is valorized beyond what the concept and the condition of being a victim rightly entails. Both these changes have brought political ramifications.
Delightful telling of how words might be misused to become way to general and, thereby, devoid of meaning. It reminded me of a George Carlin routine in which he resents the current use of the word "nice." "Have a nice day. That puts all the pressure on me. What if I want a rotten day? How am I supposed to have a nice day? She's nice. He's nice too. Nice is a flabby word. Doesn't give you a lot of information. Iit's like the response to 'how are you?' 'Fine.' Spagetti is fine.'" And so, I appreciate how we might tolerate banal statements as part of conversational commonplaces. But when our emotions are on edge, we want a bit of authenticity. This is one of your best postings.
There are greetings that are what I call "anthropological throwaways," analogous to handshakes and hugs upon meeting and departure. They are formalistic and meant to be devoid of meaningful substance. But, I agree with you, they can cause problems and inhibit the flow of emotions that they are designed to make room for. Most common, but potentially problematic, is the ubiquitous greeting "how are you?" Let's assume when asked, I am feeling miserable. How am I to answer? It may depend on how well I know the inquirer. If the person asking is a distant acquaintance and I respond "fine," I am beset with discomfort that I am not being honest. If I know the person well, I am left with the perplexity of whether I should render a heartfelt, extensive, response or find some way to answer concisely that will not evoke further discussion if that is not what the friend is looking for in the moment. As you note, authenticity may be hard to come by.
I likewise disapprove of the loosening of the bonds of meaning from words like journey. I must admit, however, that to the extent that self-knowledge and learning more generally can fairly be described as a journey because there is a beginning followed by progress towards a goal (if not exactly a resolution), your friendship and your essays play an important role in my own personal journey.
Joe, you correctly focus on the bastardization of the word “journey.” I am focused on the debasement of the word “hero” which seems to have lost its meaning. A hero used to be a person admired for exceptional courage. Nowadays, many who are just performing their jobs are called heroes. As one example, while not to denigrate police, not all of them are heroes; only a few are. As another example, soldiers who are just doing their jobs without extraordinary acts of courage are not heroes; Audie Murphy was a hero. Just my opinion.
I agree, that the distinctiveness of "hero" has been flattened, perhaps out of a cultural tendency to elevate the esteem of people more generally.
Words and concepts I intend to write on in the future, the meanings of which I feel have become inflated, are "trauma," a previously clinical concept, which now seems to signify merely being offended or emotionally hurt. And "victim," which is valorized beyond what the concept and the condition of being a victim rightly entails. Both these changes have brought political ramifications.
I enjoyed your article and your criticism of the ongoing inflation of words like journey
Delightful telling of how words might be misused to become way to general and, thereby, devoid of meaning. It reminded me of a George Carlin routine in which he resents the current use of the word "nice." "Have a nice day. That puts all the pressure on me. What if I want a rotten day? How am I supposed to have a nice day? She's nice. He's nice too. Nice is a flabby word. Doesn't give you a lot of information. Iit's like the response to 'how are you?' 'Fine.' Spagetti is fine.'" And so, I appreciate how we might tolerate banal statements as part of conversational commonplaces. But when our emotions are on edge, we want a bit of authenticity. This is one of your best postings.
There are greetings that are what I call "anthropological throwaways," analogous to handshakes and hugs upon meeting and departure. They are formalistic and meant to be devoid of meaningful substance. But, I agree with you, they can cause problems and inhibit the flow of emotions that they are designed to make room for. Most common, but potentially problematic, is the ubiquitous greeting "how are you?" Let's assume when asked, I am feeling miserable. How am I to answer? It may depend on how well I know the inquirer. If the person asking is a distant acquaintance and I respond "fine," I am beset with discomfort that I am not being honest. If I know the person well, I am left with the perplexity of whether I should render a heartfelt, extensive, response or find some way to answer concisely that will not evoke further discussion if that is not what the friend is looking for in the moment. As you note, authenticity may be hard to come by.
Interesting article.
Many thanks, Jean,
I likewise disapprove of the loosening of the bonds of meaning from words like journey. I must admit, however, that to the extent that self-knowledge and learning more generally can fairly be described as a journey because there is a beginning followed by progress towards a goal (if not exactly a resolution), your friendship and your essays play an important role in my own personal journey.
Many thanks, Ed. Travel on!