The Magic of Words

Recently i had a discussion with a friend of mine about words. I don't ofter talk about this topic with people because i frequently get people who either can not keep up or do not care what i have to say. But since this is my blog and it has been on my mind, I will share my thoughts here.

Words are increadable! They hold such amazing power to create and destroy. People use words not only to communicate feelings but also to manipulate and deceive. And if you look into what words really mean, there is ofter more too each word than you might think. If you dig beneath the surface, you may find words that are often used have more meaning than most people realize.

For instance, the word that started this conversation between me and my friend was the word EMPTY. thefreedictionary.com defines Empty in the following ways.

emp·ty (mpt)
1.
a. Holding or containing nothing.
b. Mathematics Having no elements or members; null: an empty set.
2. Having no occupants or inhabitants; vacant: an empty chair; empty desert.
3. Lacking force or power: an empty threat.
4. Lacking purpose or substance; meaningless: an empty life.
5. Not put to use; idle: empty hours.
6. Needing nourishment; hungry: "More fierce and more inexorable far/Than empty tigers or the roaring sea" (Shakespeare).
7. Devoid; destitute: empty of pity.

Just this simple word is used to describe so many things. Empty describes so much and so little at the same time. While it one sense it describes a void a something, in another sense it describes quite a large emotion that can ofter take over people's lives. It is a powerful and dominant word. "The bucket is empty." "I feel empty without you in my life." "His threats are always empty." All of these describe equally strong but different used of this simple little word.

I am amazed that something that is supposed to describe nothing, describes very large things. It holds much more meaning that most people take the time to think about.

My favorite word is DEHUMANIZATION. There are 2 reasons for that.
1. The very word makes me wonder how one can dehumanize another? because....
2. It makes me wonder what are the qualities that make one human (other than the physical)?

Words that make me think are always my favorite. Dehumanizing someone (or a group of someones) implies that there is a common something that makes us all ACT human. So what is it? Is it something so obvious that it is right in front of my face? Is it the very ability to ask these questions that makes one human? And if you find that quality that makes one human, how do you take it away from someone?

(see here from more information on dehumanization )

Other words that i love are ones with a great amount of history behind them. One that my friend brought up during our conversation was SERENDIPITY. Wikipedia describes Serendipity as "the effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something fortunate, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated." This concept shows up in many historical and mythological places. And the idea of Serendipity has shown up in modern medicine and scientific study with great frequency! History often makes a word and the idea behind it much more interesting.

What are your favorite words? Are there any words that make you think? question? research and find the true meaning or origin?

Alexandra