The Beginning

Have you noticed that people constantly, and wrongly,overuse very powerful words? Word like genius, obsession, addiction, trauma, etc…? Why do people do this?

The Problem

When you overuse these words, you slowly alter the true meaning of the word. And I understand that languages change overtime, for various reasons, but why should we delibaretly devlue a powerful word like “genius”? If half a population is labeled as “genius”, then there is no “genius”. A genius in a field comes a few times every generation. If someone is somewhat profficient in some field, it doesn’t make them a genius! Instead, it makes them somewhat profficient in that field. Everything is relative.

The Solution

… isn’t easy. Simple, maybe, but not easy. Be more careful with your vocabulary. Next time you want to use a superlative, think it through; does the subject merit the superlative of said adjective? Probably not. Next time you want to say you “hate” something, reconsider that feeling. A linguistically enhancing, and potentially spiritually enhancing, would be to not use the word “hate” for a week. You can replace that word with “dislike”, “avoid”, “prefer not”, “refrain”, etc… Find creative ways to rebuild your speech, you won’t regret it!

A Picture Of An Actual Genius

Image: Dickenson V. Alley, Nikola Tesla, with his equipment, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.