I walked into Starbuck’s and ordered a light lunch. The barista was an engaging young woman who added, “Have an amazing day”. As I collected the cheese/cracker/fruit combo, I smiled to myself. The word “amazing” has become a catch-all description for everything from concerts to coffee. The dictionary definition includes the phrase, “to inspire wonder”. I enjoy a hot cappuccino as much as the next person. However, I am unlikely to feel a sense of awe as I drink it. Just as my server proceeded to pepper her speech with “amazing” as she attended to other customers, I thought about the state of language usage today. The current definition of “amazing” should read: beautiful, attractive, tasty, enjoyable, huge, et al, since “amazing” now means anything and everything. My short list there, includes words with distinct meanings. Nevertheless, “distinct meanings” are no longer relevant.
John 1:1 reads: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Greek Logos (Word) identifies the Godhead; Jesus is co-eternal with God. It also establishes the powerful nature of language. No definite article precedes God in the third statement of the passage cited above. There is no ambiguity here. The absence of the definite article makes clear the Word and the Godhead are one and the same. Precision of language makes this profound point. Jesus is the Word. Therefore, the Word is God, a Person, and the source of Creation.
I am perturbed by the sloppy use of language used all around us currently. Humankind appears to be belching its way through life. The above example of language usage today serves as a metaphor: carelessness in word choice corresponds to a haphazard lifestyle. There is a sad loss of any sense of occasion these days. Let me provide an example: There is a Habitat for Humanity nearby. My husband and I have donated pieces of furniture there. As I spoke to one of their volunteers, after our transaction, the friendly woman observed a lack of interest in antiques from old dressers to delicate china pieces. Generally, IKEA fits the bill for furniture here one day and gone the next. The same holds true for clothes. The opera? Wear jeans. Yardwork? Wear jeans. Again, where is the sense of occasion? I remember Thanksgiving dinners during my childhood/youth. My mother took her best dishes out of the cabinet. The table was flanked by candles and flowers. “But” you might say, “women are working out of the home now.” Nothing new about that. My mother worked outside of the home during the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, child-bearing women often identify themselves as some special breed, as if no one dealt with the raising of children before. My mother had no nanny, for that matter, no husband either (absentee husband and father).
I do not wish to cast aspersions on hardworking parents—rather, to provide a little reality check. While much has changed in our society, some things have not.
