What I have learned this year #10 – some more new words

Throughout the year, I have posted blogs with words that are new to me along with their meanings and/or accepted usage. Previous post here.

Quotidian/kwɒˈtɪdɪən,kwəʊˈtɪdɪən/adjective

1. of or occurring every day; daily. “the car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic”
2. MEDICINE – denoting the malignant form of malaria.

That escalated quickly!

Scheme – Obviously I know this word, but I recently saw an exchange on Facebook whereby two Canadians were critical of an English newspaper article that talked about the #askforangela ‘scheme’ – an initiative that hopes to provide an avenue of escape for anyone who is on a date or in a club/pub who is at risk of sexual assault/abuse or abduction. They simply go to the bar/DJ and ask ‘Is Angela working tonight?’ and the staff (should) know to call police or provide a safe, discreet exit for the person. So the Canadians were affronted that it was being called a scheme as to their minds this was a derogatory term synonymous with con-artists and scams. bzzzt – wrong. It’s amazing how words can have their meanings bastardised over time. Even ‘bastardised’ is an interesting word that I probably shouldn’t use…

And then we have the incorrect use of the term Materialist. Another word that has been adopted for use that is slightly different from its original use, i.e. Do people say materialist when they mean consumerist?

materialist/məˈtɪərɪəlɪst/noun

1. a person who considers material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.”greedy materialists lusting for consumer baubles”
2. PHILOSOPHY – a person who supports the theory that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications. “an atheist and philosophical materialist”

Thanks to The Good Place, I have revived my interest in Philosophy (which waned when I got fed up with constantly listening to what MEN throughout history had to say on the topic…

So yes, a show on Netflix sparked my interest in ethics. And no, they have not mentioned ONE FEMALE PHILOSOPHER as far as I know, but there is a female Main character and the cast is almost 50/50 male and female. The main character, Eleanor, is bootstrapping an ethics education.

And that brings me to Bootstrapping which I have heard on just about every podcast I have listened to this year!

bootstrap/ˈbuːtstrap/verbgerund or present participle: bootstrapping -startup (an Internet-based business or another enterprise) with minimal financial resources.

Some ideas I need to think more on…

intertextuality/ˌɪntətɛkstʃʊˈalɪti/noun – the relationship between texts, especially literary ones

metafiction/ˈmɛtəfɪkʃ(ə)n/noun –fiction in which the author self-consciously alludes to the artificiality or literariness of a work by parodying or departing from novelistic conventions and traditional narrative techniques. “the followers of Borges had retreated into airless metafiction” This hurts my brain. Have just found this site… yet another place to while away the hours…study.com

Maximalism as a trend in art and interior design. No thanks… Come to think of it in literature, The Game of Thrones books could probably be described as Maximalism.

Moral elevation is a specific emotion or state that individuals sometimes experience after they witness or hear about a virtuous act-an act in which someone showed unexpected compassion, forgiveness, understanding, and altruism. After individuals experience this state, they become more altruistic and helpful. I think social media can be a force for good as we shift as a species away from ME to WE.

Jonathan Haidt and the www.openmindplatform.org – anyone in education, leadership, and management would benefit from this programme and Haidt’s brilliant writing and talks.

Siloing – in business terms – it occurs when departments or management groups do not share information, goals, tools, priorities, and processes with other departments. The silo mentality is believed to impact operations, reduce employee morale and may contribute to the overall failure of a company or its products and culture. I once worked in a company so siloed they were prepared to cripple one department because it wasn’t ‘cool’ even though the collapse of that department would have huge ramifications for the other ‘cooler’ departments.

Something to ponder…

Creativity is a verb not a noun.

You are more interesting and less interesting than you think you are. I didn’t say this but I have it written in my notes and cannot recall (out of the 1000+ podcasts I’ve listened to this year…)

Knowledge isn’t power, it’s potential ~ Tony Robbins

Uncertainty is where the real juice is, but creating a schedule is crucial for success as a writer…mmmm

It’s the struggle with the false self that reveals the true self ~ Father Richard Rohr.