Qualifiers

I think we need to be careful about the way we label ourselves and others – what qualifiers we give ourselves: whether we are heroes, victims, saints or villains and the way we boast and glorify our accomplishments, virtues and intellect. If extreme terms are used too liberally, they lose their effect. If everybody is a victim, nobody is a victim. If everybody is a hero, nobody can rightfully receive that honor. If everybody is a genius, nobody is. If everybody is exceptional, than nobody is and if everyone you are at odds with is a villain, than real villains cease to exist. 

Words are important and language is the instrument we use to communicate. The use of proper and accurate descriptors is an important skill that can be powerful, but if misused and abused too often has the effect of rendering even the most potent terms to be meaningless. As an example, we’ve heard the word “awesome” used so many times to describe so many ordinary things, that nothing we call “awesome” is extraordinary anymore.