Word War.

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Mediocre isn’t a word that is in most people’s vocabulary, but when push comes to shove, most people would opt to use average. In certain instances, “mediocre” means “below average”, but in the context of most dialogues I have heard, it seems that they are one and the same. In a sluggish and stable adjustment, however, average now isn’t good enough.

Words, as powerful as they are, can be uncomfortable tools of expression. For all the developments we have had experienced in the past decades, our ability to convey or form coherent thoughts is still one of the few things that can throw us off target.

Admit it or not, our vocabulary plays a special part in how we treat people and how we want people to treat us. In fact, at times, we use it more than to express what we say, and to clearly delineate the line of pseudo-intellectual ascendancy. Why write “cranky” when one can go with “cantankerous”? Why write “diligent” when you have “assiduous” in your arsenal? Why go with “average” when you can command “mediocre”?

But when it comes to personal description, the use of words is oftentimes reversed because each word brings with it certain beliefs and certain actions. “Average” is a nice, comfortable place to live in, but definitely not “mediocre”. It becomes a tad amusing how we mask so many parts of our lives by using euphemisms,  half-hoping that people hear our silent cry, and half-hoping that they don’t.

In the end, we use words that we are comfortable with, not because we want to display a sense of intellectual dominance, but mainly due to the influences that have shaped our beliefs. But the best among us, at least those who collectively mold our psyche for the better or otherwise, are those people who use words to understand, move, and inspire. Words, with the attendant actions, can thus become the conduit of personal and social change.

Words: they are so sharp, they can cut you.