Word of the Year

Every year (apparently), a number of dictionaries proclaim "the Word of the Year".  For example, Collins Dictionary named "permacrisis" as its 2022 Word of the Year.  "Permacrisis" is defined as "an extended period of instability and insecurity."  Certainly we can appreciate their sentiment!  It seems that we've been through crisis after crisis these past three years.  Remember the Australian forest fires that were so widespread starting in September 2019 and lasting through January 2020?  from 2019 to 2020?  At the time, many of us thought that would have been the news story of the year, especially in light of the ongoing political arguments over global warming.  But then along came something known as SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, which as of today (almost three years to the date when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic - officially on March 11, 2020) has killed over 6.86 million individuals worldwide.  Many of us in the United States have never experienced a Presidential election year quite as contentious as the one that occurred on November 3, 2020.  And no American has ever witnessed something like the January 6, 2021.  These last couple of years have brought an unprecedented increase in mass shootings, police shootings, and hate crimes.  We've experienced labor shortages.  We've experienced supply chain shortages.  And just this past Friday, two large banks in the U.S. collapsed. We seem to be bouncing from one crisis to the next.  In other words, "permacrisis" seems to be an appropriate "Word of the Year".    

Just as interesting, perhaps, the Oxford English Dictionary named "goblin mode" as its 2022 Word of the Year.  "Goblin mode" is slang term that is defined as "a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."  And similarly, Merriam-Webster's 2022 Word of the Year was "gaslighting", defined as "the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage."  The important point though is this - don't let the "permacrisis" give you an excuse to go into "goblin mode" or "gaslight" someone.  We should all remember to treat others in the way we would want to be treated.  We should all remember to BE KIND.