Most Confused Words!
One fine morning in my childhood (now that was not long ago), a person asked me the difference between A Cinema, A Theatre, A Movie, a Film and a Play.
I had to really struggle to give answers. Probably that was my innocence (or arrogance etc) to make a simple task a hard one, but I definitely have overcome my innocence (not arrogance though).
These are some words we normally use these words without actually understanding the fuller meaning.
Sensitivity:
There was this lady who used to cry like hell one someone died in around her neighborhood. You see she was very sensitive. Or was she? Most people tend to confuse ATTACHMENT and sensitivity.
Sensitivity is joy – The wonderful zero, the great screw (and to bind it you’ve got a nut), a broom stick, a micro chip, a dead leaf, a blooming bud, a whole hearted laugh, a lovely touch… and if you had a smile while reading this (or if you cursed me) that is what makes you sensitive. Not your attachments.
Responsibility:
‘I have so many responsibilities, I can’t take more’. This is one common thing we hear from Teenagers or teenage mentalities. ‘The ability to respond to a situation’ – that is Responsibility (Courtesy: Stephen R Covey)
Self Respect:
Self Respect is something that I never understand, probably because I never had it. But to me it definitely is not what people tend to say it is. “How can I sweep my home, when there are women to do the job?” Definitely this is not self respect. “I don’t use someone else’s money, and won’t let them use mine?” Good this as good as “don’t touch me I won’t touch you” Now how is this self respect?
Selflessness:
Hmmppph…there is so much in movies about this selflessness…sacrifice, leave, give out. And they quote Mother Theresa as an example. Excuse me! Give me a break. Mother Theresa couldn’t bear the pain to see people suffering. And so she started helping them out. Now tell me who was she helping first – HER pain or people or both. No more comments on this.
Discipline:
Discipline – The art of being a disciple. Discipline was last practiced on the earth when people would listen to one another. Now this word is used for different kinds of purposes and is highly confused with ‘order’
Hope:
“When you have done everything you can, and you have nothing more to do” and still want the result in your favor – that’s when you hope. Basically the word is very hopeless.
Belief:
Belief is assumed truth. Now you should understand why people fight. It is because their ‘assumptions’ differ. Eg: Hindu, Muslim etc
Love:
No words, the more I try to describe it the more I will be confusing myself.
Egoism:
Ego is I. In the Hindu mythology there is a saying “Aham Brahmasmi”. “ I is God”.
‘Egoism’ is one word that is definitely used in the most wrong way. Egoism is the act of being self. Don’t confuse it with ‘egotism’ which means ‘thinking high of self’. More about it in the next few words.
Integrity/Individuality/Intelligence/Intellect:
I don’t know what they mean. Definitely I don’t have any of it. But funny thing is they all start with ‘I’. Recall what I said – “I is God” and more funnily it is pronounced as ‘E’ in all the four words. ‘E’ starts off another word ‘Ego’.
Integrity is Oneness. Individuality is about being Undivided. Intellect is knowledge and Intelligence is Knowledge of Knowledge.
If a person has any three from the above characters and misses ONE, he is the most dangerous human you have come across.
And Egoism, Love, Self Respect all stand for only that person who has all of the ‘4I’s. I’m yet to meet one such person.
But you see, I hope to see, but I don’t believe I will find one such person, because I’m so self respected that I don’t have the sensitivity or the love to find such person, and I don’t think it is my Responsibility. (Or is it?)
Don’t worry about the last sentence, it is just made up to show my language skills 
.
But I hope the next time we make use of these words, we know what they mean. Otherwise probably we are saying something that we don’t intend to mean.
Point taken… (Though I referred my dictionary to see if you got it right !!
)
“No Wonder, English is a Funny Language”
Probably, this happens because of the way we teach/learn English. We go thru a word, get its meaning.. but don’t know where to use it.
Where as in the Western culture.. People are taught the usage of the word than anything else.
Let me take an example.. My niece can tell 1 to 10 without interruption (and we all feel happy that she knows 1 to 10); but when asked to bring 2 books, she doesn’t understand what the number 2 refers to
No doubt.. we Indians have the best Education system in the world, but add more practicality to things and we can do better.
Sidd
29 Dec 06 at 12:16 am
Hi Pets,
I am very poor in the art of praising. But, one thing for sure – your article is really thought provoking.
After going through the article I have one doubt which I think you can clarify [even partially].
Krishna says do but with ‘no expectations’. Many people claim they do things with ‘no expectations’ and they say they do it to achieve so called ‘perfection’. Some say they love [their wife of husband, or parents] with ‘no expectations’. Is there anything like ‘no expectations’? Or everything in this world is done ‘with expectations’?
Please answer it.
Mohan Krishna
29 Dec 06 at 12:49 am
Hi Peta,
While I read this, something struck me hard. I feel that the words which according to you are confusing are not really so. they are deliberately manipulated and misused to come out of certain trivial situations. Also if you look closely all the attributes that you talked about especially, sensitivity, responsibility, selflessness, discipline and love are expected more from the women. I mentioned this point to just add a new perspective to the issue. Think about it!
Sue
29 Dec 06 at 1:00 am
hi,
This article just reminds me one thing- definitions are perfectly subjective. But appreciative that there is something called a dictionary so that everyone can start defining words according to their wish.
no comments about the article as it attempts to say something but not successfully. So I just take the essence of it and for me the essence is ’stop jumping into conclusions when ppl talk…for everyone every word has a diff meaning. Just read eyes…they are not deceptive. Words may find many replacements but not eyes’
Sowmya
29 Dec 06 at 1:27 am
I agree that ” Language ” is the means for communicaion but
misuse of a single word may change the essense of the whole sentence . That is where & when every individual takes his own meaning from that, and from there the meaning becomes very subjective.
A good writer/ speaker is the one who conveys his message in such a way that the reader/listener gets what the writer/speaker intends.
Well if the director presents a movie then he needs to make sure that the viewers get the gist of the movie and understand what he intends to present. Take off one scene from a movie and see it. Will you be satisfied with it?
I do accept that the point of view of every person differs but try and understand the authors’ / writers’ / directors’ point of view too ………that would lead you to the right conclusion.
Smile
29 Dec 06 at 6:04 am
Well , I think you didn’t get me . Please read it again yaar………….
Without words , where is summary and if the meaning (of a single word) differs then summary also differs .
Note that I am not talking about the meaning or essence of sentence/word. But I am talking of the usage of a word. Some times its origin is lost because we misuse it.That is what I mean ………..now again its upto u to take it in your own way ok
Smile
2 Jan 07 at 2:35 am
I disagree with you about those definitions. That is not how I see those words. But I deem very useful such discussion, fro the clouds that disappear in consequence.
In particular, I loved the “assumed truth” as definition of belief. Indeed clarifying.
Now, the ugly part (i.e., my opinions):
Individuality is oneness;
Integrity is stability of the individuality;
Intellect is the sum of one’s resources to do any thought (knowledge is just a part of the intellect);
Intelligence is the ability to learn (even as knowledge of knowledge helps to be intelligent, it is not the whole concept).
I will not venture into the other words. I once saw “idiosincrasy” applied to groups, but in my language it can only be applied to individuals (this is the “idio” part). IOW, in my language we have to use “peculiarity” for groups.
Another Individual
3 Jan 07 at 9:27 pm
Thanks everyone, especially Prakash & Smile. I didn’t want to impose any word on to any body who is reading the blog.
Sowmya true every word is subjective, ‘hero’ to someone can be villian to some one else (isn’t that the exact meaning of subjectivity – world is only as good as you or I see… but question is just because we haven’t seen god, can we say God doesn’t exist)…what I’m trying to say here is somewhere down the lane, we are so lost talking too much that we really don’t understand how these words are formed…
Funny though it happens with English, when we are talking in mother tongue(any language) we never tend to mean something and say something else. This happens only with English.
Prakash, the problem with words is that we humans are restricted to exchange ideas only through words, and I cannot mean “you are good” by saying “you are bad” can I? …you will understand that I didn’t mean to hurt you, ie., my summary if and only if you have been with me for over a period of time…but what about those who are new to me and yet I have the need to communicate and who will leave me after that? Anyways oxford or any other dictionary give only the most commonly assumed meaning…funny thing is the word responsibility means ‘duty’ in Cambridge dictionary however, every body knows that it is formed by the combination of two words – response and ability…
Gin, as always I keep telling you, you are a bloggers dream. Sue, thanks for the new perspective, MK I’ll try to answer your question. Sidd thanks for your regular comments!
Dear Another Indidvidual, is it OK if I call you A.I. (no pun intended) If you notice the words IC or Integrated System or the verb integrate, you will mean BIND..when we bind few things we will make them ONE… Individuality is obvious…in+dividual…staying undivided…
True I could have been a bit elaborate with intellect and intelligence…intellect is to have the faculty of understanding things…and intelligence is to understand that intellect can always be broken, hence view things as if they were/are completely new…
However of course I have no qualification/nor any intention to argue on this topic, but I’m proud that I’ve got a comment as good as yours.
Thanks.
SKPeta
4 Jan 07 at 12:04 am