Words can be twisted and turned to mean
most anything. However, the fact of the word and its definitions
can't be disputed. What follows is an attempt to put some perspective on a word that we tend to see as a matter of weakness, a person who is a victim. What follows shows that it's also a word that applies to those with much power who victimize others while attempting to make themselves the victim.
When I sit and watch television or go
to the movies, one thing that appears to be laced in just about all
of what I see -- the point that appears to underlie so many story
lines, plots and news stories -- involves cowardliness in one form or
another.
Now, before I go on and people begin to
lose direction, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. This is NOT
about pointing fingers, nor is it about saying this is what people
want to see or any other manner of attempting to form a negative
opinion about media for doing it. Rather, this is an attempt to bring
something to the readers attention -- as well as my own -- something
that can allow us to, perhaps, see things in a different light than
we might, otherwise, perceive, that a story line, plot or news story
might direct us.
So, let's begin with the term of
coward, cowardly, cowardliness. When I look at the definition in
dictionaries, I see 'with tail between the legs', 'destitute of
courage', 'timidity', 'wanting courage', 'not brave'. I see that
cowardly 'implies a weak or ignoble, pusillanimous, mean-spirited and
contemptible lack of courage', or 'the cowardly or skulking
commission of an outrageous crime', or 'cowardly submission under a
threat'.
When I saw the word pusillanimous, my
first reaction: Where did that word come from?
My second reaction: What a cool
sounding word, wonder what it means?
The third reaction brought me to the
first step of what follows. I checked, and the definition I saw, goes
like this: Destitute of manly strength and firmness of mind;
cowardly; weak or mean-spirited; arising from weakness of spirit and
want of courage.'
Destitute of manly strength. Part of me
worried about offending. However, when I think of the term, I
realized something rather quickly. Manly here, means that of man,
which includes woman by the virtue of man being included in both. I
do have thoughts on this topic of how we, man and woman, treat one
another, but that's for another time. Here, I hope to continue with
the definition at hand, coward, pusillanimous. Consequently, a touch
of cowardliness I will bring to the topic of men and women (male and
female), but that's for another time, as well.
So, with the terms out before us, a
coward is not only someone who hides from a fight, does not stand up
for his beliefs, cowers when challenged. In essence, someone who
tucks tail between the legs and runs.
A coward is also someone who lies and
doesn't own up to it, cheats in an effort to get away with it, steals
what doesn't belong to the person.
A coward is also someone who is weak or
mean-spirited -- pusillanimous. In other words, takes advantage of a
situation where they are stronger than the other, whether this has to
do with having more money, physical strength, political power, or
just knows how to speak in such a way to make sure they appear more
correct than someone else, and not by facts but, rather, the use of
popular opinion -- group think is a good communications term for it
-- or popular belief; and popular opinion and belief tends to lead to
greater confusion, a safe place to appear a hero without being
heroic.
My point: A person who makes sure the
situation they put themselves in, protects them while bringing harm
to others. This is a coward. Someone who doesn't want to work in
truth but, rather, in advantage.
People can twist this to make
themselves appear the offended as opposed to the offender. Right now,
people can point the finger at examples. None of that matters.
The truth of it is in the point. When
we watch a news story that's sensationalized, we're receiving a
coward's version of the story. Or a news story, that shows a heinous
crime without following it through to the actual conclusion or
skewing the conclusion, we're receiving a coward's version. When we
see television show or movie where a politician uses their influence
for an outcome that serves them over the common good, we witness a
story about a coward. When we see a politician point the finger at
another within the same government to appear correct, we witness a
coward.
A movie where an individual stalks
around and kills others while staying in the shadows for cover, we do
NOT witness strength. Rather, we witness a coward, weak and
mean-spirited, destitute of strength or courage.
Bottom line, a coward is a liar, a
thief, a cheat, and a person who holds others up to the highest
standards of perfection, while they point the finger at others. This
coward wishes for everyone else to accept that they're not perfect,
that they're human, and not what they truly are, cowards; and they agree with the truth of appearances, as long as they're on
top.
There's more, but it's a start......
