Tag Archives: cowardly

Dastardly

Dastardly: (adj) cowardly; meanly base; sneaking

I don’t mind losing words from the English language. I’m not sentimental.

If for some reason one can’t survive the evolution from generation to generation, it doesn’t bother me.

Yet I am fully aware that the loss of certain terms does leave us vacuous and ill-prepared to deal with what the idea foretold.

The word “dastardly” was popular well before my time.

It started somewhere in the Renaissance and ended post-American Civil War.

But if you listen to the definition, you are granted a tremendous insight on what vices travel together as a gang—and how, in doing so, they generate peculiar and unique forms of evil.

It struck me that “sinister” begins with cowardice.

“I’m afraid to deal with it.”

“I’m afraid of the outcome.”

“I’m afraid it won’t work.”

“I’m afraid I’ll get blamed.”

Once this cowardice sets in, a mean-spiritedness raises its ugly head in a defensive profile.

“Why is it my problem?”

“Why didn’t they take care of it before I came along?”

“Why is everybody blaming me?”

“Why doesn’t he get off his ass and do something?”

Then, once cowardly links up with mean, you arrive at sneaky.

“How can I make myself look good while simultaneously making you look bad, so there’s no doubt whose fault it is?”

So even though we’ve walked away from the word “dastardly,” and nowadays have even substituted “tough” in its stead, maybe we should take a moment to realize that when someone is cowardly, sprouting a mean spirit, they eventually will find a sneaky angle to get their way—and probably make you and me look ridiculous in the process.

 

Acquiescent

Words from Dic(tionary)

by J. R. Practix

dictionary with letter AAcquiescent: (adj.) a person who is ready to accept something without protest or to do what someone else wants: e.g. the unions were acquiescent and there was no overt conflict.

I sat and stared at that word for at least ten minutes.

I tried to imagine a climate or situation where being acquiescent had completely positive overtones. I understand that we believe it does.

For instance, I remember that when I had teenage sons I often wanted them to be acquiescent. But looking back on it now that they are all grown, I see that their lack of compliance was often the signal of a creative explosion within them which was NOT grounded in rebellions, but rather, was ordained by the priest of inspiration.

  • Is it possible to be acquiescent and be strong?
  • How about acquiescent and driven?
  • Acquiescent and earth-changing?
  • Acquiescent and a true son of God?

I just don’t know.

Certainly there are times when I want to be the peace giver and the peace provider for situations which are rife with volatility. But actually, these occasions are so rare that it’s barely worth bringing up. Most of the time there needs to be a strength that is baptized in mercy, anointed with resolve and willing to express grace.

But that’s not really acquiescent, now, is it?

When I think of acquiescent, I think of a span of nearly forty years in this country–from 1820 to 1860–when political men of good will allowed for slavery to continue in an attempt to keep everything running on an even keel and to avoid the horror of conflict and war. They compromised. They allowed a whole generation of black Americans to be born, to live, to suffer and die in chains in order to maintain an amiable, uneasy peace.

It was not destined to be.

There you go. Acquiescence only works when we are destined to give in to an inevitable truth. To give in to a lie in order to prevent upheaval is not acquiescence.

It’s just cowardly.