WATCH THOSE BUZZ-WORDS!

BUT KEEP AN EYE ON THOSE WHO OVERUSE THIS WORD!

This summer has been especially difficult. Usually I head for cooler climes during the "dog days," but I decided to stay home and tough it out this year.

Today, I got up early,watered plants and swept both front and back patios before the temperatures became too blistering. Coming back inside, I made a beeline for my easy chair and kicked back with a big glass of water in an effort to stay hydrated.

For some reason, my old chair has become a medium for opening the repository of my mind, where reside what I have thought to be long-forgotten smidgins of information, both theoretical and practical.  Lately, early morning coffee sessions with my lovely wife have seemed to take on an etymological flavor; and, perhaps because of that reason, my mind drifted to a couple of words locked away in my subconsciousness.

A ROMAN OF NO LITTLE "GRAVITAS"

I recall when I first heard the word "gravitas."  It was in a history course at the University of Arkansas. The word is of  Latin origin and has to do with seriousness or dignity. For example, Romans of the early Republic were a very serious and dignified lot, hence they conducted themselves with much gravitas.

Just a few years ago, I began hearing talking heads and public figures speaking of gravitas.  It was as though the word had somehow become trendy, and attracted a good many folks who wanted us to to think they were dignified and serious.  And, just as quickly as it appeared in common parlance, that word has fallen off the etymological radar screen.

And here's a word that makes me leery each time I hear it:  "transparency."  I wish I had a dollar for every time I've encountered that one.  In my own profession of higher education, that used to be a buzz-word among college presidents, as in they were eager to have "transparent administrations." However, more often than not, transparency does not prevail in the dog-eat-dog politics of higher education these days.

And then there is the field of politics, an area of endeavor that often euphemistically goes by the moniker of "public service."  Certainly, we all would favor transparency in government, as that would imply that back-room deals and corruption are out of favor.  Nevertheless, at least in recent years, those proclaiming transparency seem to be the least transparent of public servants in recent memory.

As we prepare ourselves to go "mano a mano" with the proponents of a healthcare district for our county, it is important for us to constantly ask why they were not more transparent in the way they went about chauffeuring the measure through the state legislature.  If this proposition is so needed and necessary, where were the town halls and meetings with citizens to sell the idea?  Could it be that important interests who want a healthcare district were more important in this regard than John Q. Public?  Surely not!