Common Usage “Honesty” At its most basic, “honesty” refers to the quality of being truthful and sincere. You tell the truth, you don’t deceive, you’re straightforward. If you find a wallet and return it with the cash intact, that’s honesty in action. This is Honesty 101. But “honesty,” a virtue prized across cultures, radiates into…
Words
Respect
Common Usage “Respect” At its most basic, “respect” refers to a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. You respect a skilled artist, a courageous leader, or a brilliant scientist. This is Respect 101. But “respect,” a cornerstone of social interaction, extends its influence far beyond simple…
Reflect
Common Usage “Reflect” At its most basic, “reflect” means to throw back light, heat, sound, or an image without absorbing it. A mirror reflects your face, a still pond reflects the sky, a shiny surface reflects sunlight. This is Reflect 101. But language, in its luminous wisdom, has allowed “reflect” to bounce into numerous metaphorical…
Pause
Okay, here’s a post about the word “pause,” following your template: Common Usage “Pause” At its most basic, a pause refers to a temporary stop in action or speech. You’re watching a movie, the phone rings, you hit “pause.” You’re talking, you lose your train of thought, you pause. This is Pause 101. But language,…
Feedback
Common Usage “Feedback” At its most basic, feedback is information returned to a source, often about an action or process, with the implied purpose of influencing future actions. Your Roomba bumps into a chair, its sensors provide feedback, and it (hopefully) changes direction. This is Feedback 101, the robot vacuum edition. But because humans are…
Context
Common Usage “Context” At its most fundamental, context refers to the circumstances, conditions, or surrounding information that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed. It’s the “everything else” that tells you what “this particular thing” actually means. You find a single…
Acknowledge
Common Usage “Acknowledge” At its most basic, to acknowledge is to accept or admit the existence or truth of something. It’s the verbal or non-verbal nod that says, “Yes, I see that thing/person/problem/email you just lobbed into my reality.” You receive a package, you acknowledge its receipt, hopefully before your porch pirate does. This is…
Understand
Common Usage “Understand” At its most basic, to understand is to perceive or grasp the meaning of something. You hear a sentence in a language you know, and your brain (ideally) decodes it into something other than confusing noise. This is Understanding 101, the gateway to not looking completely bewildered most of the time. But…
Perspective
Common Usage “Perspective” At its most tangible, perspective is how you make a flat drawing look like it has depth, making parallel lines converge at a vanishing point on the horizon so your stick figures don’t just float in an existential void. It’s the visual trick that convinces your eye that a drawing of a…
Intent
Common Usage “Intent” At its most straightforward, intent is your purpose, your aim, the grand design behind your actions, or at least what you tell yourself you’re trying to achieve. It’s the mental blueprint you (supposedly) consult before you open your mouth or, God forbid, do something. “My intent was to order a small coffee,…