A Not-So-Austere Wish for 2011

Photo by Shannon Conrad.

“When I use a word, Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”
"The question is, said Alice, whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
"The question is, said Humpty Dumpty, which is to be master, that’s all.”

-Lewis Carroll

This week, Merriam-Webster released its Word of the Year for 2010. Amidst all of our belt-tightening during this Great Recession, it is no coincidence that the word they chose is “austerity.” Defined as “the quality or state of being austere,” “an austere act, manner, or attitude,” “an ascetic practice,” and “enforced or extreme economy,” Humpty Dumpty might be right at home with the word. Not the most pleasant set of circumstances, to be sure. Individuals, corporations and governments, alike, have all had implement some type of austerity measures in the last few years. But sometimes, as in design, austerity is a good quality. Unfortunately, in 2010, austerity, at times, moved outside of economic measures and into our public discourse. While we were watching our wallets, we also tightened our political and religious belts so tight that we nearly suffocated any reasonable dialogue. Sometimes austerity is a practical measure in the face of reality, but sometimes it just belies our deepest fears.

How about we take a seat on the couch, loosen those belts a little and see what we might be able to do to end 2011 with a more pleasant word. What might that word be? I’m no prognosticator, but in the spirit of making resolutions and predictions this time of year, or just putting forth some wishful thinking, I propose the following as a good candidate:

ABUNDANCE

an ample quantity, profusion; affluence, wealth; relative degree of plentifulness.

A good synonym for austerity, for me, “abundance” conjures up images of treasure houses filled with gold, baskets overflowing with juicy, green apples, rainforests lush with flora and fauna, pantries stocked with healthy food and a few guilty pleasures, or a bank account with enough money to pay the bills, have some fun and know that a leaking roof, a broken hot water heater or a flat tire won’t force a decision between making the repairs and feeding one’s family.

While all of these images are nice, my wish for 2011 is that we find an abundance of love, forgiveness and acceptance in our world. We have made it through the first decade of the 21st century, and I think it is time that we begin to move away from the strictures of modernism or the vagaries of post-modernism toward an understanding that we share common goals, but that the paths to those goals are many. My wish for 2011 is that we continue to recognize that there are many ways to love, that we can all readily forgives our trespassers whether the trespass occurred yesterday or centuries ago, and that we can openly accept the beautiful diversity of this world and the powerful contributions each of us can make through that diversity.

So, before we let our Humpty Dumpty fall to his irreparable fate, I hope we will choose abundance over austerity – and mean every word of it.

What would be your Word of the Year 2011? What do you wish for the New Year?