Etc.
At times I find my self in conversation with friends, usually by starting off with full gusto but soon the sentence structure changes and I abbreviate the sentence and close it by saying “etc” Either due to impatience in completing the conversation and running off to tasks to be completed or due to a sudden change or lapse of awareness of the moment,the “etc” blurbs out. How much detail of the conversation is missed during the insertion of the word etcetera ?
The etcetera comes from Latin to mean “and other things” or “and so forth.” From the Greek it literally translates to “and the other things.” Lost in translation is my understanding of the term when you do not complete communicating the thoughts of your sentence and simply dismiss the remaining thought into “and other things.” You quickly dissolve what you might have imparted as an interesting idea or an explanation toward a favorable concept into nothingness. Now imagine if you were narrating to a friend about their good qualities ” you are intelligent, smart, kind etc etc” What you have just done is lump all good qualities into one word, namely etc, and diminished the praise into nothing. You might have completed the sentence and said ” you are generous, fun loving and polite” but that is lost in translation and that friend will never know how you truly felt.
Another example is you informing someone that you cannot meet them due to the numerous time sensitive items to be done in the day. The conversation goes something like this “I really cannot meet you today because I have to get the car fixed, pay the bills, etc etc” To the person hearing this conversation is clearly appears that you are just blowing them off. Yet if completed the conversation may have been along the lines of ” I have to also pick up my son from school, and get my daughter to dance practice and visit the sick relative in the hospital.” Now these are all valid legitimate reasons for not meeting due the nature of complex coordination and organization of the commitments, yet the word etc simply finished the sentence abruptly and thereby changing the style of the conversation to one of being flippant.
All too often we place this word etcetera into our subconscious and it propagates into our conscious mind and so we become less and less aware of the moment, as we not only abbreviate our speech but also our own personal thoughts pre speech. By doing so we diminish our experiences. An example. I am rushing around doing numerous activities like grocery shopping, cutting the grass, filling gas etc etc. I do all these chores “and other things” yet I am forgetting about living my life by being present in the moment and so performing fruitful activities such as playing a game of ball with your child who much needs your attention , or saying a nice thing to a perfect stranger, or helping a friend in their time of need. The etcetera might expand on your good personal qualities of mercy, forgiveness, kindness, love, gratitude or abundance. Yet when you do not spell out your conversation you miss something. When you do not be aware of your good qualities and lump them together, you forget to act according to those modes of nature.
On the other hand, when you dwell on negative surroundings such as the bad state of economy, finances, healthcare, or a difficult time in a relationship “etc etc” then this in fact expands and the negativity spreads into every aspect of your life as the universe tries to rationally expand that word etcetera not knowing that you are tagging a non positive connotation to it. Hence the etc spreads to your daily routine in that you are always late, your work in that you cannot get ahead, your personal life in that you are constantly having disputes, just to name a few examples. I would propose that you slow down and finish the thought in your head to completion. Following this you speak clearly and voice out your thoughts. Subsequently, you follow through with simple and honest actions. No misunderstandings, since nothing lost in translation. No problems in conversations since the ideas and dialogue are clearly spelled out. No confusions as the actions are transparent. During your day count the number of times you use the word etcetera and then think what words would you have used instead of that word to complete that thought, word or action and see if circumstances would have been different.
Enjoy your life with fun, happiness, peace of mind, joy etc etc etc etc !!!!
