Xenophobia and the Archetypal Warrior

In Dance of Language, I ask the question, "Will the legacy humankind leaves to future generations be one of esprit de corps--a spirit of loyalty that unites us and encourages us to help one another--or will it be one of betrayal, caused by greed and indifference to human suffering and need?" The answer, in part, may lie in how we view what social scientists call the other. Scholars who study human behavior attribute the conflict between kindness and hatred largely to the distress that comes from fear of the other--people who have ideas that differ from your own or even the conflicting ideas themselves--and the subsequent inability to tolerate those who are not like us. The term the media has been using with some frequency now is xenophobia.


Definition
Xenophobia:  an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is strange or foreign or perceived as different


Pronunciation
(zen - uh - foh - bee - uh) or (zee - nuh - foh - bee - uh)


Origin
Latin: xenos + phobos (phobia) = stranger, guest + fear or flight
First appeared in English in 1903
Many ancient Greeks believed that foreigners were barbarians, that Greeks were superior and, therefore, many believed strangers were meant to be enslaved.


Part of Speech
Noun


Examples
1.  Historically most cultures engaged in some sort of enslavement, which developed from a heightened degree of xenophobia, until the philosophical belief in democracy slowly encouraged freedom for all citizens.


2.  Xenophobia exists even in the most civilized groups of people because of mankind's universal fear of the unknown and their tendency to create concomitant laws and behavior.


3.  Reason and compassion often serve as antidotes to xenophobia, and when they do, people once considered to be part of the other take their place among the ranks of nation builders--artists and scientists, writers and humanitarians, people of diversity who share their talents to strengthen a country.


The reasons for intolerance vary, but research shows that the more tolerance for ambiguity we have, the more we can accept and understand the mysteries of life, of which the other plays an important role.  Because certainty is not probable, we live in gray areas. Understanding that uncertainty is an immutable part of life, however, may be the best antidote to our anxieties about life's many conflicts, especially the ones based on fear of the unknown and unfamiliar.


Perhaps we can even conquer our own personal xenophobia.  Perhaps we can become archetypal warriors who commit to the higher values of courage, selflessness and tolerance for the people and things different from ourselves. Perhaps not only justice but also right would be done.

Wrestling with the Leviathan

Fear results from the unknown, either that which one cannot perceive with the senses and therefore is left to the imagination, or that which seems overwhelming to the senses, creating feelings of helplessness and thus also loss of hope.  The English language has words to express such gargantuan fear, but a Power Word with a Biblical and literary history that creates the consummate imagery you might be looking for is the word Leviathan.

Definition
Leviathan:  anything of immense size and power; something large or formidable; a sea monster in the Old Testament; often capitalized as the proper name of the sea monster


Part of Speech
Noun or adjectival noun (noun used as an adjective)


Pronunciation
[le  vahy  uh  thuh  n]


Origin
Middle English: leviathan, from late Latin, leviathan, from Hebrew, liwyathan, meaning twisted or coiled.
First used in the Bible in the books of Job and the Psalms as a proper noun, Leviathan
First recorded use as a common noun, leviathan:  1350-1400; used by Thomas Hobbs as the title of his 1651 political treatise on government


Examples


1.  The head accountant took two weeks off to sort out the leviathan budgetary crisis of the printing company, only to discover the monster had grown in size overnight.




2.  Autumn crispness in the air,  the cheerleaders' intoxicating yells energized the crowd to the rhythm of the band as their team stepped onto the field, an overpowering Leviathan ready to swallow their opponents.




3.  The megaship floating into the St. Thomas harbor was known as the Leviathan of the seas with  powerful gross tonnage and length equal to no other cruise ship in the world.


4.  The President of the United States must often wrestle with the leviathan responsibility allocated to the most powerful leader of the free world and perhaps even the planet.




We live in a world in which the immense and the powerful gain our attention and support until, of course, the weight of the monster crushes us. Such is the muscle of metaphor and the use of figurative aids such as allusions and Biblical allegory. Look at these examples.


In the book of Psalm 74:12-14, God destroys the Leviathan, a sea serpent, and gives it to the Hebrews as food in the wilderness. 
                 12  For God is my King from of old,
                       Working salvation in the midst of the earth,
                 13  You divided the sea by Your strength;
                       You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters,
                 14  You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
                       And gave him as food to the people
                            inhabiting the wilderness.


Leviathan, a large sea monster, is mentioned again in the book of Job, Chapter 41 as God challenges him and tests his faith:
                1    "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook,
                      Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower...
                9    Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is vain
                      Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?


Later in 1667, Milton writes about Leviathan in his epic blank verse poem Paradise Lost about the Biblical fall of man.  Book I, lines 200-202:
                     By ancient Tarsus held, or that Sea-beast
                     Leviathan, which God of all his works
                     Created hugest that swim th' Ocean stream...


Finally, in 1651Thomas Hobbs uses leviathan as the title of his famous essay written during the English Civil War, urging for a strong undivided government in opposition to war.


The word Leviathan carries with it so much meaning and historical significance that its usefulness to our language seems to grow exponentially in the strength of its allusion to the Bible.


When you choose the word leviathan, use it to enhance the enormity of the concept that you are describing. That person, place, thing, event, action--it isn't just big or tall or heavy.  It is a skyscraper lying on its side in the ocean, the tip so far away that its size seems minuscule.  Now that's real power, almost leviathan.

Quid Pro Quo and the Give-and-Take Society

The meanings of common words and phrases often change over time.  This linguistic behavior is widely known, accepted, and appreciated by word lovers.  Power Word #16, quid pro quo, is one of the expressions whose meaning has shifted. 


In the 1530's in England, the phrase was used to indicate the substitution of one medicine for another, both intentionally and accidentally.  By the beginning of the 17th century, quid pro quo was used to mean a substitute but in a more expanded way, something that was given or taken in exchange for something else.  Although today the expression finds itself useful in legal contexts and politics, the word implies numerous equivalent exchanges. Let's explore this idea a bit more.


Definition
Quid pro quo: one thing in return for another; a substitute; something that is given or taken for something else


Part of Speech
A noun; plural form:  quid pro quos or quids pro quo


Origin
1555-1565
Latin, literally something for something


Examples
1.  Because no agreement of quid pro quo existed between organizations, both groups worked independently without sharing vital information.


2.  The evidence came to the attorney in the first place as a quid pro quo from a credible but criminal source and was therefore deemed inadmissible.


3.  David didn't need a quid pro quo to achieve enough votes from the student body; he was a popular candidate with a strong ethos.


4.  Because the unusually large sum of money suddenly deposited into Morrison's bank account looked suspiciously like a quid pro quo, the FBI opened an investigation.


The concept of quid pro quo has both negative and positive connotations, giving it the possibility of ambiguity.  The expression implies indebtedness, that a gift of equal value must be repaid or the consequences of lost faith will ensue, but is that always how giving works?


In light of negative undertones, we must consider what such an attitude says about the nature of giving. How often is our willingness or generosity for giving connected to the notion of what we expect to receive in return?  How difficult do we find it to give freely without encumbrances or attachments, without the concomitant guilt or shame?


Psychologist Brene Brown wrote, "Until we receive with an open heart, we're never really giving with an open heart.  When we attach judgment to receiving help, we knowingly or unknowingly attach judgment to giving help."

On the other hand, quid pro quo enhances human interaction; that is, when we repay someone's kindness willingly, our old brain thinks we're doing it so that we'll feel good about ourselves as well as the receiver.  Face it; it actually does feel good to make other people happy.


Furthermore, is it wrong to want to keep the playing field level, to insure continued help from others or even future cooperation by giving or returning the favor?  Perhaps that question has more than one answer.


I suppose, like everything in life, it's all in how you look at it from where you're standing.  Nevertheless, the point is, when you hear the expression quid quo pro now, perhaps you will give it another thought.  Such is the power of words.