Platitudes

"A platitude is a trite, meaningless, biased, or prosaic statement that is presented as if it were significant and original. The word derives from plat, the French word for "flat." Whether any given statement is considered to have meaning is highly subjective, so platitude is often—but not always—used as a pejorative term to describe seemingly profound statements that a certain person views as unoriginal or shallow. An example of a platitude is "go with the flow" or "a rule is a rule."

I started thinking about platitudes and how tired I am of them, when I was in line waiting my turn at a local store...the conversation between the clerk and the customer went like this....

"How ya doin' Becky?"

"I'm putting one foot in front of the other.  Had to move out of my rental."

"Gotta keep your head up."

"Life is what it is."

"When life gives you lemons, you gotta make lemonade."

Holy @#$%.  Was anything said?  Did anyone walk away from this conversation feeling better?  Did they really hear what each person was saying?

I am as guilty as the next person of interjecting a platitude into a conversation but we have got to stop this...it's a disease now!  People aren't really listening to each other but are speaking in trite platitudes, buzzwords and jargon.  They are not having heart felt conversations and taking the time to hear what we are saying...

So, if I were to interpret the above conversation and hear what is really being said...

"How ya doin' Becky?"
"I had to move out of my rental and am trying to figure out where I'm going to live."
"I'm sorry to hear that, it must be stressful."
" ya, sometimes life can be hard."
" Well, you've always been a positive person and I am sure you will find a place soon."

Two people, hearing each other, connecting...or you could just going on saying, platitudes..."that's what makes the world go round."