Words......

Before I dive into the meat of this blog...give it up for the kid here. This is my 50th post. Never thought I had that much brain matter in me.

OK, on to the heart of things. I never really got that at times. The "heart" of things. Is that saying because the heart is the most important muscle in the body? Or is that the heart lies in the center (well, just off center if you studied anatomy) of the chest?
My point is that we as a society tend to throw words around without sometimes really thinking about the meaning. There have a couple of subjects that have captured my attention and I thought I would share them with you and (hopefully) get some responses.
First, is the term "heroic". I have heard this attached to the quarterback from San Diego after hearing that he had an operation to get back on the field. The fact that I think that this guy is a hump is not really in play here. I have heard a couple of sportscasters say it was "heroic" and "gutty" of him to go out and play. Heroic? No, I'm sorry, its not. Heroic is a policeman who puts himself in the line of fire to protect a civilian. Heroic is the firefighter who risks his or her life to save someone at the expense of their own life. Heroic is the soldiers who are fighting an unpopular war that they have no say in, no way out, and are probably hated by just about everyone over there. As for "gutty"? I'm sorry, but it's his job to be out there. That's why you get paid. Think about this for a sec. Most of you get sick pay if you miss a day or two. But this guy gets paid if he does nothing all week. Do people call you "gutty" if you're sitting at your desk with a fever or some other malady?
The other word that has come into play lately is "tragic". This has been especially used in the last 24 hours over the unfortunate death of Heath Ledger. Now, before you sharpen your pitchforks and fire up the torches, hear me out. Is this a tragedy? You bet your ass is it. But not for us. It is for a little 2 year old girl that will have to grow up without her father there for all the momentous things in her life. But for us? The great unwashed? It's sad, yes. The prospect of what could have been is daunting. And I think the family has every right to call it tragic. In the end, maybe it was tragic. When I think of tragic, my thoughts tend to run toward people who had no control over their situation and were faced with insurmountable obstacles, like a child born with AIDS. So I guess maybe this comes down to interpretation.
I know that most of you will probably think I'm out of my mind, and you may be right. I butcher the King's English as much as the next person. But I just thought that I would throw this out there.