Stuff.
Language, like the rest of us, keeps changing with time. The meaning change and so does the context in which words are used. Some phrases go out of fashion, making way for new entrants to enjoy the limelight, while some of them fortify their presence like never before. A decade ago, words like cool, awesome, epic, lit, sick, etc. had an altogether different connotation. Thanks to the rise of the Internet (read: social media) and the widespread millennial culture (read: popular trend), a grass-root evolution has been in order for a while. At the surface, these are abbreviations and jargon but when you dig deeper, you’ll notice the desire to be distinct — not particularly unique — amongst the noble members of this generation.
As a result, we’ve bestowed too much on too little. Take the example of the word ‘stuff’ and ask yourself what exactly does it mean anymore.
“What do you do?”
“Stuff here and there.”
“What’s in your bag?”
“Some stuff.”
Pause a bit here and try to gauge the extent of this vocabulary. When did a rather prole of a word became such a powerful term? Insofar, it’s difficult to think of a word that can contain the whole universe more adequately than this word. For example, just because people don’t talk about a lot of stuff doesn’t mean those things don’t happen.
Shit used to happen. Stuff happens now.
Listing out some of them:
“What a beautiful morning!”
~ random stuff people say at the beginning of the day
“I need to cut down on my passive smoking.”
~ stuff we ought to hear more
“Once I get into fitness mode, I won’t stop at 6-pack abs.”
~ stuff I tell myself
“Let’s eat something healthy today.”
~ stuff I’ve never heard Akshar say
“Not to take anything away from…”
~ stuff we say before taking everything away
“I don’t mean to be rude but…”
~ stuff we say before being rude
“True.”
~ stuff I say to end a dishonest conversation
“What was I thinking?”
~ stuff we say when we weren’t even thinking
“I disagree.”
~ stuff people say assuming you posted something to get their approval
“Kisi ko advice dene ke kaabil nahi raha!”
~ stuff nobody says
“You are the angel Bible keeps talking about.”
~ stuff I say because thanks is too mainstream
“Don’t worry. I got it.”
~ stuff i say when i haven’t got it
“Tu do minute ruk. Main paanch minute mein aata hoon.”
~ stuff only heard in India
“Paisa gaya tel lene.”
~ stuff that doesn’t apply to Gulf countries
“Thanks for the prompt reply.”
~ stuff nobody ever said to God
“Don’t take this personally.”
~ stuff not to say before punching them in the face
“Everything happens for a reason.”
~ stuff we say when we’ve got nothing left to say
“This is the best day of my life!”
~ stuff we say thanks to memory loss
“I don’t like talking about myself…”
~ stuff people used to say before they joined social media
“Whatever you decide, i’ll be by your side.”
~ stuff that sets us free
This can go on and on and on whether we know our stuff or not.
