???
I ran across this word yesterday in a crime novel and not knowing its meaning, I web-searched to find:
“having a ready insight into and understanding of things. SYN: discerning · shrewd · perceptive · astute · penetrating”
Ok, …great. Never knew what it meant, but now I do. So do I use it in every third sentence, or will it slip off my mental horizon as quickly as it emerged?
Yes, it’s more likely to be the latter case especially because in today’s world, perspicaciousness (the intelligence manifested as being astute) is rare.
Who needs to be exceptionally perceptive? How about insightful? I mean where will that get you, eh?
A knowing, penetrating gaze—capable of seeing through deceptions—of what value is that in our lives?
Certainly we can trust everything we hear, and see before us, can’t we? I mean when is discernment ever valued?
For example, would a President or his spokespeople ever intentionally deceive us?
Would some news outlets use their media platform to spread lies or carefully manufactured propaganda like some autocratic dictatorship trying to keep its people in line?
Would disinformation ever be spread by either side of a political campaign to destroy all confidence in the voting process of a democracy?
Well of course not.
That just doesn’t happen in America, right? What with all our FREEDOMS of press, religion, speech, right to bear arms, right to peaceful protest, etc., those nasty blotches on our freedoms cannot possibly exist, can they?
Yes, I can see that this new word “PERSPICACIOUS” will be gone from my mind as quickly as it arose, because there simply is no need for it.
All is well. I can easily see that.