Words of the Year

Every year dictionaries pick a word of the year. These words are often chosen by how popular a word was in Google searches, or how well a word reflected prevailing issues in the culture. Past words were feminism, post-truth, vape, GIF and selfie; words that captured trends and themes that seemed to mark the year.
So it is insightful, as we come to the end of 2022, to reflect on the words that each of the major dictionary publishers have chosen this year.
This year Oxford Dictionary chose “goblin mode” (n.): “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typical in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”
Merriam-Webster chose “gaslighting” (n.): “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.”
Collins Dictionary chose “permacrisis” (n.): “an extended period of instability and insecurity.”
These three words, goblin mode, gaslighting, and permacrisis, seem to reflect something challenging and almost tragic about our past year. The three are almost intertwined. We have been moving from one crisis to another, there is ample evidence that many have not often treated each other well through this crisis, and the result has been a pulling away or self-referential posture to the world around us. I feel these tugs in my own life, wondering at the strange cultural pressures and experiences that have shaped, hurt, or hardened me. As a pastor I see it in our community, too. Each of us have had to contend with these three words in a year full of great challenges.
It is often through seasons of great loss that a new season of renewal or growth can begin to emerge. While it will certainly be some time before we take stock of what we have lost, and who we have become, we also have great hope for our year ahead. In 2023 we can set the stage for a better way to live together. In spite of the ‘permacrisis’ and global challenges that come one after another, we can create homes, neighbourhoods, and communities are are pockets of peace and calm in the storm. Our community can be a non-anxious presence. We can adopt ways of treating each other with grace and unconditional high-regard, not competing to the jeopardy of our relationships, but encouraging each other on. Instead of hiding away from others, we can set down our distractions and risk new connections by setting our tables for meals with friends and neighbours once again. Looking at these three words, we open our imaginations for a better way.
What three words would you hope for this time next year? If you could pre-determine the three words for 2023, what would they be? We have a chance, at least in our community, to tell a new story. What words fill your heart?