Pablum, Temporize and Quixotic

The three words today are pablum, temporize, and quixotic.

Pablum is a noun that means:

1. a brand of soft, bland cereal for infants.

2. trite, naive, or simplistic ideas or writings.

Temporize which is a verb that means:

1. to be indecisive or evasive to gain time or delay acting.

2. to comply with the time or occasion; yield temporarily or ostensibly to prevailing opinion or circumstances.

3. to treat or parley so as to gain time (usually fol. by with).

4. to come to terms (usually fol. by with).

5. to effect a compromise (usually fol. by between).

Quixotic which is an adjective that means:

1. resembling or befitting Don Quixote.

2. extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical or impracticable.

3. impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.

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Admitting you are shy is not politically correct, especially for an adult, and is often mistakenly referred to as introspective, when in fact one has nothing to do with the other. To be shy is acceptable for small children perhaps, but beyond adolescence it is no more acceptable than a teenager eating Pablum for breakfast.

There are no narcotics for being shy, other than an unacceptable use of alcohol and drugs, which, of course, can create their own destructive problems. People with chronic shyness tend to temporize their social interactions to insure unique and novel occasions are kept to a minimum. Being shy does not allow quixotic actions since embarrassment is around every corner, at every social event, and during every introduction, so engaging in impulsive, romantic endeavors is especially out of character. Regardless of the occasion, being shy always demands attention and can be very self-defeating; it is always at the forefront of an affected person’s consciousness and it effects every aspect of the person’s life – from the way they dress, where they live, who they socialize with, the subjects they study in school and the job positions they seek.

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