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What was that? Nothing. *Bangs head*
What did you do? Nothing. *Runs for cover*
What did you just say? Nothing. *Ducks the oncoming argument*
What’s going on? Nothing *Avoiding further interrogation*
What’s going on? Nothing *Avoiding further interrogation*
What are you thinking? Nothing. *Laughs out loud*
So? Nothing. *Couldn’t care a hang*
And so we have the most (mis)used word in the English language. It denotes hurt, angst, fear, annoyance, indifference, escapism and so much more, all encompassed in one little word. NOTHING. ‘Everything’ can be categorized into ‘Nothing’ effectively. And it all stems from two simple words ‘No’ and ‘Thing’. It is our innate nature to refuse and shake our head, sideways, along with it. It somehow validates the state of nothingness. Because NO is really the first word we learn as kids. Don’t believe me? Here’s a recap!
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo, don’t touch that!
No, you can’t have it.
No, because I said so!
Nope, you can’t eat that.
No. No. No. A thousand times No.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo not that way, you nincompoop!
And so No becomes an important part of our vocabulary. When you add Thing to it, it simply carries more weight. You don’t need a grammatically correct sentence to sound emphatic or magnanimous. Nothing works its magic, every time, every where. “No, Nothing” has gone down in history as the famous last words of most wives, before an icy stare and stark silence. Two negative words, double positive impact. To be used in extreme circumstances only.
Somehow, we find solace in the solitary word, though. We assume that the message has been passed on clearly to the other party of the conversation. And even if it is misunderstood, too bad, we meant ‘nothing’.
Now here is the catch. Nothing almost, always, means Something. Everything can’t be Nothing, but Nothing can be used to denote Everything. Nothing can imply Anything if you don’t know Everything. But if you are aware of Something, then Nothing cannot just be Anything.
So what exactly am I getting at? Nothing.
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