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SOME DEFINITIONS FROM ON-LINE DICTIONARIES:
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MISSING IN ACTION : DESIGNATION FOR MEMBER OF AN ORGANIZATION WITH WHOM CONTACT IS LOST AND WHOSE WHEREABOUTS ARE NOT KNOWN BUT WHOSE DEATH IS NOT CONFIRMED or NOT PRESENT WHEN ONE IS EXPECTED TO BE.
PRISONER OF WAR : A NON-COMBATANT . . . WHO IS HELD CAPTIVE BY A BELLIGERENT POWER DURING OR AFTER AN ARMED CONFLICT.
KILLED IN ACTION; A CASUALTY CLASSIFICATION GENERALLY USED GY MILITARIES TO DESCRIBE THE DEATHS OF THEIR OWN COMBATANTS AT THE HANDS OF HOSTILE FORCES.
These terms originated within conditions of military warfare but there are other kinds of "warfare", many of which currently are in the midst of pitched battles. Conflicts rage within cultural, religious, ethnic, political, educational, medical, and environmental arenas (to name just a few of those more potentially lethal for human as well as societal survival ).
And these ''wars" have other types of MIA's, POW's, and KIA's. A nominee for the greatest casualty is "VIRTUE', defined as "behavior showing high moral standards". Virtue has historically had several manifestations but currently many are casualties of pecksniffery: very hypocritical people whose traits include (among others) rudeness, crudeness, injustice, 'mean-ness', and corruption.
The vault where society has preserved its words signifying magnanimous behaviors and traits has been breached and the words and behaviors taken captive. Just today, someone posted a 'Calvin and Hobbes' cartoon where young Calvin says to his dad: "The meaning of words isn't a fixed thing and can mean anything.... By giving words new meanings, ordinary English can become an exclusionary code! . . . To that end, I'll be inventing new definitions for common words, so we'll be unable to communicate."
So, if you see any of the following virtuous words that currently are mia's, pow's or even kia's, please bring your dictionary of correct definitions to the rescue:
courage,
dignity,
honesty,
honor,
incorruptibility
integrity,
justice,
kindness,
politeness,
respect,
TRUTH
Our survival is on the 'front line'.
Satchel
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