Seriousness is associated with a rigid countenance.
Seriousness is a concept whose etymological origin is found in the Latin term seriĕtas and which refers to the characteristic of that or that which is serious . This notion (serious) refers to that which is composed , grave or severe .
For example: “We need a governor who acts seriously in the face of these types of problems” , “Floods are an issue to be dealt with seriously and responsibly since they affect the lives of thousands of people” , “I am concerned about the boss's seriousness: does he have any bad news to give us?”
Characteristics of seriousness
Seriousness is often associated with a rigid and inflexible manner of speaking or appearance . A person who behaves seriously acts formally and keeps a certain distance from other people. A serious person does not laugh out loud or make jokes, to name two possibilities.
Seriousness is usually a required condition in certain contexts . In a business meeting , participants are expected to act and speak seriously. In contrast, in a family meeting , seriousness is often left aside as it is an informal and affectionate environment.
It is also possible to associate seriousness with professionalism . The mayor of a city must work seriously to solve the problems of the population: that is, he cannot act in an improvised or hasty manner.
Seriousness, on the other hand, is linked to the seriousness or importance of things. If it is said that an individual is struggling with a serious illness , it will be referring to the fact that said health disorder is serious.
Seriousness is valued in the professional field.
Your link with responsibility
It is important to note that seriousness is not synonymous with responsibility , and that to achieve our most desired goals we do not need to leave aside our sense of humor or adopt a dull way of being. Determination and hard work must always be accompanied by a sense of humor ; there must be room for laughter, for leisure, for the pleasures of life, unless we wish to become bitter and one-dimensional beings who desperately seek perfectionism.
Since we are not educated to enjoy ourselves but to do things well, it is very difficult to find balance . Social impositions push us down paths that we rarely stop to study and that much less represent what we really want to do with our lives; we are told that we must dress in a certain way if we expect to be taken seriously, that laughter is something more typical of childhood than of adulthood, as well as colour, illusion and impulsiveness.
This does not mean that seriousness and bitterness are the same thing; however, most of the definitions presented by the RAE dictionary point to hardness , rigidity and lack of movement. A positive aspect of seriousness is the apparent transparency that characterizes it: when we say that a company acts seriously, we mean that it acts according to a series of values that include respect for its customers, a guarantee of quality in its products and services and legitimacy in dealing with its competitors.
Similarly, joy is often confused with a lack of responsibility , especially in the student and workplace. The image of a student laughing in class is often a symbol of a lack of attention , just as the image of an employee bursting into laughter can raise suspicions about his or her dedication to work. Shouldn't we instead think that fun can arise as a result of enjoying an activity and, reciprocally, feed and enhance performance? That is why seriousness must have a limit, and must not be confused with sadness or a lack of enthusiasm.