Seriousness is a concept whose etymological origin is found in the Latin term seriĕtas and which refers to the characteristic of someone who is serious . This notion (serious) refers to what is composed , serious 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 treated seriously and responsibly since they affect the lives of thousands of people” , “I am concerned about the seriousness of the boss: “Do you have any bad news to give us?” .
Characteristics of seriousness
Seriousness is usually associated with a way of speaking or a rigid and inflexible countenance . He who conducts himself seriously acts formally and keeps a certain distance from the rest of the people. Someone serious does not laugh out loud or make jokes, to name two possibilities.
Typically, seriousness is a required condition in certain contexts . In a business meeting , participants are expected to act and express themselves seriously. On the other hand, at a family gathering , seriousness is usually put aside since it is an informal and affectionate atmosphere.
It is also possible to associate seriousness with professionalism . The mayor of a city must work seriously to solve the population's problems: that is, he cannot act improvised or hastily.
Seriousness, on the other hand, is linked to the seriousness or importance of things. If it is said that an individual fights against a serious illness , this will be referring to the fact that said health disorder is serious.
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 put humor aside or adopt a subdued way of being. Determination and hard work must always be accompanied by a sense of humor ; There must be a space for laughter, for leisure, for the pleasures of life, unless we want to become bitter and one-dimensional beings who desperately seek perfectionism.
Since we are not educated to enjoy 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; They tell us that we must dress a certain way if we expect to be taken seriously, that laughter is something more typical of childhood than of adulthood, as well as color, enthusiasm and impulsivity.
This is not to say that seriousness and bitterness are the same; However, most of the meanings presented in 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, quality assurance 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 work environment. The image of a student laughing in class is usually a symbol of lack of attention , just as the image of an employee bursting out laughing can raise suspicions about their dedication to work. Shouldn't we, instead, think that fun can arise as a result of enjoying an activity and, reciprocally, fuel and enhance performance? That is why seriousness must have a limit, and should not be confused with sadness or lack of enthusiasm.