What Does fickleness Mean
The French word velléité arrived in Castilian as fickleness , a term that refers to lack of constancy and lightness . The concept often refers to a wish or an intention that is whimsical, capricious or childish.
For example: "At the time, the previous government decided to analyze the problem with care, and now we suffer the consequences" , "The president of the club affirmed that he will go to court to avoid any fickle change in the distribution of charges" , "I am not running out of personal fickleness, but because I know that my presence is necessary to support this project . "
Delving further into the etymology of the term fickleness, we find that the French word velléité in turn derives from volo , a Latin verb that means "to want"; Its infinitive is velle and it arose from the Indo-European root * wel , which denotes fondness and desire. Other Latin words that share this root are voluptuous, benevolence and will .
Another Latin term in which we find the Indo-European root * wel is voluptas , voluptatis , which can be translated as " pleasure , desire, enjoyment, and craving." It is always very important to refer to a Latin dictionary before venturing to decipher the meanings of the words, since most of them have resulted in others whose appearance is very different, or in several, with different definitions.
Suppose that a deputy surprises by presenting a book of poems. This political leader had never publicly expressed his love for literature or his interest in writing. That is why journalists can show their surprise at the deputy's literary fickleness ; that is to say, by his desire to dedicate himself, at least partially, to poetry.
Another example of fickleness is found in a footballer who wants to change teams . The athlete has a signed contract that binds him with his current club for three more years, but his intention is to reach a new institution. It can be said, in this way, that the player has the fickleness of leaving his team to join another.
The two cases presented in the previous paragraphs consistently respond to the etymology of fickleness, since the essence of this term is will, desire and pleasure . As expected, these feelings are not easy to control, and arise spontaneously, from the depths of our being; for that reason the fickleness is not associated with the rational, but rather with the whim and the craving.
In the same way, given that the fickleness is more instinctive than rational, it is understandable that for the environment of the person who acts in this way, their behavior is surprising. However, many times our true desires, our essence , which for various reasons was trapped between the structures and impositions of society , are in these apparent whims .
When a person is classified as a subject of fickleness, it refers to an individual who lacks tenacity or perseverance . Fickleness, in this context, is linked to abandoning activities that are not complete or leaving projects in the middle of their development.
The little attachment to activities that require effort and dedication is usually considered a negative trait of certain people, since that leads them to not conclude any undertaking. On the other hand, it can be a healthy reaction to a project that no longer gives them any pleasure, to freely find the right one for them. It is useless to stand firm on a path that does not lead us to self-improvement, to feel proud of ourselves and in agreement with our decisions .