Duckitude

“Duckitude” — I didn’t invent the word, but you can bet I will be expanding on it, because in A Ducky World, duckitude is what makes the world go ’round. The first definition of duckitude that I know of can be found at the Urban Dictionary. I won’t provide a link, because, well, the Urban Dictionary is NOT “G” rated.

Here’s the quote and the attribution — “Duckitude/duk-e-tood/n.\adj”

1. A duck with attitude

2. The attitude of a duck

3. The extreme measures of the inner duck

4. Elite skills which ducks use to find their precise way around difficult situations

5. The ability of a ducks inner conscience

by kl_ducks Jan 28, 2005

The phrase “rolls off her/him like water off a duck’s back” means a person is unaffected by whatever might happen — it is a description of a strength, and that strength is clearly resilience and optimism.

The phrase “feeling ducky” means “feeling good, fine or wonderful.” So, KL_Ducks, in defining “duckitude” at the Urban Dictionary in 2005, really missed the most significant historical and traditional aspect of “duckitude” which is “optimism.” Now, before you go and get your ducky tail all in a twist, yes, resilience is not just about optimism — irony and an ironic perspective about the absurdness of many aspects of life as a human being can go a long way to keeping a ducky floating upright. You betcha (my favorite Ballard saying….)!

Think about it. You can say the words “just ducky” in a tone that conveys, “things are really fine” or you can say it with a tone that translates “not even close to ducky.” I will be writing more about optimism, irony (humor), and resilience (“duckitude”). You can count on it!

Of course, for those who are much more analytical, please note that the attitude of a ducky is different than the attitude of a duck, but similar. So, if that most popular duck-related quote is “he/she handled it just like water off a duck’s back” is true of ducks then it is three times more true of a rubber ducky, which, of course, is impervious to rain.

Eckhart Tolle, the author of “A New Earth” and “The Power of Now,” offers us another view of “duckitude.” In both books, Tolle observes that when two ducks get into a tussle, they end it by flapping their wings and swimming off. As far as he can tell, they don’t stay mad – they don’t carry a grudge. They flap their wings and get on with life. The “duck lesson,” according to Tolle is “Flap your wings, which translates as ‘let go of the story.'” The human mind, in other words, often gets attached to THE STORY and relives it over and over again, thus, living mostly in the past and not in the present. If that is true of ducks, then it is three times more true of rubber duckies who never get into fights in the first place.

Duckitude. Gotta have it. Can’t live long without it. Planet earth requires it.

If you have duckitude, then you can be said to be duckified — kind of like dignified, but duckier. Use of the word might include “let’s go out and duckify the world” or “I am feeling so duckified today, that nothing is going to upset me, quack that!”

One other thing that might interest you about duckitude — unlike in the human world, where the term “mankind” stands for all humans, in the duck world the species name “duck” is what the female duck is called.  Male ducks are called “drakes.”   So, I guess you could say that gender equality is a bit more advanced in the duck world.

"The Ducky Kingdom" (tm). All Rights Reserved.

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