There are not too many words in the English dictionary that start with the letter x. The ones that do have an aura of Greek or Roman antiquity. For example, the instrument xylophone, which is formed from two Greek words meaning wood and voice, and X being the roman numeral for ten.

The X-ray is an invention that allows us to see through our bodies to study broken bones or other matter; to look beneath the skin so to speak. Xenophobia (pronounced with a z) is a word that also goes beneath the skin. Skin in fact is part of the problem with this word, but not the only one. The word home is also a problem. To understand this we need to take xenophobia apart (and also have a closer look at the word home).

The word xeno refers to a foreigner or something that is foreign and therefore not from home. A phobia is something that people fear in an extreme way, such as a fear of spiders (arachnophobia). So xenophobia is a fear of foreigners. Fear of spiders is something that is tangible because the fear is that of the human’s fear of a predatory invertebrate animal which is a different species. But fear of a foreigner is different. Although the person who fears the foreigner (i.e. the person from the home) is different in nationality, they are both human. So where does this fear come from?

This question is not new. Fear of anything is unpleasant due to the effect it has on the human mind and body, but fear that leads to hatred is severely damaging to humans. Nationality can be

wonderful as people can feel proud of their nation on special occasions or annual events related to that country. But history’s records demonstrate that when people from different nations migrate, there can be pain and suffering.

In a way, xenophobia is a fascinating word as it is odd to look at and sounds interesting when uttered. The fact that it is pronounced zen is ironic as xenophobia is as far away in meaning from the teachings of Zen (as in the doctrine of Buddhism). But by saying the word, then discussing its meaning, routes and links with other words there is somehow a fusion or spark of realisation at its actual meaning. This could be an opportunity to challenge the negative connotations of home in relation to how we treat others.

The Jewish-American stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce used to repeat racial swear words over and over again on stage, even in front of, or directly in the faces of people who would find them offensive. In a strange way he made the words sound funny and not terrible. By doing so he made people reassess that it is not the words that are bad but how people use them.

In our world today, we seem to try to act the right way, but do we understand what it is we think we do? Have we understood the words in our heads or discussed them out loud and in front of each other enough? The word xenophobia is a good place to start as it is at the heart of some of the world’s most difficult problems.