As a writer, I have to be mindful of the words I use. No, not because they will offend somebody—that’s the last reason in the world I’d choose to alter what I write. I don’t purposely try to be offensive, neither do I try to avoid it. I just tell stories.
I have to be mindful of the words I use because I have words that I like too much. I not only repeat them in every book, but I also repeat them in the same paragraph if I don’t watch out. Fortunately, I have an editor who is curbing some of my enthusiasm for a few of them.
The repetitive use of words signals the same voice and the same mind. This concerns me greatly when I hear people I like say that we non-masker wearers are “selfish.” Oh, I don’t mind them expressing their opinion even if we don’t share the same one.
It’s the word repeated ad nauseum. That’s not natural across a spectrum of people unless they are all mouthing the same mind. When all the animals on the farm are chanting “Four legs good, two legs bad,” you can bet the outcry has one mind and many mouths.
Whatever happened to irresponsible, egotistical, rash, narrow-minded, irrational, unreasonable… should I go on? But nothing from those words—only selfish. Where did I hear that first? Oh yes, the nightly news, and the various social media mavens.
I don’t mind parrots, I object to mindless ones. Oh, wait, yes, I do object to parrots unless. Mimicry is not thought, it is not free speech, and it is not worthy of people--they have brightly colored feathers.
But just so you know, when it comes to my freedom, I’m selfish a mofo. I’ll fight you for it, cuss you for obstructing it, and stay up late thinking of ways to beat your restrictions on it. I risked my life for it. I don’t mind if you take a turn for freedom.
There is no greater health benefit than freedom. I shudder to think where my health would be today in the hands of most physicians. It would be worse with limited health plans, although I’m not sure how seeing as I have Medicare now. But we invited the government into healthcare big time a few years ago, we’re just beginning to pay the price of that stupid move.
It’s all for our own good, right? I used to be old enough to decide for myself. How our roles have changed. I remember just a few years ago working at a naval hospital and telling those with the flu to put on masks, while the Navy said they were free and didn’t have to, nor did they have to stay home even though people were dying.
Here’s a word I use often:
Maranatha.
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