26 April 2018

Injustice Collectors ~ Forbidden Words


Greetings Dear Reader,

There are things we should not say.  There are words that are by their very nature offensive.  It is not those words that concern me.  Those that concern me are the words that are forbidden because of the political or social view of others.  I am not usually a slippery slope person but I see a shift in our culture that is dangerous.

Consider this:  "It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought ... should be literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words." - George Orwell, 1984

If those who seek to collect injustices also are allowed to define what words are heretical then what are the standards by which they make those choices?  The very foundation of communication between people who are equal is the free exchange of ideas.  I am not willing to empower anyone to say what words or thoughts are not allowed.  Even when the words offend me I am not permitted to prohibit someone else from free expression.

In a civil society we do not need to limit speech or thought to achieve justice or equality.  Still there is a storm raging in the creation of limitations on speech and the forbidding of ideas.  I think that by now we would have learned that the forbidding of an idea fertilizes its growth in the mind.  It is our nature to feast on things we are told are forbidden as food for thought.  

My communication must be honest, loving, and kind.  That does not mean that I am forbidden to express ideas that might cause discomfort or seem harsh.  I may need to earn the right to be heard through my good actions.  I might have to temper my words to present things gently.  No one, however, gets to tell me what I mean by what I say and then insinuate his or her own agenda into my words.

If one does not like what I write one can simply turn the page or click the next tab.  I will try to be reasonable and just.  I will not temper the truth for someone else’s comfort.  It is very dangerous to us all to forbid words.  Words have meaning.  I use them to assemble thoughts into sentences and paragraphs.  I aim to learn humility and express myself in love.  I cannot, however, with integrity, cater to injustice collectors.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
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