(#138-1 February 17 2015 You can make a case that we have too many writers these days. On the other hand, the human condition is far from adequately illuminated. Perhaps we scribes aren’t doing our jobs as well as we might. Perhaps we aren’t thinking and writing enough about the hard things. What are the hard things? The things it’s easier not to do or write about. Because they are hard.

WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS—IS OFTEN NOT TRUE

MIND YOU, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT

IF A WRITER’S JOB IS TO ILLUMINATE THE HUMAN CONDITION (AND TRY AND MAKE IT A LITTLE BETTER) DOES THAT MEAN WE SHOULD QUESTION THINGS—OR MERELY ILLUMINATE

When in doubt I tend to look up the meaning of a word. Where English is concerned, not only do we have a ridiculous number of words, but they often have several meanings. You know one, and feel safe—and then another meaning comes along and thumps you.

I’m amazed we are able to get through the day. And then tone comes into the picture—and body language. The English get over the latter by not having any. Accents—which denote class—and the stiff upper lop suffice—though they rather like irony.

In contrast, you use irony in the U.S. at your peril—unless you are Jon Stewart.

And to think English has become the international language of just about everything? Oy Vey! What’s wrong with Yiddish anyway?

Illuminate is defined by Merriam-Webster as:

• brightened with light
• intellectually or spiritually enlightened

I’m feeling much relieved. The first definition suggests that a writer should function as little more than a literary lamp-post. However, “intellectually or spiritually (Why not both?)” allows us writers to do pretty much anything. Questioning comes near the top of that list.

Or nothing—which comes first. We writers call the latter “thinking.”

It’s a hard thing.

VOR words 220.

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