April 1, 2011

Dear Members and Friends,

In these troubled times it is difficult to keep a firm footing when so many centers are not holding. I look to our Unitarian/Universalist principles and I see that they are not widely shared in the larger community or in our world. We meet each Sunday to reassure ourselves that we have an island of sanity and peace where we are accepted and understood. It does not matter who is in the pulpit. What matters is that we meet as kindred spirits and see each others’ faces. I want to say a word of encouragement by talking about something which is still under our control, namely our personal speech.

Nothing betrays who we are so much as our speech. In our speaking we reveal our education, our economic status, our background, our politics, and even our religion. By following the latest fads in speech we show a lack of independence and a hidden desire to show that we are really up to date. Take for example the word robust, which today is used to describe everything from lovemaking to vegetables. The New Collegiate Dictionary says it means “strong or exhibiting vigorous health”; the second meaning is “firm in purpose or outlook” (robust coffee is from Africa): so there are your choices. Do you remember when it was fashionable to squeeze in the word “parameters” wherever possible?

One of the most frightening things now is the distortion of our language to express hatred. There are 1,000 hate groups in our country according to a study made by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It is 1984 again with a vengeance where a word can easily be used to mean its opposite. Remember the words form Alice in Wonderland where Alice says “A word can mean anything I want it to mean.” The Tea Party is very clever in hiding its true purposes in convoluted language. Do not fall for the language trap.

Let us be alert. Even David Brooks of the New York Times make egregious mistakes in grammar. How can you make such mistakes when your 6th grade teacher worked so hard to teach you to say “different from” rather than “different than.” When you speak you reveal your thought process which is accompanied by an emotional tone. So you are telling that much more about who you are. So much depends on the feelings which accompany your speaking. If you do not wish to be known, keep silent. Since we are emotional animals, we tell so much about ourselves. You can see how important this is for preachers, politicians, teachers and anyone who talks for a living.

I recently had to choose a general practitioner in Chicago due to a serious fall. I called the clinic and the doctor I wanted would not be available for a week. The clerk said, “Do you have any objections to a woman doctor?” I answered, “No, none at all, so long as she is a Democrat.” The clerk replied, “Every doctor on our staff is a Democrat.” To my surprise, this beautiful young lady told me that in her childhood she had spent two weeks every summer at the United Church of Christ camp in Sawyer, Michigan; she was very familiar with Tower Hill Road! She is a member of the United Church of Christ in Hyde Park. Her speech rings with the overtones of the Gospel!

May the perfumes and colors of April bless us all.

Love,