English is a pretty screwed up language. Anyone who attended grade school can testify that the grammar and pronunciation rules are ridiculous. There are words that cannot be pronounced without context (heteronyms) like: bow, lead, permit, or dove. We use homonyms that have diverse spellings but sound identical like: air, heir, ere, err and e'er. Not to mention that laughter and slaughter are only different by one letter and yet sound so distinct. Yes, English as a language is far from perfect. What I find far more frustrating than the language itself, however, is how the electronic age is destroying the English language.
Perhaps there are bigger battles to fight than preserving the sanctity of a language as twisted as English, but I truly feel that the apathy of so many toward this topic is leading to dire consequences that we do not easily foresee. Written language was a necessary development for the progression of civilization. Throughout history the most successful of empires used an official language since it provided a uniformity to its subjects; as we continue in this timeline when the integrity of language broke down the collapse of the government that upheld it was not long after.
A warning which resonates strongly with me was shared by Mosiah when they found the people of Zarahemla, "and their language had become corrupted; and they brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator" (Omni 1:17). I find the order of this verse interesting. It's as though it were a causal relationship between the perversion of the language and their eventual apostasy. I feel that the degradation our language is currently undergoing is a factor that contributes to the decline of our nation.
I realize that the title of this post uses words that are not easily recognized, but I used them to make a point. Language is powerful. Unless people are willing to actively work to confront the corrosion of language, our society will inevitably decline as well. With four words I can summarize the idea that it has taken me four paragraphs to make. Perhaps it's worthwhile for us to pull out a dictionary or thesaurus and do what we can to counter the debasement of English. I'm not advocating that we need to haughtily use difficult words and make those around us feel foolish, but I would like to outline a few things I have noticed that may be of use to others in this cause.
1. Texting - For the longest time I refused to text. Texting is perhaps where the worst infractions in English occur since it is designed to be short; people, therefore, resort to abbreviating words and entire thoughts. In the rare cases where I do text, I take the time to spell out everything and use the appropriate punctuation. Sure it takes a little longer but I have yet to have someone ask me for clarification on any of the messages I have sent.
2. Capitalization - A few years ago, I was dating a girl who lived in Idaho Falls. When she went home for the summer we would keep in touch mostly through email since it was free. It was agonizing for me to get these long messages from her that looked like a single run-on sentence. There was no capitalization, separation of paragraphs or even punctuation. I wasted so much time trying to decipher her writing. In retrospect I can see why we broke up... It is fairly demanding to ask a person to occasionally use the shift key.
3. LOL - It should be fairly obvious by now that I disapprove of these types of acronyms when writing, but it blows my mind when I hear people actually say the acronym. TTYL, L8R, LMAO and WTF (I'm pretty forgiving on that last one though given the alternative). I have heard people actually say these things in conversation. How is this helpful? I think it actually takes more time to verbalize el-eight-ar than it does to say 'later'.
4. Fail - There is a trend now to refer to things considered stupid or wrong as 'fail.' It is actually maddening to listen to someone use this verb as a noun. In the basics of sentence structure you need a noun, a verb and a subject (which can be implied). So when I hear 'That's fail.' I think That = subject, 's = is = verb to be, fail = verb to fail... where is the noun?
5. Vocabulary - This one is not a condemning entry, to the contrary this is where technology is helping. A tool I have found useful is vocabulary building websites. There are many websites that feature a 'Word of the day.' I try to visit one of these a few times a week and incorporate the word into my usage that day. Some words I have kept for future use and some are simply entertaining that day. English can be a very concise language if one has the vocabulary to make it so. Words that are not recognized immediately would be if they were used everyday. Sometimes it is a shame to let these words go to waste.
For a while now I'm been listening to a husband and wife musical group that goes by Dirt Poor Robins. They have a cool folk/rock sound and use a variety of musical elements in their songs. It appears that they started out in 2006 and put out their album "The Cage" in 2007. As is the trend with many underground groups, their album is only available via electronic download. I am not one who tends to purchase songs that is just in electronic format since I like to own the physical CD but in this case I made an exception.
I would have to say that what peaked my interest in Dirt Poor Robins was their cover of "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles. My first impression when I saw a cover of a Beatles song was that of disbelief. It seemed pretty ballsy that anyone would have the audacity to try to improve something put out by them. So I gave it a listen to see how bad it was... but the joke was on me because it was incredible. It sounded great and was in no way disrespectful to the Beatles.
"The Hollywood Song" and "Love Again" are two others that stand out as great songs but the entire CD is worth listening to. Dirt Poor Robins hasn't had any official news releases since late 2007 so I'm a bit concerned that they haven't received enough support and are being left by the way side. I really hope this is not the case but if anyone is able to enjoy their music as a result of this post, my job is done. Happy listening.
The first year I went to Scout Camp I discovered that I really enjoyed shooting guns. The Rifle Shooting merit badge was offered there and for a penny per shot you could do as much target practice as you wanted. I earned that merit badge my first year there and in subsequent years regularly visited the rifle range.Part of the merit badge requirements were to learn how to use guns in a safe way. Keeping guns pointed in a safe direction, keeping the firearm unloaded until ready to shoot and correctly using the safety are all basics that eliminate the chance of accidents that many in today's society automatically associate with gun use and gun ownership.
Since using guns with respect and in appropriate ways is completely safe and lots of fun, I have never been able to understand the arguments for gun bans or gun control. It always seemed like it would take guns away from people who respect them, while those who are using guns to break the law won't really care whether the gun they are breaking the law with is illegal or not.
I've always wanted to own a handgun, for recreational shooting. During the last election I looked at many issues, including gun control, and the respective stances of each candidate towards them.
President Obama is certainly not the most fanatical opponent to gun ownership as his record can show. However, with such an overwhelming majority of democrats in the House and Senate, I began to worry that owning a handgun may not be an option forever. So when I got my tax refund back I went ahead a splurged a bit to finally buy my own handgun. I thought it was fitting that I should use the money that was withheld from my earnings by the government to make this purchase.
So now that I am the owner of a Ruger SR9c, witch feels really good to hold by the way, if people want to shooting sometime just let me know.
At first glance the title for my blog may not make much sense. "Collection of Goods" was taken from the title of a song by my favorite band Collective Soul. Ed Roland, the lead singer and songwriter for the band, writes some of the greatest lyrics I've ever come across. Ever since I first listened to their self-titled CD all the way back in 1995 Collection of Goods has always been one of their great songs to me.
Resonate tones of saving grace
Separate from the gods of hate
Alleviate all out doubting ways
Congregate to more loving days
A collection of peace where we could live
A collection of hope for us to give
A collection of words that mean we care
A collection of love for us to share
Recognize all equality
Vocalize solidarity
Exercise your tranquility
Glamorize all of love's needs
I thought it was fitting to use this for my blog title since this will be where I can compile my "goods": events, thoughts, reviews and the like. If not already familiar with the song you can use the link provided above.
Let me be honest, I never thought that I would have a blog. I don't believe that my views on topics are exceptional or even original. I am not an authoritarian on anything. So why have I finally decided to give in and create this site? I am doing this for my family both present and future.
As my siblings have gotten older and we have become more geographically separated staying in touch electronically has been an immense help for me. I have enjoyed following my sisters' blogs and seeing the updates in their lives and the lives of my niece and nephews. So this is for them and the rest of my family.
I also have never been great at keeping a journal to chronicle the events in my life. While I don't claim this is or should be a replacement for a personal record, I hope this will at least create a partial record that my future children and grandchildren will be able to access.
I would like to thank my family for their influence to me and I hope they can enjoy/appreciate what I post here.
