It is hard to gauge how mediocre a man has to be to not only adapt to, but take as his own an idea conceived by half a dozen bureaucrats, which directly confronts what is truly his. An idea, sometimes unprecedented in human history, sometimes grossly stupid, unequivocally nonsensical and infamous, whose application involves a drastic and sudden behavioral change, whose practical effect is to demean the past and break a long and honorable tradition, but an idea that is nevertheless swallowed up! Such success seems to indicate that a society can be physically destroyed by an external agent, but that it can only be corrupted voluntarily.
The Least That Is Expected of a Writer
The least that is expected of a writer worthy of the name is to consider as an insult the mere conjecture of these adepts of modern social engineering, who think they have the right and the power to determine how others should express themselves. Because this is exactly what the language police deserve: absolute and utter contempt, which must be extended to the writer who submits to it, who humiliates himself by adapting to the sudden and delirious dictates of half a dozen clowns who believe they are powerful enough to subordinate literary traditions that go back centuries and will go on for many more.
The Free Man and The Slave
Lavelle makes an interesting distinction between the free man and the slave, identifying the former as the one who makes joy coincide with his most habitual activity, and the latter as the one who separates them. Thus, what distinguishes them is the satisfaction in what they do, which goes beyond the circumstances to which they are subjected. Of all the things that flow from this vision, this is perhaps the most important: sometimes it takes little to be free, and sometimes one is a slave without knowing it.
Sometimes It Is Very Difficult to Detect…
Sometimes it is very difficult to detect falsehood when analyzing just words, but it is always possible to assume how much the sender gains from uttering them. In other words, we can always measure their impact on his personal interests. None of this is new; however, this little-practiced exercise is great for classifying those who demand caution, and those whose speech authenticity can be trusted.