A little over a year ago, I wrote this post, but it has stayed in draft form ever since. I am not quite sure why, except that perhaps current events eclipsed the topic, or I wasn't ready to publish it for some other reason. However, it feels like the right time this morning, so, with a little editing, here we go...
Since I pretty frequently allude to the time of change we are entering, I guess I need to start exploring what things may look like, say, thirty, fifty, or one hundred years from now. Or, in this case, what they may sound like.
I feel quite certain that word prefixes that can mean or imply conflict, pushback, or pain will no longer be a major part of our vocabulary. Counter-, contra-, a-, anti-, dis-, dys-, non-, and a host of others...even suffixes like -algia (nostalgia).
Is this because some Orwellian, Big Brother regime will take over, and erase words in order to mess up people's brains? Create Ministries of Love which kill or torture people? No.
I think it will be because the human heart will literally (and simply) reach the point where it can no longer tolerate hatred, conflict or pain. Most of us will just throw up our hands and say, "I can't do this any more. I cannot focus on this any more." We won't want to fight anything or protect ourselves from anything. We will outgrow duality, in part because it has led to dire environmental crises that have completely changed our lives and perspectives. This will be change at the grassroots level, change from within, as most of us start to understand how destructive it has been to be in constant conflict. This transformation will spread to our language. Certain words will simply be used more infrequently. Their corresponding actions and concepts won't appeal anymore because we won't wish to stoke the fires of division and pain. Words and actions will increasingly exude/embody only harmony.
It's interesting to spend a day aware of words implying conflict...maybe circling them in the newspaper (if you still get a hard copy!) or writing a list of the ones you see or hear in the course of your day. Some examples: antiestablishment, atonal, disinfectant, counterattack...When you read them, how do you feel? Are they uplifting? Do you feel a warm glow? Or does that prefix immediately put you on edge? If you feel nothing, don't be surprised. We are all a bit numb at the moment. Just open the door to finding words (and actions) with no conflict or pain frame of reference, and see what comes in.
