Let’s begin by looking at some images, then on to today’s title. Hopefully I will choose my words carefully.

First we have three fine wildlife images from three equally fine photographers.

First we have a pretty action image of a Little Egret. This was created by Israeli photographer Yossi Eshnbol. I enjoy his imagery on a daily basis.

Next up we have a nice shot of an all too cute Northern Saw-whet Owl. Clement Stevens deserves the praise for this one.

Once again we have a Marina Scarr photo. She is becoming a regular on these pages. She did a great job capturing this image of a baby gator riding on its mom’s head.

The remaining images are mine. I will leave them uncaptioned except to say the first picture was made on the Arizona/Utah border, the second in Idaho, and the flower pictures in Wisconsin.  Photography is the capture of light.

Choose Your Words Carefully

What happens when words or phrases become cheap? Two of the most important but over used words in the English language are love and hate. Like most things today, it seems that very few understand that hallowed ground between the extremes.

I have noticed in my own writings on this blog that I have overused the term love. I love this photographic subject or that one. I really love this picture. I love being in this habitat or that one. I might even love this sport or that one. If I love all of those things, is there room left for real love? I have done my part to cheapen the word love.

I do not overuse the word hate. I don’t make it a practice, to use that word at all. Now if you carefully peruse the posts on this blog, I wouldn’t promise I have never slipped, but it would be unusual.

If we turn words like love and hate, into the common vernacular, what do we do when we really experience love and hate. Should people in love stalk someone who has not requited the love they believe they have shown? What comes after hate? Physical abuse, killing?

There is in fact, a price to pay for a society that cheapens its own language. Eventually nothing is ever big enough. It isn’t just single words that have been cheapened. Does anybody ever have a normal day anymore, or is it always filled with drama, love and hate? I stopped watching shows like American Idol and other TV programs of that vernacular. The same goes for the Olympics. Initially I found those heart warming back stories to be nice. After a while it began to feel like the producers were just piling on. I mean, if every single contestant has this gut wrenching and powerful back story, it quickly loses its effect. Then that is just an average story. Somebody, sooner or later has had to have had a “normal” life. If they all have these unbelievable odds that they have beaten, then what’s next?  The overuse of drama, has the same effect as using important words too much. Of course, that is exactly what society at large is doing, except the consequences are major.

I think that I, like everybody else, needs to choose my words more carefully. Every time we cheapen or lesson a powerful word, the kind that is meant to exemplify the extreme, we push the world around us to find more intense ways to say (show?) what they mean. Passion is a good thing, but not when used to excite others to do extreme things.

Words mean things…or at least they once did.

Wayne