By: Gary D. Barnett
“The word “We” is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages.
What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and impotent, are my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey?
But I am done with this creed of corruption.
I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame.
And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride.
This god, this one word:
“I.”
~ Ayn Rand, Anthem
Note: I have gone on vacation in my mind lately, as there are an enormous number of risks concerning extremely dangerous situations, and they are coming at us from every angle and at every intensity from this evil State. It will worsen from here over a likely short period of time. This government in particular, but governments everywhere have gone berserk. The threats facing us are many and could be deadly, but today a break from the doom and gloom in order to focus on language use, and the implications of the irresponsible and reckless use of the term “we.”
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This minor rant is distanced from all of what I normally speak about; the massive amount of tyrannical behavior observed daily in the government and its controlling elements of what is referred to as the “deep state.” The terror of rule is ever present, but sometimes one needs to address things of lesser importance in order to expose the misconceptions of the crowd, and the importance of language and how it is applied incorrectly, which muddies the water of clarity. In this particular case, I am speaking about the word “we.”
“We” is one of the most bastardized and misapplied words in the English language. It is used incessantly, and in many, if not most instances, it clouds reality by inserting everyone into every situation, good or bad. It feeds the monster called collectivism, so it is a great detriment to the idea of individuality. It is much more than annoying, it is arrogant and obnoxious. I must admit that I was caught in the far distant past in the trap of constantly using the term “we,” and did not even realize at the time that I was guilty of this gross error. Finally, at a time when I seemingly took credit for advice I had given to someone close to me, and his response was … “Do you have a mouse in your pocket?” Once I thought about his retort, I was truly embarrassed that I had apparently taken credit for another’s achievement simply by inserting myself in his success when it was completely unwarranted.
Corruption of language is so common today, that one could write a book on the subject, and never lack for any shortage of material to cover. This is troubling to be sure, but then society has sunk to a level of a loss of intellect not initially expected by this writer; at least not to this extreme. The meaning of words to me is a simple matter, as root systems and actual original meanings are available still, although even that is being destroyed on a constant basis. But so much of our language has been abused, changed, altered to fit a particular agenda, or stolen as a means of directing thought and behavior to suit and satisfy ego, or an arranged objective. Even something as a simple and beautiful rainbow, a symbol of the brilliance of nature, has been turned into something ugly.
But today we are discussing the word “we.” People love this word because they can insert themselves into each and every situation, every event, every circumstance of favor, every community, state, and even national experience, whether good or bad, stealing that which is not theirs, and taking credit for themselves in order to escape their own cowardice. Actually, this is attempting to gain respect collectively where it is unfounded, so therefore most likely based on envy. This is akin to theft of other’s thinking or deeds by nefarious means, whether intentional or not. In most cases, it is just a very bad habit, but then, what else would one expect in a society that has fallen into a state of ignorance, intellectual darkness, debauchery, confusion, collective madness, cowardice, and mass victimization?
“We” won the game. “We” won the war. “We” the people, my or our (“we”) country, or any collective meaning when referring to one group or another, especially when one is not a member of the group or of its policies. Everything having to do with nationalism or fraudulent ‘patriotism’ depends on the ‘claimed’ ability to be a part of something one is not. For example, a black person claiming today that they experienced the horrors of slavery due to their color or ethnicity are greatly mistaken. They did not, but maybe some of their long ago lineage may have, but that cannot be transported to them in current times and be legitimate. It is simply a way to gain false sympathy, obtain some sort of misbegotten ‘reparations’ or extortion payments from innocent bystanders. The same would be true of younger generation Jews pretending to be victims of ‘antisemitism’ (incorrect term) due to what is labeled the ‘holocaust,’ and racism due to something that affected only their long past ancestors, and substantially less than that claimed by modern day Zionists. They have taken the bastardized “we” to a ridiculous degree of collective harm of all for all time. A ludicrous ploy.
This boils down to one taking credit for another’s achievements, or another’s actions, by infusing yourself into the thoughts, behavior, or results of the conduct of others. One should every time he decides to use the word “we,” replace it with “I” to see if it fits. If not, do not use it at all. Inserting yourself into the lives and actions of others in any manner that is counterfeit to reality, is not only rude, it is unacceptable if every personal responsibility and honesty are to be respected. In the future, every time you think about using the word trap of “we,” ask yourself, “Do I have a mouse in my pocket?”
Ayn Rand used these words to describe a reflection on the history of the human race and on how it came to disintegrate into madness and fear through the perceived evils of collectivism. (A scourge on mankind)
“But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were going, and went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate.”
~ Ayn Rand.
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