So I was thinking...

I think a lot. Some would say too much. But to say too much is to imply there is a set amount of thinking one should do, and to surpass it is excessive. Both of which I take offense to. Thinking is not something one should put a cap on or limit. Nor should one be criticized for indulging in it. Any democratic society that encourages this sort of limitation is not democratic at all.

I like to think that all this thinking is just my brain making up for the six years in which all my cognitive processes ceased--the six years I spent in a mind-numbing, life-sucking relationship. Whether I embarked on the relationship to keep from thinking or the cessation of my thoughts was a result of the relationship is something I'd have to think about. ...

But now that I'm thinking again, I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you. They will be random. They will be thought out beyond necessity and perhaps beyond practicality. And I can almost guarantee that I will just end up with more to think about. ...

Most recent, random thought. I have a friend. I don't want to mention any names, but let's just say his name is Naive, minus the "i", spelled backwards. This friend may possibly be the worst speller I've ever called a friend. He spells hilarious, hallarious. He spells steel, steal. Brawn, braun. Righteous, richeous. Every time! Those aren't just typos people! And the worst part is he prides himself on being smarter than most people. So you're probably thinking, "Wow, spelling? Really Jasmine?" And I would say: Yes! Really!

Let's think about this for a second...

He is misspelling words.

What are words? Words are symbols of meaning.

You change the symbol, you change the meaning.

Let's say I am writing an email to my father and I write:
It's not that I don't want you to be happy. I wish you were dead.

But what I mean to say is:
It's not that I don't want you to be happy. I wish you were dad.

Totally different meaning, right? One wishes death upon my father, the other happiness. To have such blatant disregard for the English language is not only reckless (and unattractive) it's irresponsible, because it shows a lack of desire to communicate clearly. And with communication becoming increasingly impersonal with email and text messaging, it's even more essential that we communicate clearly.

Our ability to communicate things is what makes our species as advanced as it is. Thanks to language we can communicate our histories, our lives, our successes and our mistakes from generation to generation. And our technological advances would not be where they are today without our ability to communicate with mathematical and scientific symbols.

The ability to communicate can be the difference between being imprisoned in a cage and being freed from it.

So if I sound condescending for criticizing someone's inability to spell, it's only because I understand the value of our ability to communicate.