Like.

What is a word you feel that too many people use?

It’s become part of common vernacular, in the past twenty years, to add the term “like” intermittently into sentences where it has no relevant place. To explain why I think this is a bad thing, we have to discuss something very important to me: my grandfather.

My grandfather was a college professor of the English Language, a scholarly man, and dedicated to both wisdom and knowledge. As I was raised, he taught me each year the increasing levels of education in English and Grammar, as well as an extensive vocabulary.

He would often explain to me the importance of the English language, and how structuring your words correctly was the foundation of a logical and efficient mind. If only I had understood at the time the importance of his words.

As a child, I didn’t understand the importance of logic or efficiency of mind. I didn’t understand the profound mental health effects of a structured mind, or the increased understanding of which I was capable. And yet, it was there, and relevant, all along.

As part of my efforts to restore my own intellectual integrity, I have uncovered the importance of this structuring. In my studies, I realized that by understanding the structure of language, I can notate, remember, and comprehend in ways that others were not.

With proper understanding of your language, you can dissect any topic, breaking it down into its basic parts, and structure it into a memorable format that would work far better for you than any text written by another.

You can also use this to form a compelling statement, or disassemble a counter argument. It allows the flow of speech which would present you as intelligent, even if your intelligence is substandard. The structure of language frees your speech and writing to be creative, and thusly makes creating easier.

How does this relate to the over use of “like”? To put it simply, there are potentially hundreds of synonyms for the term “like” that go unused every day, while this term proliferates wildly, to the point of replacing “uh” and “um”, two of the most common vocal fillers.

This represents a dumbing down of language itself, which has been pervasive in the two most recent generations of man, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. I fear that this limitation of thought itself will have negative impacts in the second and third orders that we have yet to fully comprehend. Language has been the key to human development since the first written words were put to page. It is the guide to understanding ourselves, our past, and our future.

Limiting our use of synonymous words and phrases limits our ability to explore nuance, the complexity of emotion and ideal. And thus, I am a strong proponent for using any word I can think of, to limit the use of the word “like”.