We’re in the Army Now!

Grab a tray and get in line at the mess hall for your next serving of alphabet soup. Mess hall soup may not be gourmet, but it is purposely hearty and nourishing to prepare troops for the strenuous work of defending freedom. We desire our word recipes to be strong, precise compositions worthy of conveying the Word and following the directive of our great commander, Kartikeya. Sanat Kumara stated in 1979,

“For, beloved ones, in speaking and in writing, we must have an army–an army that counts each and every one of you and your children as a part of that force that can [and will] communicate the Word.

Some of the languages spoken by the people on earth today are so far removed from the original Word of the angelic tongue as to be inadequate for the transmittal of light. For this reason, the Ascended Master Saint Germain chose the English language to deliver the teachings of the Word on the I AM Presence. For the same reason, the dictations of the ascended masters delivered through our messengers over the past fifty years have also been released in the English language.”[1]

As sous chefs of the Great White Brotherhood we desire to clearly communicate the Word by fashioning some nourishing and savory alphabet soup using a variety of the roughly one million words in the English language.[2] That is a lot of choice ingredients!

In Alphabet Soup 3 we are going to look at a few of the English words and phrases that are known for imprecision, weakness and vagueness—the ones we want to keep out of our soup. 

Kind of, Sort of

Being in the army is synonymous with order, precision and decisiveness. Kind of, sort of lack these qualities and need to be put on the back burner.

In the alphabet soup of English kind of, sort of are most often used as a hedge—a word or phrase that expresses uncertainty, caution or probability.  Hedges are an integral part of polite conversation, used to soften language making it less exact and direct.[3] They permeate dialogue but are of questionable value when making a serious point or attempting to convey clear understanding in both speaking and writing. They can overload writing with extra words, making meaning less clear.[4]

When tempted to use kind of, sort of to categorize items—”What kind of broth is that?” —the general rule is that for formal writing “type of” is a more succinct and better choice.

Like

Your kitchen will not pass the commander’s inspection by joining the masses in using this word incorrectly. It’s not just teenagers who brandish this overused “Valley speak”—California dialect—word.[5] The use of this trite, idiomatic word is pervasive across all ages and genders of English language speakers as an unconscious habit—a filler word, an unnecessary pause, a stall.

Users of this word in this idiomatic form can be perceived as unprofessional and lacking in adequate vocabulary skills. “Hey, it is like time to whip up some lunch.” 

Fortunately, its invasion into the vernacular of English speech has not crossed over into the written word–except in fictional dialogue and in the compositions of elementary and middle school beginning writers. It is the educators’ job to nip this habit in the bud.

The habitual, informal use of the word like is an addictive additive that pollutes the English tongue making it unacceptable when communicating the Word. Would the angels—whose tongue the English language reflects—use the word like in this casual seemingly lazy way? I think not. Honestly observe your speech for a day to see if you are infected with the verbal “like” virus.

Nice

Nice is a timeworn word staple meaning someone or something that is pleasant or agreeable.  Your mother may have said when you came in from sledding on a cold winter day, “Have a nice bowl of soup to warm you up.” She did not precisely tell you the type of soup, but the aroma probably gave it away.

Jane Austen mocked the use of the word nice in her 1817 novel Northanger Abbey.  Henry Tilney teases a naive young woman, Catherine Morland for her overuse of the word nice, “… and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh, it is a very nice word, indeed! —it does for everything.”[6]

Nice is the diced potato of alphabet soup–common, bland and expected. While practical and positive it is often overworked. We probably all overuse it, especially in speech. Let’s make a conscious effort to add dimension to the flavor of our language and replace commonplace words like nice with more demonstrative words such as “delicious,” “beautiful,” “interesting,” “enjoyable,” “delightful,” “impressive.” Our soup tastes better already!

Let’s Be Precise

As we reflect on our own use of these problematic words and phrases, we are inspired by the words of our heavenly namesake, God Mercury.

You must sharpen your tools, beloved ones!  You have no time or ink to lose. You must relearn how to communicate by the spoken and the written word.[7]

As soldiers in the Sanat Kumara’s army of communicators we are striving to nourish our listeners and readers with perfection and precision. No more stale words will spoil our alphabet soup—either written or spoken. With creative genius we can move beyond overused mundane vocabulary and stimulate the senses with worded formulas that entice the soul to savor the constructs of the Word of God.  We are putting the labor of love into every spoonful, hoping to create a flavorful masterpiece that inspires our readers and listeners to rise higher in their understanding of the light.

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[1] Sanat Kumara, “The New Tongues of the Holy Spirit”, Pearls of Wisdom, Vol. 22 No. 42, October 21, 1979.

[2] https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-how-many-english-words

[3] https://prowritingaid.com/grammar/1000105/Do-we-need-type-of-%2C-sort-of-in-a-sentence-

[4] https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-how-many-english-words

[5] https://www.word-connection.com/post/abuse-of-the-word-like

[6] https://www.dictionary.com/e/nice-guys/

[7] Hermes Trismegistus, “The Guild of God Mercury: The Sword and the Pen,” Pearls of Wisdom, vol 36 no 42, September 22, 1993.