Absolutely, Sorry, and So.

This is a story about Absolutely, Sorry, and So.

Absolutely was born as an adverb sometime in the 14th century. As with anything born during that period of time, Absolutely had to contend with unparalleled hardship and suffering. The Great Famine, Black Death, and the 100 Years War all took place during this period. And through it all Absolutely survived until today. A long life filled with tragedy, change, and prosperity for sure.

Sorry was born way before Absolutely, sometime before the 12th century. Sorry is OLD. But somehow Sorry survived all these years and seems to be flourishing even today. Sorry made huge strides in Canada and became very well known here. Canadians like Sorry. And somehow the feeling is mutual.

So was born about the same time as Sorry but took on many different identities. So pranced around as an adverb, conjunction, adjective, and a pronoun. And yet So somehow survived all these years as well.

Today these words should have stature, meaning, purpose. Yet, they have become very everyday.

How many times have you been in a conversation and the word absolutely is just thrown into it for good measure? That’s a pretty strong word to use when deciding you want to go to the mall on a Saturday afternoon. Shouldn’t Absolutely be treated with more reverence? I mean, it’s been around longer than the mall right?

During one of his fantastic Commanders Coffee’s, CMDR. Rorke Denver (ret.) gave a great presentation on the use of the word Sorry. You should check it out. He hit the nail right on the head. Sorry is a word with true meaning and should be reserved for instances where an apology is necessary, not as an everyday, overused filler word that looses it’s meaning when thrown around so wantonly.

And then there’s So. Not only do people say Thank You SO Much, but they are So Sorry as well. Aren’t the words Thank You enough? Are you really So Sorry?

Overusing words, or using a word (or phrase) that doesn’t suit the situation devalues it and actually is a little lazy.

I am so absolutely sorry for sharing this. No. Not really.