I don’t have a degree in English. To be totally honest, I hated English in school and yet I have found a love of words – of reading and of writing.

Those who know me know that I like rules - they give us tools to work with and something upon which we can build as a society. The problem, in my humble view, is that there is so much that does not make sense in English – in other words, there are few rules when compared to French, for example, which I will admit I preferred as a course – likely for that very reason.

I am no expert and truly appreciate the editors of the world, such as John Kendle, the managing editor of this paper. All this is to say that I am not here to judge those who are learning English. The issue for me today is that we seem to have forgotten, or left behind , the concept that words matter.

I am not sure when or how it happened, but it did and we now find ourselves living in a world in which many have forgotten – or have chosen to forget – their filters. A world in which words are often weaponized. A world in which words appear from behind a cloak, otherwise known as anonymity, targetting individuals or groups. A world in which words are chosen to bring others down rather than build them up.