Just Like in Intellect

I have a problem with the everyday use of just and like. By themselves they're fine, but ever since my brother, Tim, and my grandfather, Papa Krause, brought it to my attention, I get increasingly annoyed with the way the words have infiltrated themselves into our speech.

Firstly there's the word "like." When using it as a comparison, I don't have a problem, but when people use it in: "He was like ... then I was like ... then I thought that like I'd like die if he didn't like think the way that I like think of him." It's a verbal filler, with which I don't really have a problem, but how intelligent do people sound (politicians, scholars) when they get up in front of a large group of people and say, "Good afternoon. I'm sure that you've all heard that like ..."? It's kind of a turnoff, isn't it? This came about when I was telling my brother a story, saying, " ... and I was like ..." Tim turned and said, "You liked it?" and I've tried to change since then.

Secondly comes the word "just." I don't normally have a problem with this either, but my grandfather said that he despises the word, especially when people use it in prayers (Yes, he is a pastor.); therefore, I've begun to notice it more and more. "God, I just want to thank You for ... and just be with us when ..." Why don't we say, "God, thank You for ... and be with us when ..."?

We sound more direct when we speak that way, and I'm beginning to appreciate how my family points out my own faux pas's. If it weren't for my brother and Papa, I wouldn't think about such things and attempt to change my own patterns of speech. This note is slightly hypocritical though, because I find that sometimes I slip into the old habit of such speech.

I write this not for glory or to show my mastery of language usage, but to encourage thought into how we use the gift of language with which we've been blessed.

Becca