Here are some words to avoid if you’re trying to write good copy, according to that cool course I mentioned.
- All things considered
- As a matter of fact
- As far as I’m concerned
- At any rate
- Basically, essentially, totally
- Be that as it may
- In a manner of speaking
- In a very real sense
- For all intents and purposes
- For the most part
- In my opinion
- Indeed
- It goes without saying
- The point here is
- The point I’m trying to make
- It is a fact that
- To be honest
- It has long been known
- Very, really, quite
- Of course
- Certainly
- Naturally
The more I read, the more I found this list hysterical. I couldn’t stop laughing. When I stopped, I started thinking about the concept of seemingly obvious statements.
Why do we feel the need to say things such as: basically, honestly, it goes without saying? Shouldn’t it go without saying?
One Hundred Years of Solitude and circular time
One of the reasons One Hundred Years of Solitude holds such a special place in my heart is because its magical realism confirmed what I’d already known somehow, that history repeats itself. In a way, I had already come to terms with the fact that time isn’t a line, it’s a circle.
The concept of linear and circular time in the book is perfectly explained here.
We’re wired to forget, and I believe that’s fortunate. However, no matter how simplistic or obvious something might seem to us, some reminding can’t/won’t hurt. We can learn from history if we just allow it to teach us. Time and time again. Honestly.
It even became a meme a while back, “Plot twist: humanity learns from its history.“
We’re all personally responsible to do better, to remind ourselves (and others when they need reminding) of what we’ve (or they’ve) learned and know to be true, no matter how painful or captain obvious-ish it is.
The seemingly obvious isn’t our enemy. Us repeatedly making the choice to ignore it is.
If you liked this, you might also like The Dimension of Time in High School and 7 Lessons Over the Weekend.