By David Hegg
One of the basic foundations of civilization is language. People who speak a common language are also united by a common understanding of its words and grammar because those words and grammatical rules turn letters and words into vehicles of meaning. And that meaning, when mutually understood, provides an essential part of a civilization’s foundation.
Simply put, language has an ethical dimension. Reconfiguring or otherwise distorting the meaning of words is unethical, yet today, we see it everywhere, to our shame.
And yes, the meaning of words can morph and change over time, but only through common acceptance, as nuances of meaning enter society incrementally. For example, take the word “cool.” What was once described as temperature can also designate someone as savvy and “with it,” depending on the context.
However, when a minority acts to intentionally change the meaning of words to impose their ideology on the majority, we call it propaganda. When the proposed meaning of a word or phrase is the direct opposite of its commonly understood meaning, we, the people, ought to be on high alert because a bad moon’s arisin’!
But that’s what we’re experiencing today. Since when is “abortion” legitimately “health care”? How can a procedure that stops a beating human heart be called either “health” or “care?” And what about the new law Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed? The bill’s authors named it “The Safety Act,” which stands for “Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth.”
But what it really does is keep school teachers from informing the parents that their children are questioning their birth gender and considering or already transitioning genders. And so we ask, “How is that safety-related?” In asking the question, we discover the fundamental ideology behind this “Safety” law. In the eyes of the state, parents are evil. They will undoubtedly hate and hurt any children who try to transition. Thus, the state must protect the children from their parents, who are, after all, the greatest threat to their kids. And so, the governor signs the bill into law, and we take one more giant step into tyranny by the party that claims to be saving democracy.
So, how did California, indeed America, get here? By falling for some unethical language manipulation. It starts with the pesky phrase in the Declaration of Independence: “The pursuit of happiness.”
If you took the time to study the authorial intention of the original framers of that document – Adams, Jefferson and Franklin – you would find that they meant “the pursuit of happiness” as the “pursuit of virtue.” You would find that they all held the Roman philosopher Cicero in high esteem, primarily the fifth of the Tusculan Disputations titled, “Whether Virtue Alone Be Sufficient For A Happy Life.” With the writings of Aristotle, Plato and other philosophers, the framers declared that every person has the right to pursue happiness through the pursuit of virtue. And behind their declaration was the understanding that the foundational virtues of history’s philosophical geniuses were the stepping stones to true happiness. The happy life was the virtuous life.
In his book “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Jeffrey Rosen, president and chief executive officer of the National Constitution Center, lists the several accepted virtues as Order, Temperance, Humility, Industry, Frugality, Sincerity, Resolution, Moderation, Tranquility, Cleanliness, Justice and Silence.
Today, we have lost the framers’ intended meaning of “happiness.” While they understood and meant it to mean “the pursuit of the great virtues of life,” today, it essentially means “whatever it takes to make me feel happy.” Individual feelings of happiness have become the “unalienable right.” And, by exchanging authorial intent for a personal sense of happiness, we’ve become a nation where everyone can decide what makes them happy and the means they choose to experience whatever they describe as happiness.
If ending a baby’s life makes you happier, you have a right to do so, and society must affirm and applaud your right. If insisting gender is fluid makes your life better, then again, society must affirm and applaud your rights. And if denigrating parental responsibility and authority and, more importantly, parental love makes you think children’s lives will be happier, then by all means, write a law that protects minor children from the maniacs that birthed them.
Lastly, I read with amazement that our county supervisors have passed a resolution creating an independent ethics commission. On one hand, it is so sad that a commission is needed to ensure that our leaders live ethical lives, make ethical decisions, and promote moral virtue. On the other hand, I hope the commission is formed and that they understand the word “ethical” historically and do not attempt to reshape this vaunted academic discipline to fit the unethical standards too often accepted today.
We live in a world where words are being recast, meaning is manipulated, and untruths are being dressed up as truth. Those who manipulate language to justify unvirtuous behavior are not out for our happiness. They are promoting an unvirtuous ideology that is already damaging our civilization. Don’t fall for it, and certainly don’t put up with it.
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
